BiplabiDronacharya Hemchandra Kanungo | |
|---|---|
 Hemchandra Das Kanungo | |
| Born | Hemchandra Das Kanungo (1871-08-04)August 4, 1871 |
| Died | April 8, 1951(1951-04-08) (aged 79) Midnapore, West Bengal, India |
| Other names | BiplabiDronacharya |
| Education | Midnapore Town School |
| Alma mater | Calcutta College of Art |
| Organization(s) | Anushilan Samiti, India House, Paris Indian Society, Jugantar |
| Known for | Indian Freedom movement,Anushilan Samiti,Jugantar |
| Notable work | Account of the revolutionary movement in Bengal(Banglay Biplabi Prochesta), Towards the great years to come(Onagata Sudiner Torey) |
| Movement | Indian independence movement |
| Spouse | |
Hemchandra Das Kanungo (4 August 1871 – 8 April 1951)[2] was an Indian nationalist and a member of theAnushilan Samiti. Kanungo travelled toParis in 1907, where he learnt the technique of assemblingpicric acid bombs from exiledRussian revolutionaries. Kanungo's knowledge was disseminated throughout Indian nationalist organisations in theBritish Raj and abroad. In 1908, Kanungo was one of the principal co-accused withAurobindo Ghosh in theAlipore Bomb Case (1908–09). He was sentenced to transportation for life in theAndamans, but was released in 1921.[3][4] He was given the honorific sobriquet of, "BiplabiDronacharya" (Dronacharya for the revolutionaries) byKazi Nazrul Islam himself. For the crucial mentorship that he had provided to many fledging revolutionaries of the time.[5] He has been widely regarded as the most prominent figure in the early phase of the revolutionary movement.[6][7]
He was probably the firstrevolutionary from India who went abroad to obtain military and political training. He obtained training from the Russian emigre inParis.[8] He returned to India in January 1908.[9] He opened a secret bomb factory for theAnushilon Samiti atManiktala nearKolkata, founder members of which were Hemchandra Kanungo, Aurobindo Ghosh (Sri Aurobindo) and his brother,Barindra Kumar Ghosh.[10][11][12][13] He was also one of the founders of theJugantar party which was the central association of revolutionary independence activists inBengal.[13][14][15] He also contributed his writings on the revolutionary movement to theJugantar Patrika in order to inspire more youths.[16][17][18] He was one of the creators of theCalcutta flag, based on which the firstflag of independent India was raised byBhikaiji Cama on 22 August 1907 at theInternational Socialist Conference in Stuttgart,Germany.[19][20][21][22]
Born in an aristocraticMahishya family toPandit Kshetramohun Das Kanungo and Komalkamini Debi of Radhanagar village, inBelda of theMedinipur district.[23] His ancestor Raghavram Das had migrated fromKhurda inPuri district inOdisha to present-dayPaschim Medinipur. Their original surname wasDas, they received the titleKanungo for their command of the subjects ofNyaya and their acumen in surveying of the royal lands of different Kings ofUtkala. His father Kshetramohun was a scholar ofphilosophy andastronomy, and his mother Komalkamini was the sister ofRaja Kali Prasanna Singha Gajendra Mohapatra of theKhandrui Royal family.[24][25]
He started his education from Boromohunpur M.I. School and then subsequently shifted to the prestigiousMidnapore Town School in the 6th Class. He passed theEntrance examination fromMidnapore Town School; then shifted to First Arts class ofMidnapore College, but soon changed his mind and took admission into theCampbell Medical Hospital inCalcutta to become a doctor. With an inborn passion for art, he left his medical studies and entered theCalcutta art college to study fine arts. Abruptly discontinuing his studies, he returned home to work as an art teacher in his school for some time followed by his joining the District Board.[19][26][24]
After completing his studies inArt, he returned toMidnapore and joined theMidnapore College as ademonstrator in itsChemistry department. Simultaneously, he joined theMidnapore Collegiate School as its art teacher. He was instrumental for igniting the revolutionary fervour in the school’s early pupils.Midnapore town, by itself being a hotbed for revolutionary activities. He was greatly inspired by the school's former principalRajnarayan Basu. During this time, he also became involved in teaching art to village kids free of cost. He subsequently left teaching to join the Medinipur district board as asurveyor.[25][26]
During his time at theMidnapore Collegiate School, he was introduced toGanendranath Basu by Rajnarayan. He was inspired by Ganendranath to join the revolutionary movement and to lay the foundations of theAnushilan Samity ofMidnapore, during this time he greatly motivated by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s works, especiallyAnanda Math.[27] In 1902, he once again travelled toCalcutta and in the presence ofArobindu Ghosh he joined the newly formedAnushilan Samity, and took an oath with atalwar in hand, in front of thegoddess Kali. It was a custom in the early years of the Samity to exclusively take revolutionary oath inSanskrit, but by Hemchandra’s clear logic,Arobindu made a rare exception in his case and allowed him to take the oath inBengali instead.[25]
