Surya Sen
Encyclopedia
Surya Sen (March 22, 1894 – January 12, 1934) (also known as Masterda Surya Sen) (Bangla: মাস্টারদা সূর্য সেন) was a prominent Bengali
freedom fighter, an Indian independence activist and the chief architect of anti-British freedom movement in Chittagong
, Bengal
(now in Bangladesh
). He was born on 22 March 1894 in Chittagong
district now in Bangladesh
. He participated in nationwide non-cooperation movement as a revolutionary. He was arrested in February 1933 by British and was hanged on 12 January 1934. The Government of India
released a commemorative stamp on him in 1977. Bangladesh issued a commemorative stamp on him in 1999.
in Chittagong
, he was a teacher by profession. He was initiated into revolutionary ideas in 1916 by one of his teachers while he was a student of Intermediate Class in the Chittagong College and joined the renowned revolutionary group Anushilan. But when he went to Behrampur College for BA course, came to know about Jugantar
and became more inspired with their ideas. On his return to Chittagong
in 1918, he organized Jugantar there.All revolutionary groups were using Indian National Congress
as umbrella to work. Consequently in 1929, Surya Sen became the president of the Chittagong district committee of the Indian National Congress
. He continued to organize the hardline patriotic organisations and first became a teacher of the National school in Nandankanan and then joined the Umatara school at Chandanpura. Hence, he was known as Mastarda (teacher brother).
By 1923 Surya Sen spread the revolutionary organization in different parts of Chittagong
district. Aware of the limited equipment and other resources of the freedom fighters, he was convinced of the need for secret guerrilla warfare
against the colonial Government. One of his early successful undertakings was a broad day robbery at the treasury office of the Bengal Assam Railway
at Chittagong
on December 23, 1923.
on April 18, 1930. Subsequent to the raid, he marched to the Jalalabad hills along with his fellow revolutionaries. After the battle with the British troops on April 22, he escaped from there.
Surya Sen, being constantly followed up by the police, had to hide at the house of Sabitri Devi, a widow, near Patiya. A police and military force under Captain Cameron surrounded the house on 13 June 1932. Cameron was shot dead while ascending the staircase and Surya Sen along with Pritilata Waddedar
and Kalpana Datta
escaped to safety.
Surya Sen was always in hiding, moving from one place to another. Sometimes he used to take a job as a workman; sometimes he would take a job as a farmer, or milkman, or priest, houseworker or even as a pious Muslim. This is how he used to avoid being captured.
Either because of money, or out of jealousy, or because of both, Netra Sen told the British Government that Surya Sen was at his house. As a result, the police came and captured him on February 16, 1933. This is how India's supreme hero was arrested. But before Netra Sen was able to get his 10,000-rupee reward he was killed by the revolutionaries.
This is how it happened. Netra Sen's wife was all for Surya Sen, and she was horrified by her husband's deed. She felt mortified by her husband's betrayal of Surya Sen.
One evening she was serving her husband food when a great admirer of Surya Sen came into the house. He was carrying a very big knife, which is called a "daa". With one stroke of the dal he chopped off the head of Netra Sen in the presence of his wife. Then slowly and stealthily he went away.
When the police arrived to investigate, they asked Netra Sen's wife if she had seen who the murderer was. She said, "I saw with my own eyes, but my heart will not permit me to tell you his name. I am sorry. I feel miserable that I was the wife of such a treacherous man, such an undivine man as Netra Sen. My husband betrayed the greatest hero of Chittagong. My husband betrayed a great son of Mother India. My husband cast a slur on the face of India. Therefore, I cannot tell the name of the person who took his life. He has definitely done the right thing. You can do anything with me. You can punish me, you can even kill me, but I shall never tell the name of the person who killed my husband. Our Master-da will be hanged, I know, but his name will forever be synonymous with India's immortal freedom-cry. Everybody loves him. Everybody adores him. I, too, love him and adore him, for he is the brightest sun in the firmament of Chittagong. Surya means sun and he is truly our sun."
Tarakeswar Dastidar, the new president of the Chittagong Branch Jugantar Party, made a preparation to rescue Surya Sen from the Chittagong Jail. But the plot was unearthed and consequently frustrated. Tarakeswar and Kalpana along with others were arrested. Special tribunals tried Surya Sen, Tarakeswar Dastidar, and Kalpana Datta in 1933.
Surya Sen along with his Tarekeshwar Dastidar was hanged by the British rulers on January 12, 1934. Before the death sentence Surya Sen was brutally tortured. It was reported that the British executioners broke all his teeth with hammer and plucked all nails and broke all limbs and joints. He was dragged to the rope unconscious. After his death his dead body was not given any funeral. The prison authority, it was found later, put his dead body in a metallic cage and dumped into the bay of Bengal.
