Manmath Nath Gupta
Encyclopedia
Manmath Nath Gupta was an India
n revolutionary
writer
and author of autobiographical, historical and fictional books in Hindi
, English
and Bengali
. He joined the Indian independence movement
at the age of 13, and was an active member of the Hindustan Republican Association. He participated in the famous Kakori train robbery
in 1925 and was imprisoned for 14 years. On release from jail
in 1937, he started writing against the British Government. He was sentenced again in 1939 and was released in 1946 just a year before the India's independence in 1947. He has written several books on the history of the Indian struggle for independence from a revolutionary's point of view, including They Lived Dangerously - Reminiscences of a Revolutionary. He was also the editor of the Hindi
literary magazine Aajkal.
in British India. His grand father Adya Prasad Gupta was original resident of Hugli district in Bengal
who had migrated from there in the year 1880 and settled in U.P. at Banaras. Manmath got his early education in Viratnagar of Nepal
where his father was posted as a school headmaster. Since his father got a job later in the Banaras, Manmath was admitted in Kashi Vidyapeeth for his farther studies.
by the Maharaja
of Banares. When a police officer approached him, he stood his ground instead of running away. During the court proceedings, he told the judge, "I will not cooperate with you." He was jailed for three months.
as a volunteer worker and went from village to village spreading the message of the Congress. He was dissatisfied with the slowness of the work and its inability in producing any short term results. When Mahatma Gandhi
called off the Non-Cooperation Movement
after the incident at Chauri Chaura
in 1922, Gupta was severely disappointed with the Congress and Gandhi.
, a group of young revolutionaries whose aim was to end the British rule of India, by violent means if necessary. "We were called revolutionaries but we were just ordinary people ready to sacrifice our lives for our country," he once said. He also introduced Chandrasekhar Azad
to the association. In his book They Lived Dangerously, he recalls an incident in which Azad nearly shot him:
was the turning point in his life. On 9 August 1925, ten revolutionaries including Manmath Nath Gupta stopped a train near Kakori
and looted the government treasury traveling in it. A passenger named Ahmed Ali was killed in this action by the bullet fired by Manmath. He was arrested along with all other revolutionaries and tried for this incident in the court, but being a teenager at that time, he was not sentenced to death. Instead he was sentenced for 14 years' rigorous imprisonment. When he was released in 1937 he started writing against the British Government. He was again arrested in 1939 and imprisoned for life. He also spent some time in the Cellular Jail
in Andaman
.
, English
and Bengali
. In his book They Lived Dangerously he narrates the life of revolutionaries how they saw and reacted to the various events in Indian independence movement
. This often presents an alternative point of view to the commonly accepted account. Speaking of the Chauri Chaura
incident, he said, "India would have attained independence in 1922 but for Gandhi’s bungling, as many competent writers have said, there is no doubt that on this occasion Gandhi had failed badly." He became a member of the Communist party of India(CPI) and remain active in the political and social movements.
He joined the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and edited the Planning Commission's prestigious publications, including Yojna. He was also the editor of Bal Bharti, a children's magazine, and Aajkal, a Hindi literary magazine.
Manmath Nath Gupta was also present as an Indian delegate in the International Symposium on India and World Literature (IWL) at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on 27 Feb 1985 which was organised by the Department of Modern European Languages, University of Delhi. He was much pleased when a paper on his leader titled as Pt. Ram Prasad 'Bismil' : A Warrior of Pen & Pistol was placed before the delegates.
was telecast in India
on 19 December 1997 from DD National
Channel in a 20 minute documentary entitled Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna. In this interview Manmath Nath Gupta, confessed the mistake he made on 9 August 1927 when he fired the Mauser
accidentally and a passenger was killed in the Kakori train robbery
. Due to his mistake, 4 revolutionaries including his beloved leader Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil were hanged. He also expressed regret for not also being given a death sentence, due to his young age.
Manmath Nath Gupta died in the night of the Indian festival of Deepavali on 26 October 2000 at his residence in Nizamuddin East New Delhi
. He was 82 and very active right up to his death.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n revolutionary
Revolutionary movement for Indian independence
The Revolutionary movement for Indian independence is often a less-highlighted aspect of the Indian independence movement -- the underground revolutionary factions. The groups believing in armed revolution against the ruling British fall into this category. The revolutionary groups were...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and author of autobiographical, historical and fictional books in Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
. He joined the Indian independence movement
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
at the age of 13, and was an active member of the Hindustan Republican Association. He participated in the famous Kakori train robbery
Kakori train robbery
The Kakori train robbery was a train robbery that took place between Kakori and Alamnagar near Lucknow, on 9 August 1925 during the Indian Independence Movement against the British.German-made Mauser C96 semi-automatic pistols with wooden stock were used in this historical event by the Hindustan...
in 1925 and was imprisoned for 14 years. On release from jail
Jail
A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie...
in 1937, he started writing against the British Government. He was sentenced again in 1939 and was released in 1946 just a year before the India's independence in 1947. He has written several books on the history of the Indian struggle for independence from a revolutionary's point of view, including They Lived Dangerously - Reminiscences of a Revolutionary. He was also the editor of the Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
literary magazine Aajkal.
