Pritilata Waddedar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1911-05-05)5 May 1911 |
| Died | 24 September 1932(1932-09-24) (aged 21)[1] |
| Cause of death | Suicide by consumingpotassium cyanide |
| Other names | Rani (nickname) |
| Alma mater | Bethune College |
| Occupation | School teacher |
| Known for | Pahartali European Club attack (1932) |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Ash Sarkar (great-great-niece) |
| Signature | |
 | |
Pritilata Waddedar (5 May 1911 – 24 September 1932)[1][2] was aBengalirevolutionary nationalist who was influential in theIndian independence movement.[3] She is often praised as "Bengal's first woman martyr".[4][5]
After completing her education inChittagong andDhaka, Pritilata graduated inphilosophy from theBethune College inCalcutta. She worked as a school teacher for sometime before becoming part of the Indian Independence movement. In 1932, she joined a revolutionary group headed bySurya Sen. In September 1932, she led a group of revolutionaries in an armed attack on the Pahartali European Club. The revolutionaries torched the club and shot at it later, and one person was killed and eleven people were injured in the attack. After being cornered by thecolonial police, Pritilatacommitted suicide by consumingpotassium cyanide as planned earlier.
Pritilata Waddedar was born in a middle-classBengaliBaidya Brahmin family on 5 May 1911 in Dhalghat village inPatiyaupazila ofChittagong (in present day Bangladesh).[6][7][8] The family originally held the surnameDasgupta; Waddedar was a title conferred to an ancestor of the family. Her father Jagabandhu Waddedar was a clerk in the Chittagong municipality, and her mother Pratibhamayi Devi was a housewife.[3][9] Pritilata was the second of six children, and had an elder brother Madhusduan, and four younger siblings–Kanaklata, Shantilata, Ashalata and Santosh. She was nicknamed Rani.[9] Jagabandhu tried to arrange the best possible education for his children, and got Pritilata admitted to theDr. Khastagir Government Girls' School in Chittagong.[10] Pritilata was a meritorious student in school,[11] and arts and literature were her favourite subjects.[12] A teacher in the school, whom students affectionately used to callUsha Di, used stories ofRani Lakshmibai to inspire nationalism in her students.Kalpana Datta, a classmate of Pritilata, wrote in the biographyChittagong Armoury Raiders– "We had no clear idea in our school days about our future. Then the Rani of Jhansi fired our imagination with her example. Sometimes we used to think of ourselves as fearless...".[13] She passed out of school in 1928 and got admitted to theEden College inDhaka in 1929. In the Intermediate examinations, she stood first among all students who appeared in that year's examination from the Dhaka Board.[14][10] As a student in Eden College, she participated in various social activities. She joined the groupSree Sangha, headed byLeela Nag, under the bannerDeepali Sangha (Dipali Sangha).[14]
Pritilata graduated in philosophy with a distinction from theBethune College inCalcutta.[15] However, her degree was withheld by the administration of theCalcutta University. In 2012, she (andBina Das) were conferred their certificates posthumously.[16] After completing her education in Calcutta, Pritilata returned to Chittagong. In Chittagong, she took up the job of headmistress at a local English medium secondary school called Nandankanan Aparnacharan School.[14][10][17]
"Pritilata was young and courageous. She would work with a lot of zeal and was determined to drive the British away."
