SURYA SEN FREEDOM FIGHTER
1894 MARCH 22- 1934 JANUARY 12
இவரை யாரென்று நமக்குத் தெரியாது.
வெள்ளையர்கள் இவரைத் தூக்கில் போடுவதற்கு முன்பு இவரது பற்களை சுத்தியால் அடித்து உடைத்தார்கள்; நகங்களை பிடுங்கினார்கள் ; எலும்புகளை உடைத்து நோகடித்தனர். நினைவிழந்த நிலையில் இவரை தூக்கு மேடையில் ஏற்றினர்.அவ்வளவு வெறி;குரூரம்;வன்மம். கேட்டால் அவர்களது கடவுள் அன்பே வடிவானவர்!
இவர் கடைசியாக சொன்ன வார்த்தைகள் - "ஒருநாள் எனது சுதந்திர இந்தியா ஒளிரும்".
பாட புத்தகங்களில் இவர் இல்லை. காரணம் இவர் பெயரில் காந்தி இல்லை. பத்திரிகைகள் இவரை எழுதாது. ஏனெனில் அவற்றின் உண்மை எஜமானர்களான வெள்ளையனை உண்மையாக உறுதியாக எதிர்த்தவர்.மாஸ்டர் தா என்று அன்போடு அழைக்கப்பட்ட சூர்யா சென் தான் இவர். சுதந்திரப் போராளி.மார்ச் 24 இவருடைய பிறந்த நாள் நூற்றாண்டு கடந்து போனது.
ஆனால் நாம் படிக்கிறோம் - "காந்தி தாத்தாவும் நேரு மாமாவும் போராடி சுதந்திரம் வாங்கித் தந்தார்கள்!"
வங்காளப்புரட்சி இயக்கத்தைத் தலைமையேற்று நடத்தியவர் சூரியாசென்.சிட்டகாங் என்ற இடத்தில் ஆங்கிலேயர்களின் ஆயுதக்கிடங்கைக் கைப்பற்றிய சூரியாசென்.ஜலாலாபாத் மலைப்பகுதியில் ஏப்ரல் 22,1930 ஆம் ஆண்டில் பிரிட்டீஷாரை எதிர்த்தார்.பிப்ரவரி 16,1933இல் கைது செய்யப்பட்ட சூரியாசென் ஜுன் 12,1934 இல் தூக்கிலிடப்பட்டார்.பகத்சிங் வரலாற்றை முக்கால்வாசி மறைத்த காங்கிரஸ் சூரியாசென் வரலாற்றை முழுவதும் மறைத்துவிட்டது.
Surya Sen, also called Surjya Sen (Bengali: সূর্য সেন, Surjo Sen) (22 March 1894 – 12 January 1934) was an Indian revolutionary who was influential in the Indian independence movement against British rule in India and is best known for leading the 1930 Chittagong armoury raid.
Sen was a school teacher by profession and was popularly known as Master Da ("da" is a honorific suffix in Bengali language). He was influenced by the nationalist ideals in 1916 while he was a student of B.A. in Behrampore College.[1] In 1918, he was selected as president of the Indian National Congress's Chittagong branch.[2]
Sen was known for recruiting a group of young and passionate revolutionaries known as the Chittagong group including Anant Singh, Ganesh Ghosh and Lokenath Baul, who fought against the British stationed in Chittagong.[3]
He was an active participant in the Non-co-operation movement and was later arrested and imprisoned for 2 years from 1926 to 1928 for his revolutionary activities. A brilliant and inspirational organiser, Sen was fond of saying "Humanism is a special virtue of the revolutionary."[3]
After the Chittagong raid in 1930 and a fierce battle where over 80 British troops and 12 revolutionaries were killed, Sen and other surviving revolutionaries dispersed into small groups and hid in neighbouring villages, launching raids on government personnel and property. Sen was arrested on 16 April 1933, tried and was hanged on 12 January 1934. Many of his fellow revolutionaries were also caught and sentenced to long periods of imprisonment.[3].Early life
Sen wanted for 10,000 taka, poster distributed by the Inspector general of the Police Division of Undivided Bengal in 1932.
