"Sachindra Nath Sanyal, in the preface to Bandi Jeevan, expressed his fear that future generations would not be told the truth about what the revolutionaries had done. He was proved right, as many significant events and characters were systematically washed out of public memory."
No one denied the fact that revolutionaries events that occurred just after the Partition of Bengal in 1905 forced the British Raj to take the initiative for Morley-Minto reforms in 1909, Effect of Gadar revolutionaries on Indian Soldures after the first world war (1914-1918) forced them for Government of India Act 1919, Incidents led by Hindustan Republican Association caused for Round Table Conferences (1930-1932), Foundation of Indian National Army and its coalition with Japanese Army force them for Cripps Mission in late March 1942 & Finally, the Royal Indian Navy mutiny (1946) led to Indian Independence.
And you know what the most exciting part was? All the credit was taken over by the concept of "De hame Azaadi Bina Khadak Bina dhaal."
There are only two books that changed my way of thinking. The First was Hindutva by Veer Savarkar and the second one, which I will review with these points.
Initial Impressions of the Book
That 351 Paged book contains eight chapters dedicated to the story of India's revolutionary movement that started with Vasudev Balwant Phadke in the 1870s and later came to the Royal Indian Navy Mutiny in 1946. But the Author emphasizes the revolutionary movement technically started by Aurobindo Ghose and Veer Savarkar in the last decade of the 19th century. Sanjeev Sanyal also gives a glimpse of the current condition of structure and marks related to the Indian independence movement.
Why is Sanjeev Sanyal the most fitting choice for writing that Book?
When asked about the first All-India movement, I immediately told him about Bengal's Swadeshi Protest of 1905. That Land is not only the center of Modern Indian Revolutionaries but also produced reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy and legends like swami Vivekanand. How can anyone forget that the first congress president and First Indian ICS Officer belonged from this great land? The Author is also from that great land which gave him a close eye on the study and research of the Indian revolutionaries movement at the state level.
The second thing is also notable that the Indian revolutionary movement was not only limited to Bengal but also affected Europe (India House led by Veer Savarkar), America (Base of Gadar Revolutionaries), the Middle East (Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh's Turkey Alliance), Japan (Ras Bihari Bose's foundation of Indian Independence league) and also Singapore (Indian National Army).
Any research about Indian Revolutionaries will always be incomplete by visiting and examining these states. Sanjeev Sanyal not only spends quality time in foreign but also receives honors from the National University of Singapore, Oxford University London, and the World Economic Forum, and is currently working Economic Advisory Council for the Prime Minister (EAC-PM).
His roots in Bengal, his Visit to all national - international sites related to the revolutionaries, and the reach of factual figures as government officials make him the best person to write the authentic story of the Indian Revolutionaries Movement.
Analysis of Revolutionaries: The other story of how India won its Freedom
After the First war of Independence in 1857, the following revolt arose by the face of Birsa Munda, Vasudev Balwant Phadke, and more. But the Author did not consider that these revolutionaries had the bigger idea and concept of Indian Freedom and any agenda about what India does after achieving its Swaraj. But Yeah, the assassination of WC Rand by the Chapekar Brothers gives a spark to the forest fire.
Aurobindo Ghose's Anusheelan Samiti (1902) and Veer Savarkar's Mitra Mela (1899) (Letter became Abhinav Bharat in 1904) give a broader agenda of revolutionaries. Ultimately Partition of Bengal was the case that offered a boost for both revolutionaries to increase the fight potency against British Raj.
Anushilan samiti's work was based on the Akhada Concept (Hindu Traditional Gymnasium), where they opened branches of revolutionaries. Most of them were influenced by these Akhadas. That played a broader role in the assassinations of British officers as retaliation for the Partition of Bengal. On the other hand, Madan Lal Dhingra, from an India house, killed Curzon Wyllie.
Almost all the first generations of revolutionaries come from these two roots, which also passed in another.
Sachindra Nath Sanyal, who founded Hindustan Republican Association (Which letter led by Bhagat Singh), was also the founder of a branch of the Anushilan Samiti in Patna in 1913.
Overall, the Author clearly describes that the revolutionaries were not a group of agenda-less patriots. They worked with a clear-cut objective in a well-planned manner. They also have a constitution that demonstrates their Nationalist approach and advocacy for the similar right of everyone.
Three Lessons from that Book
The Sanatana Dharma, that is Nationalism
Chapter 1, Page no. 17
Aurobindo Ghosh would end his famous Uttarpara speech of 1909 with the following words:
"This Hindu Nation was born with the Sanatana Dharma; with it moves and with it grows. When the Sanatana Dharma declines, and if Sanatana Dharma is capable of perishing, with Sanatana Dharma, it will die. The Sanatana Dharma, That is Nationalism. This is the message that I have to speak to you."
The absolute reason behind Indian Independence
Even Clement Attlee accepted in front of PB Chakraborthy in 1956 that the main reason behind granting India's freedom was the "Indian National Army & Mutiny of Royal Indian Navy.
Take a look at the frequency of this mutiny,
When Royal Indian Mutiny finally occurred with outrage for the Red fort trail of Indian National Army soldiers, the Navy soldiers rapidly took over Royal ships; when the British Planted the Maratha brigade to conquer them, they deliberately did not hit the target. When the British came for Air Force support, they also denied the reason for the fault in the engine. And finally, that revolt dropped at the request of senior congress leaders.
Hame to Apno ne Dhokha Diya, Gore me kaha dum tha
Very few readers know that INA soldiers did not take back from Indian Government to Army after 1947. But Zinnah Welcomed Muslim INA soldiers who later joined Pakistan and fought for Pakistan in the First Indo-Pak War of 1947-48. So the INA Battle, which started to make India Free, ended with a fight against India.
Suggestions for Author
There is no doubt that Sanjeev Sanyal did outstanding work, and this book changed my view about Indian Revolutionaries. But by adding some other facts, this book can become more outstanding.
On-Page no 24, the Author said that Chapekhar Brother had no significant network or long-term object. So what about the "Chapekhar Club"? that concept is also based on 'Akhada,' an idea highly mentioned in this book. Chapekhar Brothers established the first army to fight against the British. But the Activity of Rand forces him to take immediate action. On that point, the Author is correct that the Chapekhar brothers did not leave any network behind. Still, I can't entirely agree with the statement that chapekhars have no long-term object.
The second thing is that the people of India can understand the significance of Akhadas with one more fact at the time of the Killing in Calcutta, when An Akhada Led by Gopal Latha Saves Hindus from Zihadis and give a tight retaliation and ultimately led to the end of Killings. That fact should be mentioned in the Book.
The Third thing is that when the author describes all the revolutionaries in detail, he should also mention the name of a person hanged with Chapekhars, "Mahadev Ranade," instead of only "Friend" and Apte also, who was sentenced to 10 Years of Imprisonment.
In the last Thing, In the epilogue author mentions some of the essential revolutionaries' life after independence. But I found something missing. When anyone says the word 'Revolutionaries,' the first picture of Bhagat Singh comes to mind. So Indian readers should know what happened to the man who accompanied Bhagat in the assembly bombing.
His statement while undergoing treatment in Delhi could make this section more remarkable.
As Manmathnath Gupt puts it in his account of Dutt:
He, like other of our comrades, "used to argue that this is not the freedom (Swarajya) we fought for, we never fought for this, and we wanted something different" during our political debates.
The audience I would recommend this book to
That Book must be a part of the School syllabus. If not, I advise every Indian parent to give this book to their child when they pass intermediate. Tourists who love to travel the world should also have to read this book and know the remains that Indian Revolutionaries left behind in foreign land.
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