70 Years of Independence
Special Feature – I-Day 2017
Quit
India Movement
*Aaditya Tiwari
The year was 1942. Monsoon winds from the
Indian Ocean had already arrived. With them the news of vigorous naval battles
also came. World had become bipolar, India too was on the boil, waiting to
unshackle the chains of age old slavery. At this juncture Sir Stafford Cripps
came with an offer of dominion status in return of India's support for the war.
The British offered allegiance to Queen in lieu of self-rule but did not
realize the likes of Bhagat Singh & Chandra Shekhar Azad hadn't sacrificed
their lives for dominion status. Demand of freedom fighters across the country
was unanimous and it was for 'Poorna Swaraj', total independence.
Therefore, on the eve of 8th August, 1942 Gandhi ji gave a clarion call
to the nation. He said, "Here is a mantra, a short one that I give you.
You may imprint it on your hearts and let every breath of yours give
expression to it. The mantra is: 'Karo ya Maro', ‘Do or Die’."
Quit
India Movement was launched at a time when the world was in a flux. There was
an ongoing war in the West and in the East, movements against the Colonialism
had intensified. India on one hand was looking at the leadership of Mahatma
Gandhi who wanted to transform the society by non-violent means and Satyagraha.
On the other hand was the 'Tiger of Bengal', Subhash Chandra Bose who had given
the slogan 'Dilli Chalo' and was marching with an Army to free India.
The breeding ground of India's independence movement had had enough manure of
mass movements and was fertile now to plant seeds of freedom.
All
big leaders were arrested within twenty four hours after the movement was
announced, there was no one to guide, but still the movement propped up leaders
from across the strata of society. Large protests and demonstrations were held
all over the country. People demonstrated against symbols of British
government, they put up Congress flag on government buildings. People offered
arrests and disrupted day to day workings, students and workers went on strike,
peasants in Bengal fought against the rise in taxes and government officials
broke laws. It was a historic event. It was not merely a movement against
foreign occupation but also awakening of Indian masses. The history of this
movement is full of unsung heroes. There are untold stories of farmers, factory
workers, journalists, artists, students, educationists, religious saints and
dalits.
The
movement saw rise of leaders like, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, Jai Prakash Narayan
and Aruna Asaf Ali. Parallel governments were formed in many parts of the
country. Chittu Pandey formed a government in Balia while YB Chavan and Nana
Patil in Satara. Quit India movement was unique in the sense that it saw women
participation where they not only participated as equals but also led the
movement. There was Matangini Hazra, who lead a procession of 6,000 people,
mostly women, to ransack a local police station. She lost her life to police
bullets and died with the Tricolour in her hands. Then there was Sucheta
Kripalani who later went on to become first women Chief Minister of India.
Orissa had Nandini Devi and Sashibala Devi while Assam saw participation of
young girls like Kanaklata Baruah and Kahuli Devi who died of police
atrocities. Contribution of Usha Mehta was unique as she started a Secret
Congress Radio in Mumbai.
In the city of Patna there is a life-size
sculpture of young school going boys clad in dhoti kurta and a Gandhi cap.
These men face the gate of the Old Patna Secretariat and the one in front holds
a flag while the others behind are falling or already fallen down. The
sculpture tells the story of seven young martyrs who are killed in cold blood
while peacefully trying to hoist Congress flag at the Patna Secretariat. These
young men personify the spirit of the Quit India Movement. Indian democracy
owes its vibrancy and diversity to such sacrifices.
Quit India Movement was a watershed movement
in the sense, that it prepared the ground for future politics in India. Gandhi
ji in his historic speech at Gowalia Tank Maidan had said, 'The power,
when it comes, will belong to the people of India, and it will be for them to
decide to whom it is placed....'. It is in the Quit India Movement that
freedom struggle was owned by 'We the People' who fought for India's
freedom.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his latest Mann
Ki Baat, exhorted the youth of the nation to build a campaign ‘Sankalp
se Siddhi’. It is essentially a resolve to Quit India of the ills like
poverty, corruption, terrorism, casteism and communalism. He said in the five
years from 1942 to 1947, entire nation united to fight against the British.
Similarly, 15th August, 2017 should be our Day of Resolve to free
India of all these problems by 2022. This call of his is in resonance with his
earlier call to build a ‘New India’ – an India of new desires and dreams, an
India that treats its poor equally, an India that fulfils the aspirations of
Nari Shakti, an India that has deep bond between its people and democracy and
an India that is rid of corruption and black money. Prime Minister Narendra
Modi has often said that he was born post-independence and did not have the
chance to fight for its freedom. Similar is true for most youth of the country.
75 years of Quit India Movement will be a chance for all of us who ‘could
not die for our country’, to ‘live for it’ and make our freedom
fighters dreams come true.
*****
*Author is currently a
Senior Research Fellow at India Foundation. He is a poet too.
Views expressed in the article are author’s personal.