If we really ponder over it, it’s clearly a given that no historical narrative can be said to be truly complete. But why? The answer is simple. History is written by the victorious or at least in favor of them and their aspirations are considered representative of the greater stratified India. These dominant narratives take precedence over the lesser or marginalized ones. But ironically, these marginalized ones are often far more in number than the, so called, “great leaders.” Therefore, there’s a need for a more comprehensive version of history opening a window to the trivials of the independence struggle. This is especially important in today’s times considering how people’s voices are gaining greater attention.
This is not to say that people’s voices have never been
given “the attention.” It’s just that it has never been enough. Even then, the
efforts of subaltern historians cannot be ignored. These 1970 historians like
Ranajit Guha, Sumit Sarkar and many others aimed to bring out the often
subsumed perspective of historical narratives sidelined by the hagiographic retellings.
They made history more intersectional and brought out the tales of smaller regional
struggles, which had different interests and objectives from that of the “great
leaders,” within the ambit of the independence struggle.
Now, when we say, “smaller regional struggles,” this is
another massive category to cover. But the major part and the most ignored of
them were:
1 1. Women
Women, their issues, participation, the stakes they had, etc.,
haven’t been given enough attention in the hagiographic version of Independence
struggle. Even if they are heard, the count is limited to a few prominent ones
like Sarojini Naidu, Aruna Asif Ali, Bhikaiji Cama, etc. But there are other
seemingly ordinary household names buried in the hearts of a few who share the
memories of the pain and suffering of those multiple and marginalized women.
One such example is Matangini Hazra, popularly known as Gandhi
Buri. She participated in both the Quit India Movement and the Non-Cooperation
Movement and showcased her chivalry by leading a procession, holding an Indian
flag and shouting ‘Vande Mataram,’ even after being shot thrice. Her statue has
also been put up in Kolkata at the spot where she was killed in Tamluk and the
Hazra road in Kolkata has also been named so in her honour.
Another woman is Kanaklatha Barua, popularly known as Birbala.
She led the female volunteers in the Quit India Movement in 1942 at Barangabari.
At the young age of 18, she was shot dead by the British police for her noble
efforts to hoist the national flag at the British dominated Gohpur Police
Station by shouting the slogans “British imperialists should go back” etc.
Other than these few examples, there were many more sacrifices
made attesting to the involvement of women in the Indian freedom struggle.
2 2. Peasants
Peasant issues are dominated by grievances due to unfair land
ownership and tenancy in British India. One such movement is the Pabna Movement
of the 19th century. This riot, though supported by big names of the
time like Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Indian Association under Surendranath
Banerjee, etc., was led mainly by the peasants toiling due to the exorbitant
rents and taxes and the Occupancy Right under Act X of 1859. In opposition to
these unjust policies, in May 1873, the peasants came together to form an
Agrarian League in the Yusufshahi Pargana of Pabna district, Patna, East
Bengal. The struggle, focusing less on violence and more on legal resistance, continued
till 1885 when the Government enhanced the occupancy rights of the peasants by implementing
the Bengal Tenancy Act of 1885.
Another movement was in the Jalpaiguri region of Bengal against
the jotedari system which forced the landless peasants to pay exorbitant rents
reducing them to conditions worse than that of the serfs.
3 3. Indigenous People
Tribal struggles are a lot similar to the peasant grievances
as they were forced into bonded labour under the British Raj. One such struggle
was the Santhal bataidar agitation in Bihar that continued even after
independence. They rose against the landed elite or the maliks, to whom they
were bound. Anand Chakravarti, author of Social Power and Everyday Class
Relations: Agrarian Transformation in North Bihar (2001), opines that the
reason for this uprising was that the freedom movement and the Congress failed
to account for their interests. Likewise, it can be noted that the interests of
many other groups may have been ignored in the rat race towards popular
interests.
4 4. Trade Unions / Labour Movements
There were a number of movements in the pre-independent
India even before the incidence of trade unions. Some of the less eye-catching
ones were that of the plantation and mine workers who were heavily exploited by
the plantation and mine owners and mangers. In contrast, the cotton and jute
workers were more in the limelight receiving support from philanthropists.
Following these developments, Bombay emerged as a major city and gained importance. In this scenario, the Bombay dock workers rose up revolting against the British for their labour rights and formed the Bombay Dock Workers’ Union in 1932, at a time when forming trade unions was considered a criminal act. This was a turning point in the Indian freedom struggle showing the national leaders the importance of integrating the multiple and marginalized local movements to the “greater struggle.”
Soon, most nationalist meetings
started to take place in working class neighborhoods out of the realization that
the dock workers had the potential to disrupt trade and thus, adversely impact
the colonial administration. This was made true by persuading the dock workers
to adopt a hands-off attitude towards foreign cargo, consequently disrupting
foreign trade.
The aforementioned individuals and organizations constitute
just the tip of the iceberg. Many more women, peasants, tribals, workers and others have
been buried in the leaflets of history without due recognition. These endeavors,
however negligible they may seem, need to be recognized so as to provide a much
more enlightening and educated perspective of the Independence struggle to the
posterity and give enough credit to those who rightly deserve it.
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