Early life
Manmath Nath Gupta was born to Veereshvar Gupta on 7 Feb 1908 at Banaras in the state of United ProvinceUnited Province
The United Provinces, was a province of British India and later of Independent India, which came into existence on 1 April 1937 in result of the shortening of United Provinces of British India...
in British India. His grand father Adya Prasad Gupta was original resident of Hugli district in Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
who had migrated from there in the year 1880 and settled in U.P. at Banaras. Manmath got his early education in Viratnagar of Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
where his father was posted as a school headmaster. Since his father got a job later in the Banaras, Manmath was admitted in Kashi Vidyapeeth for his farther studies.
First imprisonment
Manmath Nath Gupta joined the Indian nationalist movement as early as the age of 13 years. In 1921, he was distributing pamphlets in the Gadolia area of Benares calling for a boycott of the reception of the Prince of WalesEdward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
by the Maharaja
Maharaja
Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
of Banares. When a police officer approached him, he stood his ground instead of running away. During the court proceedings, he told the judge, "I will not cooperate with you." He was jailed for three months.
Chauri Chaura
He joined the CongressIndian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
as a volunteer worker and went from village to village spreading the message of the Congress. He was dissatisfied with the slowness of the work and its inability in producing any short term results. When Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
called off the Non-Cooperation Movement
Non-cooperation movement
The non-cooperation movement was a significant phase of the Indian struggle for freedom from British rule which lasted for years. This movement, which lasted from September 1920 to February 1922 and was led by Mohandas Gandhi, and supported by the Indian National Congress. It aimed to resist...
after the incident at Chauri Chaura
Chauri Chaura
Chauri Chaura is a town near Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. The town is known most for an event in February 1922 during the British Raj when a police chowki was set on fire by a mob of angry citizens, killing 23 policemen inside.-Background:In the early 1920s, Indians, led by Mahatma Gandhi,...
in 1922, Gupta was severely disappointed with the Congress and Gandhi.
Hindustan Republican Association
He joined the Hindustan Republican AssociationHindustan Socialist Republican Association
Hindustan Socialist Republican Association was a revolutionary organisation established in 1928 at Feroz Shah Kotla New Delhi by Chandrasekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and others...
, a group of young revolutionaries whose aim was to end the British rule of India, by violent means if necessary. "We were called revolutionaries but we were just ordinary people ready to sacrifice our lives for our country," he once said. He also introduced Chandrasekhar Azad
Chandrasekhar Azad
Chandra Shekhar Azad , was one of the most important Indian revolutionaries who reorganised the Hindustan...
to the association. In his book They Lived Dangerously, he recalls an incident in which Azad nearly shot him:
"Chandrasekhar Azad was learning how to load and unload a MauserMauserMauser was a German arms manufacturer of a line of bolt-action rifles and pistols from the 1870s to 1995. Mauser designs were built for the German armed forces...
pistol. He had learnt how to load and unload many other brands of revolvers and pistols, but this was a new make. He had liked it more than other brands. He went on with his work and I began to read something. Suddenly seized perhaps by the warmth of the machine, which he had come to adore during the last half an hour, he aimed the empty pistol--empty according to his knowledge--towards me and said, 'Be on your guard, I am going to shoot you.' Before I could say anything he had pulled the trigger and bang whizzed the bullet that had remained inside the barrel without his knowledge. Fortunately for us Azad was not yet the marksman that he was destined to be later on. Although he had fired from a close range, the bullet had missed my head by two inches and had buried itself in the wall. Imagine the consternation of Azad. He thought he had shot me through. I informed him that he had missed me. This however did not console him. He was almost in tears. With great difficulty I pacified him."