His last letter to his friends, written on 11 January, stated, "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 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
". There is a large park in Siliguri, India called "Surya Sen Park" in the middle of it is a bust of the revolutionary hero.
Chattal Seva Samity, Brasat (10 km north of Dum Dum airport & district HQ of 24 Parganas) erected a full length (15' high) bronge statue of Masterda Surya Sen at the gate of Barasat Stadium on the 18th April 2010 where engraved "Bharat Gourav Masterda Surya Sen". It was inaugurated by the 100+ year old legand & Masterda's associate & follower Shree Binod Bihari Chowdhury in presence of Dr Asim Dasgupta, Finance Minister of West Bengal & other digniteries.
On March 6, 2011 a talk has been arranged on "the role & effect of Surya Sen & Preetilata in the Indian Independence Struggle" in the Preeti Sammelan (yearly get-together of Chittagong Languase speaking residents of North 24 Parganas) of Chattal Seva Samity at Barasat Stadium.
made a film on his life Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey
where his role is essayed by Abhishek Bachchan
. The film was initially to be shot in West Bengal as it nearest to Bangladesh (Chittagong) but director Gowariker chose Goa. As he felt Goa was more similar to Chittagong than any place in West Bengal.
Manoj Bajpai
played the role of Surya Sen in the movie Chittagong. The film was directed by Bedabrata Pain.
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
freedom fighter, an Indian independence activist and the chief architect of anti-British freedom movement in Chittagong
Chittagong
Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...
, 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...
(now in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
). He was born on 22 March 1894 in Chittagong
Chittagong
Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...
district now in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. He participated in nationwide non-cooperation movement as a revolutionary. He was arrested in February 1933 by British and was hanged on 12 January 1934. The Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
released a commemorative stamp on him in 1977. Bangladesh issued a commemorative stamp on him in 1999.
Early life
His father's name was Ramaniranjan. A resident of NoaparaNoapara, Bangladesh
Noapara, Noāpāra, Naopāra, Nāopāra, Noyapāra, Naoāpāra, Nowapara, or Nawāpāra is the name of 33 places in Bangladesh:*Nāopāra, also called Noapara, located at *Naopāra, also called Noa Para, located at...
in Chittagong
Chittagong
Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...
, he was a teacher by profession. He was initiated into revolutionary ideas in 1916 by one of his teachers while he was a student of Intermediate Class in the Chittagong College and joined the renowned revolutionary group Anushilan. But when he went to Behrampur College for BA course, came to know about Jugantar
Jugantar
Jugantar or Yugantar was one of the two main secret revolutionary trends operating in Bengal for Indian independence.This association, like Anushilan Samiti started in the guise of suburban fitness club. Several Jugantar members were arrested, hanged, or deported for life to the Cellular Jail in...
and became more inspired with their ideas. On his return to Chittagong
Chittagong
Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...
in 1918, he organized Jugantar there.All revolutionary groups were using Indian National Congress
Indian 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 umbrella to work. Consequently in 1929, Surya Sen became the president of the Chittagong district committee of the Indian National Congress
Indian 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...
. He continued to organize the hardline patriotic organisations and first became a teacher of the National school in Nandankanan and then joined the Umatara school at Chandanpura. Hence, he was known as Mastarda (teacher brother).
By 1923 Surya Sen spread the revolutionary organization in different parts of Chittagong
Chittagong
Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...
district. Aware of the limited equipment and other resources of the freedom fighters, he was convinced of the need for secret guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
against the colonial Government. One of his early successful undertakings was a broad day robbery at the treasury office of the Bengal Assam Railway
Bengal Assam Railway
The origin of the Bengal Assam Railway, a railway system operated in India between 1942-47, lies in the Assam Bengal Railway, which was conceived in the late eighties of the nineteenth century, when railways had come to expand in different parts of the subcontinent, with the objective of developing...
at Chittagong
Chittagong
Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...
on December 23, 1923.
Chittagong armoury raid and its aftermath
His major success in the anti-British revolutionary violence was the Chittagong Armoury RaidChittagong armoury raid
The Chittagong armoury raid was an attempt on April 18, 1930 to raid the armoury of police and auxiliary forces from the Chittagong armoury in Bengal province of British India, by armed revolutionaries led by Surya Sen....
on April 18, 1930. Subsequent to the raid, he marched to the Jalalabad hills along with his fellow revolutionaries. After the battle with the British troops on April 22, he escaped from there.