In 1902, he was nominated to organize the Midnapore chapter of the Anushilan Samity. In 1903, he laid the foundations of the Midnapore branch of the Anushilan Samity inMidnapore town. He rented a house with the aid of his maternal uncleRaja Kali Prasanna Gajendra Mohapatra ofTurka Raj, and transformed it into an institute of physical culture. Essentially, anakhara where he began to teach young men in stick-wielding, swordplay and wrestling. The said Akhara was inaugurated bySister Nivedita herself, during her visit to Midnapore.[28] He also utilised his maternal houseTurka Raj’s palace grounds, to train the youths that he had recruited.Khudiram Bose himself was one of his early recruits.[29][30][31][32] He also recruited some of the other great revolutionaries likeKanailal Dutta andSatyendranath Basu.[33]
In 1905, he along withBarindra Kumar Ghosh, took the responsibility of assassinating the oppressive Governor ofEast Bengal,Bampfylde Fuller atShillong. However, just before the planned assassination date, a member inadvertently injured himself, hence inhibiting the attempt. Meanwhile, Fuller had leftShillong forBarishal. Another attempt was made at Barishal, which also failed. Subsequent attempts to assassinate Fuller atDhaka andRangpur also failed. These early unsuccessful attempts made it clear to Hem Chandra that a more precise and professional approach to the revolutionary movement was necessary for it to be of any success. Furthermore, superior Bomb manufacturing and rifle training was also requisite in order to stand a chance against the mightyBritish Empire, which theRussian andIrish revolutionaries apparently were in possession off. This was one of the motivations for him to leave forEurope.[26]
Initially, he intended to pursue the modern art of weoponry in theUnited States, theJugantar group already had certain connections there. But this couldn't somehow materialize. Hemachandra decided that what was needed was technical know-how, and he went to Europe to get it.[27] He sold his house inCalcutta to arrange money for the trip. He was also financially aided by his maternal uncleRaja Kali Prasanna Singha Gajendra Mohapatra ofTurkagarh and also byRaja Narendra Lal Khan ofNarajole.[34][35] Arriving inMarseille toward the end of 1906, he joined a group of expatriated Indians who had formed an organisation called the "Paris Indian Society". However, during this time his already strained finances got exhausted. He spent a few months trying to get in contact with revolutionaries, or people who knew revolutionaries, inSwitzerland,France, andEngland. During this ordeal, he was fortunately spotted byShyamji Krishna Varma, who immediately welcomed him to hisIndia House, atLondon. This, he consequently he leftParis forLondon.[36] There he came into contact with other revolutionaries already in London in pursuit of their own studies or in actuality, in the pursuit of revolution, likeVinayak Damodar Savarkar,Madan Lal Dhingra andHar Dayal.[26][37]
Finally, he found a backer to support him while he studied chemistry inParis in the form ofMadam Cama herself.[19] He became an editor for her mouthpice the journal, called "Anarchy". During this time, he came into contact with certain Russian revolutionaries exiled inParis. He was also helped a lot byS. R. Rana .[25] He also joined theRussian Bolshevik Party in 1907.[38][39]Bhikaiji Cama introducedJoseph Albert, known as Libertad, to Hemchandra and his friendPandurang Bapat in July 1907. She also helped them establish aChemical laboratory at Paris.[11] He also accompaniedBhikaiji Cama on 22 August 1907 at theInternational Socialist Conference in Stuttgart,Germany, where she delivered her famous speech, and the flag that she had unfurled at the conference was drawn by Hemchandra.[19] With the help of a female anarchist, apparentlyEmma Goldman, they were admitted to a party headed by a mysterious Russian known as Ph.D, later identified as Nicholas Safranski.[40][41][42] During the latter part of 1907, the two Indians studied history, geography, economics, socialism, communism, and finally, the subjects they had come to learn - explosive chemistry and revolutionary organization.[43] Kanungo utilised his photography skills in taking pictures of the bomb manuals and later Bapat, took the help of a Russian student studyingMedicine atBerlin to help them translate the photographs of the bomb making manual.[44]
Hemchandra returned fromEurope with a trunk full of up-to-date technical literature, the most important item of which was a seventy-page manual on bomb-making, translated from theRussian. Hemchandra had not intended to join forces with Barindra, but after a talk with Sri Aurobindo, agreed to cooperate.[3]
A suicide squad of two members was sent to kill Kingsford atMuzaffarpur. After bombing at wrong target,Prafulla Chaki committed suicide before the British Indian Police detained him alive butKhudiram Bose didn't do so and the Police arrested him. As a result of this incident, the covert bomb factory established by Hemchandra was raided by the British Police and shut down. Almost all of the members were arrested in a short period of time.[30]