Kakori train robbery
The Kakori train robberyKakori train robbery
The Kakori train robbery was a train robbery that took place between Kakori and Alamnagar near Lucknow, on 9 August 1925 during the Indian Independence Movement against the British.German-made Mauser C96 semi-automatic pistols with wooden stock were used in this historical event by the Hindustan...
was the turning point in his life. On 9 August 1925, ten revolutionaries including Manmath Nath Gupta stopped a train near Kakori
Kakori
Kakori is a town and a nagar panchayat in Lucknow district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is situated 14 km north of Lucknow. More widely known for its kebabs, Zardozi work and Dasheri mangoes, Kakori is also the centre of once flourishing Urdu poetry, literature and the Qadiriya...
and looted the government treasury traveling in it. A passenger named Ahmed Ali was killed in this action by the bullet fired by Manmath. He was arrested along with all other revolutionaries and tried for this incident in the court, but being a teenager at that time, he was not sentenced to death. Instead he was sentenced for 14 years' rigorous imprisonment. When he was released in 1937 he started writing against the British Government. He was again arrested in 1939 and imprisoned for life. He also spent some time in the Cellular Jail
Cellular Jail
The Cellular Jail, also known as Kālā Pānī , was a colonial prison situated in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. The prison was used by the British especially to exile political prisoners to the remote archipelago...
in Andaman
Andaman Islands
The Andaman Islands are a group of Indian Ocean archipelagic islands in the Bay of Bengal between India to the west, and Burma , to the north and east...
.
After Independence
It was 1946 when he was released from imprisonment; just one year before the India gained independence on August 15, 1947. He became a prolific writer, producing about 120 books in HindiHindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
. In his book They Lived Dangerously he narrates the life of revolutionaries how they saw and reacted to the various events in Indian independence movement
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
. This often presents an alternative point of view to the commonly accepted account. Speaking of the Chauri Chaura
Chauri Chaura
Chauri Chaura is a town near Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. The town is known most for an event in February 1922 during the British Raj when a police chowki was set on fire by a mob of angry citizens, killing 23 policemen inside.-Background:In the early 1920s, Indians, led by Mahatma Gandhi,...
incident, he said, "India would have attained independence in 1922 but for Gandhi’s bungling, as many competent writers have said, there is no doubt that on this occasion Gandhi had failed badly." He became a member of the Communist party of India(CPI) and remain active in the political and social movements.
He joined the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and edited the Planning Commission's prestigious publications, including Yojna. He was also the editor of Bal Bharti, a children's magazine, and Aajkal, a Hindi literary magazine.
Manmath Nath Gupta was also present as an Indian delegate in the International Symposium on India and World Literature (IWL) at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on 27 Feb 1985 which was organised by the Department of Modern European Languages, University of Delhi. He was much pleased when a paper on his leader titled as Pt. Ram Prasad 'Bismil' : A Warrior of Pen & Pistol was placed before the delegates.
Death on Deepawali
His last interview on televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
was telecast in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
on 19 December 1997 from DD National
DD National
DD National or DD1 is Doordarshan's flagship channel and the most widely available terrestrial television channel in India.-The Early Years:...
Channel in a 20 minute documentary entitled Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna. In this interview Manmath Nath Gupta, confessed the mistake he made on 9 August 1927 when he fired the Mauser
Mauser
Mauser was a German arms manufacturer of a line of bolt-action rifles and pistols from the 1870s to 1995. Mauser designs were built for the German armed forces...
accidentally and a passenger was killed in the Kakori train robbery
Kakori train robbery
The Kakori train robbery was a train robbery that took place between Kakori and Alamnagar near Lucknow, on 9 August 1925 during the Indian Independence Movement against the British.German-made Mauser C96 semi-automatic pistols with wooden stock were used in this historical event by the Hindustan...
. Due to his mistake, 4 revolutionaries including his beloved leader Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil were hanged. He also expressed regret for not also being given a death sentence, due to his young age.
Manmath Nath Gupta died in the night of the Indian festival of Deepavali on 26 October 2000 at his residence in Nizamuddin East New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
. He was 82 and very active right up to his death.
Selected bibliography
Although he had written so many books yet a few of them are given hereunder which became popular:- They Lived Dangerously - Reminiscences of a Revolutionary (1969)
- Bhartiya Krantikari Andolan Ka Itihas (Revised:1993)
- History of the Indian Revolutionary Movement (English version of above:1972)
- Gandhi and His Times (1982)
- Bhagat Singh and His Times
- Aadhi raat ke atithi (en. Guests at Midnight)
- Congress ke sau varsh (en. Hundred Years of the Congress)
- Din Dahare (en. In Broad Daylight)
- Sar par kafan bandh kar (en. With My Funeral Shroud as My Turban)
- Toram Phoram
- Apane samaya ka surya Dinkar (The sun of his times:Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar'Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar'Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar was an Indian Hindi poet, essayist and academic, who is considered as one of the most important modern Hindi poets. He remerged as a poet of rebellion as a consequence of his nationalist poetry written in the days before Indian independence...
) - Shahadatnama (en.Declaration of Martyrdom)