Unsung Heroes of India’s freedom struggle

India was not always Independent; our nation was once under British rule or British Raj, and not for five or six years, but for 89 years from 1858 to 1947. During their rule, our ancestors faced cruelty in the most gruesome way. They endured the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in which, under the command of General Dyer, troops opened fire on unarmed people who were gathered during the Baisakhi fair to raise their voices against the Rowlatt Act.

They also suffered the Bengal famine, in which around 29 million people died of starvation while Winston Churchill was busy exporting wheat to Britain and many more incidents. All these atrocities boiled the blood of thousands of Indians and fueled in them a desire for freedom and justice. But do we know all those brave men and women who sacrificed their lives to make India independent? This blog will introduce you to the lesser-known heroes of the Indian freedom struggle, so let us begin.

1. Ram Prasad Bismil

Ram Prasad Bismil was a prominent freedom fighter, poet and writer who was executed by the colonial British government for his relentless efforts in the Indian freedom movement.

During childhood, he joined Arya Samaj, which profoundly shaped his nationalist and revolutionary ideas. He was a proficient writer and wrote the poem “My Janm” (My Birth) at the age of 18 years when the British Empire passed a death sentence to Bhai Parmanana, who was an eminent leader of Hindu Maha sabha.

Bismil formed an organisation called Matrivedi and came in contact with Genda Lal Dixit, who was a school teacher. They both shared their revolutionary ideas and decided to include the youth in the freedom struggle. In February 1920, he established the Hindustan Republican Association. To raise funds for this, he decided to loot the British train that was carrying government money at Kakori, along with many other revolutionaries. This robbery was called the Kakori train robbery, and in that robbery, many revolutionaries were arrested.

Among those revolutionaries, Ram Prasad Bismil, Roshan Singh, Ashfaqulla Khan  and Rajendra Nath Lahiri were given death sentences. Bismil was hanged in Gorakhpur Jail, Ashfaqulla Khan at Faizabad, Roshan Singh at Naini and Lahri at Gonda. Some of the Bismil prominent literary works are Man Ki Lahar, Swadeshi Rang, Deshvasiyon ke nam sandesh and more.

A memorial is established at his birthplace, Shahjahanpur City to pay tribute to his efforts for Indian independence. The government of Uttar Pradesh also inaugurated his marble statute on 18th December 1994.

2. Khudiram Bose

Inspired by the lectures of Sri Aurobindo and Sister Nivedita, Khudiram Bose started doing revolutionary activities at a very young age.

He joined Anushilan Samiti, an underground society made for revolutionary activities. He was arrested for distributing pamphlets against British rule in India when he was fifteen. At the age of 16, he learned to make bombs and plant them in front of police stations. In the year 1908, bose was assigned to kill Muzaffarpur’s District Magistrate, Douglas Kingsford, who was ill-famous for giving harsh and even corporal punishment to young political activists.

Khudiram Bose and another young revolutionary Prafulla Chandra Chaki decided to throw a bomb on the carriage of the Kingsford, but unfortunately, the carriage they targeted was carrying the wife and daughter of Pringle Kennedy. This led to the killing of both of them, while Douglas escaped from the scene. Prafulla Chandra shot himself to avoid getting captured by the police, while Khudiram Bose was arrested and hanged on 11th August 1908, when he was 18 years old.

A huge crowd of people with garlands in their hands packaged the surrounding areas of the prison where Bose was going to be executed. The people who were close to Khudiram arranged for his funeral procession, and it was reported that wherever the carriage carrying his body passed, people threw flowers at it.  On 12th August, a prominent daily, Amrita Bazar Patrika, wrote the story of Bose with the headline- Khudiram End: Died Cheerful and Smiling. According to the newspaper, Khudiram was cheerful and even smiled when the cap was drawn from his head.

3. Matangini Hazra

Without strong and courageous Indian women, the list of unsung heroes of the Indian freedom struggle would be incomplete. So, here is one such distinguished female freedom fighter- Matangini Hazra.

Her early life is not much documented, but a few things are known about her. For example, she was born into a poor peasant family and got married at the age of 12. Her husband died after six years of their marriage, making her a widow at 18.