As Pritilata joined theIndian independence movement,Surya Sen heard about her and wanted her to join their revolutionary group.[18] On 13 June 1932, Pritilata met Surya Sen and Nirmal Sen in their Dhalghat camp.[9]Binod Bihari Chowdhury objected to her participation as women was not allowed to join their group. However, Pritalata was allowed to join the group because the revolutionaries reasoned that women transporting weapons would not attract as much suspicious as men.[18] Pritilata took part in several attacks on telephone and telegraph offices in the region and the capture of the reserve police line.[7] She took the responsibility to supply explosives to the revolutionaries.[3]
Surya Sen and his revolutionary group decided to kill Craig, the inspector general of Chittagong.Ramakrishna Biswas and Kalipada Chakravarty were assigned for this task. However, they mistakenly killed Tarini Mukherjee, the superintendent of police in Chandpur. Ramakrishna Biswas and Kalipada Chakravarty were arrested on 2 December 1930.[19] Biswas was ordered to be hanged and Chakravarty was exiled to theCellular Jail in theAndaman and Nicobar Islands.[20] The family and friends lacked the amount of money for travel from Chittagong toAlipore Jail in Calcutta. Since at that time Pritilata was staying in Calcutta, she was asked to go to Alipore Jail and meet Biswas before his punishment was carried out.[20] Pritilata used to meet him in the alias of his cousin sister.[21]
In 1932, Surya Sen planned an attack on the Pahartali European Club which had a signboard that read "Dogs and Indians not allowed".[22][23][24] Sen decided to appoint a woman leader for the mission. As Kalpana Datta was arrested prior to the planned attack, Pritilata was assigned the leadership of the group. Pritilata went to Kotowali sea side for arms training and the plan of their attack was finalised there.[10] It was decided to attack the club on 24 September 1932, and the members of the group were givenpotassium cyanide, to be swallowed to commit suicide if they were caught.[14][1]
On the day of the attack, Pritilata dressed herself as aPunjabi male. Her associates Kalishankar Dey, Bireshwar Roy, Prafulla Das, Shanti Chakraborty woredhoti and shirt. Mahendra Chowdhury, Sushil Dey and Panna Sen worelungi and shirt.[20] The group reached the club at around 10:45 pm to launch their attack, and divided themselves into three separate groups. There were around 40 people inside the club during the attack. The building was set on fire before the armed group started shooting into it. A few armed police officers, who were present at the club, returned fire. Pritilata was shot and incurred a single bullet wound. According to the police report, one woman was killed, and four men and seven women were injured in the attack.[20]
An injured Pritilata was trapped by thecolonial police, and she consumed potassium cyanide to evade capture.[3][18] The police found her body the next day, and found a photograph of Ramkrishna Biswas, some bullets, a whistle, some leaflets, and a draft plan of the attack. She had a suicide note with her, where she had penned down the objectives of the Indian Republican Army of Chittagong branch. In the letter, along with the names of Surya Sen and Nirmal Sen, she had also mentioned about her experience of meeting Ramkrishna Biswas in the Alipore Jail.[21]
During thepost-mortem examination, it was found that the bullet injury was not life threatening and her cause of death was ruled as cyanide poisoning.[20] The chief secretary of Bengal sent a report to British authorities in London. In the report it was written that Pritilata:[25]
had been closely associated with, if not actually the mistress of, the terrorist Biswas who was hanged for the murder of Inspector Tarini Mukherjee, and some reports indicate that she was the wife of Nirmal Sen who was killed while attempting to evade arrest at Dhalghat, where Captain Cameron fell.
Bangladeshi writerSelina Hossain calls Pritilata an ideal for every woman.[26] TheBirkannya Pritilata Trust (Brave lady Pritilata Trust) was established to promote the life and achievements of her, and commemorates her birthday annually.[27][28] Her great-grandniece is British journalist and activist,Ash Sarkar.[29]
In 2012, a bronze sculpture of Pritilata Waddedar was erected in front of the Pahartali Railway School, adjacent to the Pahartali European Club.[30][31] The last section of the Sahid Abdus Sabur Road leading to Mukunda Ram Hat ofBoalkhali upazila in Chattogram has been named as Pritilata Waddedar Road.[32] Educational instiutions named after her includePritilata Waddedar Mahavidyalaya inPanikhali, Pritilata Waddedar Primary School in Chattogram, and Khantura Pritilata Shiksha Niketan schools inGobardanga.[33] There are halls and buildings named after her atJahangirnagar University,Kalyani Government Engineering College,National Institute of Technology, Durgapur, andUniversity of Chittagong.[citation needed]
.jpg)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
