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Contents
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Page No.
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Preface
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Introduction
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vii
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The saga of Kanaklata is one of intense patriotism, of extreme
courage and of unanswering determination. It is the stuff of folklores. Yet
even in the land of her birth her story has remained largely untold, her life
not celebrated, her example remaining only as a distant memory to future
generations rather than being the guiding star and constant source of
inspiration.
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Acknowledgements
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xv
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It was a herculean task assigned to me to prepare a monograph on
Kanaklata Barua within a short notice of twenty days. Except for the fact
that Kanaklata sacrificed her life while unfurling the tricolour atop the
Gohpur police station in September 1942, not much information was available
about her even in the history text books.
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National Awakening and the Political Ferment
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1
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The twentieth century in India was a period of continuous
upheavals that shook time-worn beliefs and pulled down social barriers
particularly those that came in the way of women's progress. Perhaps it would
be appropriate to call it the century of Indian women because of the ordeals
they had to face in their relentless struggle to secure their due place in
society.
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Kanaklata's Childhood
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15
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Kanakaklata Barua, also referred to as Shahid or 'martyr' and
Birbala, was born on 22 December, 1924 in the village of Brangabari, under
Kalangpur Mauza of Gohpur subdivision in Sonitpur district of Assam. She was
born in an age and at a time when Indian women enjoyed few rights and were
denied the opportunity for education, self expression and self fulfilment.
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The Ryot Sabha at Gomiri, 1931
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30
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Following the final suspension of Gandhi's Civil Disobedience
Movement the social and political activities were channelized into new
directions. The eleven-point charter of demands that Gandhi had raised in the
1930s also included a demand for a 50 per cent reduction in land revenue
rates.
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The Making of Joymati: Its Impact
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53
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Jyoti Prasad Agarwala's creative spirit stemmed from his love of
the nation and its culture. A multifaceted personality, Agarwal was a poet, a
playwright, a composer, a lyricist and above all a staunch freedom fighter.
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Quit India Movement at Gohpur
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65
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Gandhi's declaration that "we would win the war by
fighting" and the announcement of his motto "Do or Die" had a
profound effect on the masses of the country. On August 9, 1942, the Indian
National Congress held in Mumbai resolved to 'Do or Die' for the Independence
of the country. They started an agitation with the slogan of 'Quit India'
against the British regime.
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Conclusion
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89
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For several decades a large group of people belonging to
different regions and different timeless had dreamt the same dream, that of
the attainment of India's independence from the colonial regime of the
British invaders. Amongst these people, millions were women, some known and
others uncelebrated.
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Appendix
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97
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It is believed that as many as two hundred or more youth below
thirty years of age have been executed/hanged by British Government.
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