TheAlipore Bomb Case saw the trial of a number of Indian nationalists from theAnushilan Samiti inCalcutta on charges of revolutionary activity. Kanungo was listed as one of the principal co-accused alongsideAurobindo Ghosh. The activities exposed during the trial centered around theManicktolla garden house, which served as a secret laboratory and hub for the preparation of explosives. Kanungo was arrested along with several others, includingBarindra Kumar Ghosh, andUllaskar Dutta. The trial became a landmark event, not only because of the high-profile accused but also due to the colonial government’s attempt to portray revolutionary nationalism as a criminal conspiracy against theBritish Raj. The evidence presented during the trial, including the recovery of bomb-making materials, directly implicated those involved in the technical aspects, of which Kanungo was the foremost expert.[45][46]
Kanungo's involvement extended even to events that unfolded during the trial period. He was instrumental in the plan to killNarendra Goswami, who became an approver (King's witness) in the case while inAlipore jail. Hemchandra was reported to have provided the gun used bySatyendranath Basu andKanailal Dutta to eliminate Goswami within the jail premises. This act, while adding a dramatic and defiant layer to the conspiracy, further cemented the image of the revolutionaries' determined resistance.[11]
In consequence, he was sentenced to transportation for life following his involvement in the Alipore Bomb Case. This sentence led him to the infamousCellular Jail in theAndamans, a prison known for its exceptionally severe and dehumanizing conditions. Along with other revolutionaries, he endured an isolated existence; the jail's design intentionally prevented communication between inmates, effectively keeping them in solitary confinement. The harsh regime included subjecting prisoners to months of shackles or chains while forcing them to perform rigorous labor, such as manually operating the oil press machines.[47] His time in the "Kala Pani" was an immense personal trial that severely impacted his health. During this time, he again came into contact withV. D. Sarvarkar, and many other revolutionaries he had met abroad. He also, met some of the other key figures of the movement likeSachindra Nath Sanyal,Pulin Behari Das, and his fellow compatriots ofCalcutta likeUllaskar Dutta andIndu Bhusan Roy. He became a great inspiration to the younger freedom fighters who saw him as a guide or aguru, for his experience and scholarly disposition.[48][49][50]
Though sentenced to life, Hemchandra Kanungo was eventually released from the Cellular Jail in 1921, largely due to a general amnesty that occurred around 1920 betweenIndian National Congress and theBritish Raj. Upon his release, he initially recommitted himself to theIndian Independence movement.[51]
He was released fromCellular Jail in February, 1921. After his release, he again committed himself to theIndian Independence movement.[25] He also worked withManabendra Nath Roy for a short while.[52][53] Slowly, he returned to his normal life after 1925. He returned to his native village, Radhanagar, and rekindled his old hobbies ofphotography andart. The picture that he drew forRaja Narendra Lal Khan is displayed at theNarajole Rajbari.[23]
He wrote and published many books on the revolutionaries of India; he also wrote songs and poems. His book“Banglay Biplabi Prochesta” (1928) has been widely acclaimed as one of the most comprehensive first-hand accounts on the revolutionary movement.[54] His other book,“Onagoto Sudiner Torey” (1945), has also been hugely acclaimed.[24] However, it is also to be noted that in the later phase of his life, after his return from theAndamans, he grew highly critical of the way in which the revolutionary movement was carried out and organised, he gave an accurate and staunch critique of the movement in his books and also suggested ways by which it could have gone differently, as a final advice for the later revolutionaries.[55]
In 1887, in just 16 years of age, his marriage was set with Sarat Kumari Debi, the daughter ofDr. Mahendra Chandra Maity and Janaki Debi of Panchbera village inTamluk Subdivision. Sarat Kumari was only 10 years old at that time. He had three children, two daughters, Manossundari and Ashalata and one son, Manobandhu.[25][5]
He died at the age of 79 in 8 April, 1951 inMidnapore Hospital. He forged a lasting legacy as one of India's earliest revolutionary nationalists, pioneering the use of explosives in the armed struggle againstBritish rule. He secretly traveled toParis in 1906–07, mastering bomb-making from Russian anarchists, and returned to establish the Bomb factory inManicktolla inKolkata, trainingAnushilan Samiti andJugantar members in chemistry and sabotage techniques. His efforts fueled key actions like the 1908 Muzaffarpur bombing attempt byKhudiram Bose andPrafulla Chaki, leading to the high-profileAlipore Bomb Case, where Kanungo received a life sentence in theAndamans alongside Aurobindo andBarindra Ghosh.[8][24]
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Released in 1921 fromCellular Jail, Kanungo shifted towardsocialism while documenting Bengal's revolutionary phase in his 1926 book "Banglay Biplabi Prochesta", influencing later generations of freedom fighters. He co-designed theCalcutta flag in 1906, a precursor toBhikaiji Cama's 1907 design and modernIndia's tricolor, symbolizing early nationalist iconography.[22] His emphasis on physical training, ideology, and secret societies inspired youth acrossBengal, sustaining armed resistance momentum despite personal sacrifices, and cementing his role as a bridge between earlyswadeshi militancy and broader independence efforts.[19]
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