Durgavati Devi | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1907-10-07)7 October 1907 ShahjadpurAllahabad,United Provinces,British India (present-day Shahjadpur,Kaushambi,Uttar Pradesh,India) |
| Died | 15 October 1999(1999-10-15) (aged 92) Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Nationality | British Indian(1907–1947) Indian(1947–1999) |
| Other names | Durga Bhabhi |
| Occupation | Revolutionary |
| Organization(s) | Hindustan Socialist Republican Association,Naujawan Bharat Sabha |
| Movement | Indian independence movement |
| Spouse | Bhagwati Charan Vohra |
| Children | 1 |
Durgavati Devi (7 October 1907 – 15 October 1999), popularly known asDurga Bhabhi, was an Indian revolutionary and freedom fighter. She was one of the few women revolutionaries who actively participated in armed revolution against the rulingBritish Raj. She is best known for having accompaniedBhagat Singh on the train journey in which he made his escape in disguise after thekilling of John P. Saunders.[1] Since she was the wife of anotherHindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) memberBhagwati Charan Vohra, other members of HSRA referred to her asBhabhi (elder brother's wife) and became popular as "Durga Bhabhi" in Indian revolutionary circles.
Devi was born intoGujaratiBrahmin family inAllahabad.[2] She was married toBhagwati Charan Vohra when she was eleven.
She was an active member of theNaujawan Bharat Sabha, Devi came into prominence when the Sabha decided to observe the 11th anniversary ofKartar Singh Sarabha’s martyrdom on 16 November 1926 inLahore. Devi was instrumental in helpingBhagat Singh andShivaram Rajguru escape after the killing of John P. Saunders, aBritish police officer in Lahore who, on the instructions of James Scott, killedLala Lajpat Rai during alathi charge.
She led the funeral procession ofJatin Das from Lahore toCalcutta after his death in a 63-dayjailhunger strike. All along the way, huge crowds joined the funeral procession.[1]
AfterBhagat Singh surrendered himself for the 1929 Assembly bomb throwing incident, Devi attempted to assassinate Lord Hailey; he escaped, but some of his associates were injured. She was caught by thepolice and imprisoned for three years. She had also sold her ornaments worth₹3,000 to rescue Singh and his comrades under trial.[3]
Devi, along with her husband, helped Vimal Prasad Jain, an HSRA member, in running a bomb factory named 'Himalayan Toilets' (a smokescreen to hide the agenda of making bombs) at Qutub Road,Delhi. In this factory, they handledpicric acid,nitroglycerine andfulminate of mercury.[3]
Two days after killing John P. Saunders, on 19 December 1928,Sukhdev Thapar called on Devi for help, which she agreed to do. They decided to catch the train departing from Lahore forBathindaen route toHowrah (Calcutta) early the next morning. She posed as the wife of Singh and put her son Sachin in his lap whileShivaram Rajguru carried their luggage as theirservant. To avoid recognition, Singh had shaved off his beard and cut his hair short the previous day and dressed in Western attire. In fact, when Singh and Sukhdev came to her house on the night of 19 December 1928, Sukhdev introduced Singh as a new friend. Devi could not recognize Singh at all. Then, Sukhdev told Devi the truth and said that if Devi could not recognise Singh in his changed clean-shaved appearance despite knowing him well, surely thepolice would also not recognize him as they would be looking for a beardedSikh.[3]
They left the house early the next morning. At the station, Singh, with his concealed identity, bought three tickets toCawnpore — two first-class tickets for Devi and himself and a third class one for Rajguru. Both men had loaded revolvers with them to deal with any unanticipated incident. They avoided raising the suspicions of the police and boarded the train. Breaking the journey at Cawnpore,(nowKanpur) they boarded a train forLucknow since the CID at Howrah railway station usually scrutinised passengers on the direct train fromLahore. At Lucknow, Rajguru left separately forBenares while Singh, Devi and the infant went to Howrah. Devi returned to Lahore a few days later with her infant child.[4]
Unlike other freedom fighters, after Indian independence, Devi started living as a common citizen in quiet anonymity and exclusion inGhaziabad. She later opened aschool for poor children inLucknow. Devi died in Ghaziabad on 15 October 1999 at the age of 92.[1]
A small reference to her character was seen inRakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s 2006 filmRang De Basanti, whereSoha Ali Khan played her part.[3]
The seventh episode of the 2014 IndianEpic TV anthology television series,Adrishya, is about Devi.
The 64 episode of the 2022DD National's historical television series,Swaraj, is about Devi and herHusband.
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