09-08-2006, 08:30 PM
from Pioneer, 8 Sept., 2006
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Unsung hero in a time warp
It is unfortunate that few know about the supreme sacrifice of Bagha Jatin during the freedom struggle outside Orissa and Bengal, says Rup Narayan Das
At a time when the nation is going to celebrate the 150th anniversary of First War of Independence of 1857 next year, it is propitious to remember the sacrifices of martyrs of the freedom struggle. Jatindranath Mukherjee, popularly known as Bagha Jatin whose martyrdom falls on September 10 was one of such illustrious sons of the nation.
It is an irony of history that the supreme sacrifice made by Bagha Jatin is little known outside Bengal and Orissa, although there is no dearth of well documented historical records. Much before Independence, there was an attempt under the leadership of Bagha Jatin, MN Roy, etc, in 1915, to free India through armed insurrection in cooperation with Germany. In fact, the incident can be considered as precursor of the attempt by Subash Chandra Bose in 1945.
Born in 1879 in a village called Koya in Kushtia district of undivided Bengal (presently Bangladesh), Bagha Jatin joined the Central College in Calcutta in 1895. His bravery, valour and daredevil spirit can be gauged from the fact that once in 1904, he killed a tiger in a forest which attacked one of his friends with the help of a dagger after struggling for over three hours. The incident earned him the epithet Bagha (tiger) Jatin.
Bagha Jatin was greatly influenced by ideals and ideas of Bhagavad Gita and the writings of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. He was also inspired by Aurobindo Ghosh's Bhavani Mandir and Vivekananda's Present India. The clarion call of militant nationalism forged a bonding among the restless youth of the country particularly after the partition of Bengal in 1905, who were disillusioned with the slow pace of progress and were losing faith in the efficacy of constitutional agitation. The organisation that galvanised the spirit of strident nationalism was Jugantar and its icon was Bagha Jatin.
By early 1914, the country was seething with discontentment against the British rule and what added fuel to the fire was the promise of support to the revolutionaries in India from revolutionaries fighting from abroad. By the end of the year the news reached that the Indian Revolutionary Committee in Berlin had obtained from the Germany the promise of arms and money required to declare the war. Clandestine conferences led to the formation of a revolutionary outfit, with Bagha Jatin as the Commander-in-Chief.
It was against this backdrop that MN Roy left India in April 1915. On his arrival in Batavia, he was introduced by the German Consul to Theodor Halfferich, who stated that cargo of arms and ammunitions was on its way to Karachi for Indian revolutionaries. Roy then urged the ship to be diverted to Bengal.
Meanwhile, anticipating the arrival of the arms and ammunitions and to avoid being caught by the police, especially after the Garden Reach dacoity, Bagha Jatin had left for Balasore in Orissa. He and his followers sheltered themselves in a place called Kaptipada 22 miles from Balasore.
Unfortunately, however, the entire strategy envisaged for the armed rebellion got leaked and the British Army intelligence intercepted the ship, which was on its way to India. After knowing the activities of Bagha Jatin and his associates, British police cordoned off the hide out of Bagha Jatin to prevent the escape. There was exchange of fire on September 9. One of the revolutionaries was named Chittapriya Roy Choudhury died.
Jatin Mukherjee and his associates were captured after their ammunitions were exhausted. Bagha Jatin was seriously wounded and was taken to the Government hospital in Balasore, where he succumbed to injury the next day, on September 10.
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Unsung hero in a time warp
It is unfortunate that few know about the supreme sacrifice of Bagha Jatin during the freedom struggle outside Orissa and Bengal, says Rup Narayan Das
At a time when the nation is going to celebrate the 150th anniversary of First War of Independence of 1857 next year, it is propitious to remember the sacrifices of martyrs of the freedom struggle. Jatindranath Mukherjee, popularly known as Bagha Jatin whose martyrdom falls on September 10 was one of such illustrious sons of the nation.
It is an irony of history that the supreme sacrifice made by Bagha Jatin is little known outside Bengal and Orissa, although there is no dearth of well documented historical records. Much before Independence, there was an attempt under the leadership of Bagha Jatin, MN Roy, etc, in 1915, to free India through armed insurrection in cooperation with Germany. In fact, the incident can be considered as precursor of the attempt by Subash Chandra Bose in 1945.
Born in 1879 in a village called Koya in Kushtia district of undivided Bengal (presently Bangladesh), Bagha Jatin joined the Central College in Calcutta in 1895. His bravery, valour and daredevil spirit can be gauged from the fact that once in 1904, he killed a tiger in a forest which attacked one of his friends with the help of a dagger after struggling for over three hours. The incident earned him the epithet Bagha (tiger) Jatin.
Bagha Jatin was greatly influenced by ideals and ideas of Bhagavad Gita and the writings of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. He was also inspired by Aurobindo Ghosh's Bhavani Mandir and Vivekananda's Present India. The clarion call of militant nationalism forged a bonding among the restless youth of the country particularly after the partition of Bengal in 1905, who were disillusioned with the slow pace of progress and were losing faith in the efficacy of constitutional agitation. The organisation that galvanised the spirit of strident nationalism was Jugantar and its icon was Bagha Jatin.
By early 1914, the country was seething with discontentment against the British rule and what added fuel to the fire was the promise of support to the revolutionaries in India from revolutionaries fighting from abroad. By the end of the year the news reached that the Indian Revolutionary Committee in Berlin had obtained from the Germany the promise of arms and money required to declare the war. Clandestine conferences led to the formation of a revolutionary outfit, with Bagha Jatin as the Commander-in-Chief.
It was against this backdrop that MN Roy left India in April 1915. On his arrival in Batavia, he was introduced by the German Consul to Theodor Halfferich, who stated that cargo of arms and ammunitions was on its way to Karachi for Indian revolutionaries. Roy then urged the ship to be diverted to Bengal.
Meanwhile, anticipating the arrival of the arms and ammunitions and to avoid being caught by the police, especially after the Garden Reach dacoity, Bagha Jatin had left for Balasore in Orissa. He and his followers sheltered themselves in a place called Kaptipada 22 miles from Balasore.
Unfortunately, however, the entire strategy envisaged for the armed rebellion got leaked and the British Army intelligence intercepted the ship, which was on its way to India. After knowing the activities of Bagha Jatin and his associates, British police cordoned off the hide out of Bagha Jatin to prevent the escape. There was exchange of fire on September 9. One of the revolutionaries was named Chittapriya Roy Choudhury died.
Jatin Mukherjee and his associates were captured after their ammunitions were exhausted. Bagha Jatin was seriously wounded and was taken to the Government hospital in Balasore, where he succumbed to injury the next day, on September 10.
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