She didn’t receive any formal education but got inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi and participated in the Indian Independence movement. In 1930, she was arrested by the police on account of breaking the Salt Act. She was released promptly after that, but she again took part in the “Chowkidari Tax Bandha” (Abolition of Chowkidari Tax), during which she and other activities marched towards the court building, raising slogans and got arrested.

She was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for protesting and was sent to a jail in Baharampur, West Bengal. After completing their imprisonment, she joined the Indian National Congress (INC). Congress launched the Quit India movement on 8th August 1942, demanding a complete end to the British rule. Under this movement, congress members in Bengal decided to capture the police stations and government offices.

Matangini Hazra, with six thousand supporters, mostly women, marched towards the Tamluk police station. As she and others reached the city outskirts, they were ordered to go back, but she continued marching and was shot by the police. Then, she came in front of her supporters to request not to be shot, but the police opened fire. According to the Biplabi Newspaper, even after the police started firing, she kept advancing with the tri-colour and eventually died chanting “Vande Mataram”.

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4. Jhalkari Bai

Another extraordinary and brave daughter of our Great Nation is Jhalkari Bai. She was a warrior who served in the army of Rani Lakshimbai, or queen of Jhansi.

She was born in a Koli (an agricultural caste of India) on 22nd November 1830. She was a brave little girl whose father trained her to use weapons. A legend says that she killed a tiger with an axe and a leopard with a stick, which she used for herding her cattle.

She got married to a soldier who was in the army of Jhansi and got noticed by Rani Lakshmi Bai because she looked exactly like her. Queen of Jhansi enquired about her, and when she came to know about her bravery and skills, she took her into her women's army. Jhalkari bai was rigorously trained in the Jhansi ki Rani army. Her skills quickly rose her to higher ranks in the queen’s army, and she became an adviser to her.

British East India Company ordered to annex the state of Jhansi after the death of Rani’s husband and Maharaja of Jhansi, Gangadhar Rao Newalkar. Britishers applied the Doctrine of Lapse to claim the throne.

However, Jhansi ki Rani didn’t want to give her kingdom to the Britishers and rebelled. Jhansi was attacked by the big British army and was betrayed by her own people. It is said that at such a crucial time, Jhalkari Bai advised Rani to escape with her son from the fort; she disguised herself as queen, which led to confusion and gave Rani Lakshmi Bai the essential time to escape. Her Marty Day is still celebrated every year in Bundelkhand as Jhalkari Bai Jayanti.

5. Bhima Nayak

Most of us think that in the revolt of 1857, only sepoys took part, but it was not so. Simple tribal, such as Bhim Nayak from the Bhil tribe, played a critical role in the revolt.

Bhil community resistance against the British rule started in 1818. British officers deprived the community of their basic rights, and to obtain profits from the forest resources, they tried to take their lands away. Some say that forced conversion to Christianity was also a factor that led to the rebellion.

Though the Bhil community started the rebellion in 1818, it was on a small scale. In September 1857, the rebellion became more organised under the leadership of Bhima Nayak. He brought together the tribal people of the surrounding areas and collectively defeated the British detachments. The Britisher empire was shocked by the defeat and announced a reward of 2000 on his head. In 1858, 1500 soldiers were sent to crush the rebels and gain a hilltop. Tribals fought with their rocks and stones, which caused a lot of damage to soldiers. But many tribals got arrested by the police and sent to jail.

Bhima Nayak escaped, but he was captured by the police on a tip-off and taken to the Andaman islands for corporal punishment. He was hanged in Port Blair on 29th December 1876. Bhil communities still remember him as their hero and highly revered him for his sacrifice. In Madhya Pradesh, a government scheme, Shaheed Bhima Nayak Pariyojna, is named after him. In 2017, a memorial named Bhima Nayak Memorial was dedicated to the legendary hero of Madhya Pradesh.

The Bottom Line

We have mentioned only five lesser-known legendary heroes of India’s freedom struggle among a huge list of remarkable men and women who fought for our country. And it is because, if we add all, the list would be endless. So, explore the stories of more unknown freedom fighters on your own such as Jatin Das, Durgavati Devi, Maveeran Alagumuthu, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, Aruna Asif Ali, Gurdit Singh, Thirupur Kumaran and more. And don’t forget to share what you have learned from their stories and tell your friends, teachers and peers about them.