Sen was born on 22 March, 1894[4] in a Kayastha family at Noapara, under Raozan Upazila in Chittagong. His father Ramaniranjan Sen was a teacher. In 1916, when he was a B.A. student in Berhampore College he learned about Indian freedom movement from one of his teachers. He felt attracted towards revolutionary ideals and joined the revolutionary organisation Anushilan Samity. After completing his studies he returned to Chittagong in 1918 and became a Mathematics teacher at National school, Nandankanan. At that time, Indian National Congress was the most prominent political party there.[citation needed]
Chittagong armoury raid
Main article: Chittagong armoury raid
Sen led a group of revolutionaries on 18 April 1930 to raid the armoury of police and auxiliary forces from the Chittagong armoury.[5] The plan was elaborate and included seizing of arms from the armoury as well as destruction of communication system of the city (including telephone, telegraph and railway), thereby isolating Chittagong from the rest of British Raj.[5] However, although the group gained the arms, they failed to get capture the ammunition. They hoisted the Indian National Flag on the premises of the armoury, and then escaped. A few days later, a large fraction of the revolutionary group was cornered in the nearby Jalalabad Hills by the British troops. In the ensuing fight, twelve Revolutionaries died, many were arrested, while some managed to flee, including Sen.[5]
Arrest and death
Sen stayed in hiding, and kept moving from one place to another. Sometimes he took up a job as a workman, a farmer, a priest, a house worker or even hid as a pious Muslim. This is how he avoided being captured by the British.
He hid in the house of a man called Netra Sen. But Netra Sen informed the British of his hiding place, and the police came and captured him in February 1933. Before Netra Sen could be rewarded by the British, a revolutionary came into his house and beheaded him with da (a long knife). As Netra Sen's wife was a big supporter of Surya Sen, she never disclosed the name of the revolutionary who killed Netra Sen. Another revolutionary named Tarakeswar Dastidar was also hanged together with Sen, after being brutally tortured by the British.
His last letter was written to his friends and said: "Death is knocking at my door. My mind is flying away towards eternity. At such a pleasant, at such a grave, at such a solemn moment, what shall I leave behind you? Only one thing, that is my dream, a golden dream – the dream of free India. Never forget the date, 18th of April, 1930, the day of the eastern Rebellion in Chittagong. Write in red letters in the core of your hearts the names of the patriots who have sacrificed their lives at the altar of India’s freedom."
The gallows in Chittagong Central Jail, where Sen was hanged. The Government of Bangladesh has designated it a historical monument.
In popular media
Indian film director Ashutosh Gowariker directed the film Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey (2010) about Sen's life. Actor Abhishek Bachchan played the role of Sen.[6] Another film Chittagong (2012) directed by Bedabrata Pain was about Sen's armoury raid. Manoj Bajpayee played the leading role.[7]
Tarakeswar Dastidar (Death: January 12, 1934) was an Indian independence activist. He participated in the Chittagong armoury raid, along with Surya Sen and others on 18 April 1930.
Revolutinary activities
Dastidar was born in Saroatali, Chittagong, in British India. He joined in the Indian Republican Army, a revolutionary group led by Masterda Surya Sen. In 1930 he was seriously injured by a blast while manufacturing of bombs. Dastidar was one of the leader of this underground group. In 18 April 1930 he guided a group of youth revolutionaries to raid the police armoury of Chittagong. After the arrest of Masterda, he took charge and directed the movement. Dastidar was arrested on 18 May 1933 after an armed encounter with police force at Gahira village in the house of Purna Talukdar.[1][2]
Death
After the trial he was sentenced to death on 14 August 1933.[3] After severe torture Dastidar was hanged along with Surya Sen in Chittagong jail on 12 January 1934.[1][4][5]