Surya Sen, being constantly followed up by the police, had to hide at the house of Sabitri Devi, a widow, near Patiya. A police and military force under Captain Cameron surrounded the house on 13 June 1932. Cameron was shot dead while ascending the staircase and Surya Sen along with Pritilata Waddedar
Pritilata Waddedar
Pritilata Waddedar was a Bengali anti-British revolutionary from what is now Bangladesh, who became a martyr for the liberation of her motherland....
and Kalpana Datta
Kalpana Datta
Kalpana Datta was an Indian independence movement activist and a member of the armed resistance movement led by Surya Sen, which carried out the Chittagong armoury raid in 1930...
escaped to safety.
Surya Sen was always in hiding, moving from one place to another. Sometimes he used to take a job as a workman; sometimes he would take a job as a farmer, or milkman, or priest, houseworker or even as a pious Muslim. This is how he used to avoid being captured.
Either because of money, or out of jealousy, or because of both, Netra Sen told the British Government that Surya Sen was at his house. As a result, the police came and captured him on February 16, 1933. This is how India's supreme hero was arrested. But before Netra Sen was able to get his 10,000-rupee reward he was killed by the revolutionaries.
This is how it happened. Netra Sen's wife was all for Surya Sen, and she was horrified by her husband's deed. She felt mortified by her husband's betrayal of Surya Sen.
One evening she was serving her husband food when a great admirer of Surya Sen came into the house. He was carrying a very big knife, which is called a "daa". With one stroke of the dal he chopped off the head of Netra Sen in the presence of his wife. Then slowly and stealthily he went away.
When the police arrived to investigate, they asked Netra Sen's wife if she had seen who the murderer was. She said, "I saw with my own eyes, but my heart will not permit me to tell you his name. I am sorry. I feel miserable that I was the wife of such a treacherous man, such an undivine man as Netra Sen. My husband betrayed the greatest hero of Chittagong. My husband betrayed a great son of Mother India. My husband cast a slur on the face of India. Therefore, I cannot tell the name of the person who took his life. He has definitely done the right thing. You can do anything with me. You can punish me, you can even kill me, but I shall never tell the name of the person who killed my husband. Our Master-da will be hanged, I know, but his name will forever be synonymous with India's immortal freedom-cry. Everybody loves him. Everybody adores him. I, too, love him and adore him, for he is the brightest sun in the firmament of Chittagong. Surya means sun and he is truly our sun."
Tarakeswar Dastidar, the new president of the Chittagong Branch Jugantar Party, made a preparation to rescue Surya Sen from the Chittagong Jail. But the plot was unearthed and consequently frustrated. Tarakeswar and Kalpana along with others were arrested. Special tribunals tried Surya Sen, Tarakeswar Dastidar, and Kalpana Datta in 1933.
Surya Sen along with his Tarekeshwar Dastidar was hanged by the British rulers on January 12, 1934. Before the death sentence Surya Sen was brutally tortured. It was reported that the British executioners broke all his teeth with hammer and plucked all nails and broke all limbs and joints. He was dragged to the rope unconscious. After his death his dead body was not given any funeral. The prison authority, it was found later, put his dead body in a metallic cage and dumped into the bay of Bengal.
His last letter to his friends, written on 11 January, stated, "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 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
Memorials
The Government of Bangladesh designated the Chittagong Central Jail's gallows as a memorial to Sen. A student resident hall at the University of Dhaka has been named after him. There is also a station on the Kolkata Metro system in West Bengal, India named after him that is called "Masterda Surya Sen Metro StationMasterda Surya Sen Metro Station
Masterda Surya Sen is a station of the of Kolkata Metro....
". There is a large park in Siliguri, India called "Surya Sen Park" in the middle of it is a bust of the revolutionary hero.
Chattal Seva Samity, Brasat (10 km north of Dum Dum airport & district HQ of 24 Parganas) erected a full length (15' high) bronge statue of Masterda Surya Sen at the gate of Barasat Stadium on the 18th April 2010 where engraved "Bharat Gourav Masterda Surya Sen". It was inaugurated by the 100+ year old legand & Masterda's associate & follower Shree Binod Bihari Chowdhury in presence of Dr Asim Dasgupta, Finance Minister of West Bengal & other digniteries.
On March 6, 2011 a talk has been arranged on "the role & effect of Surya Sen & Preetilata in the Indian Independence Struggle" in the Preeti Sammelan (yearly get-together of Chittagong Languase speaking residents of North 24 Parganas) of Chattal Seva Samity at Barasat Stadium.
In popular culture
Ashutosh GowarikerAshutosh Gowariker
Ashutosh Gowariker is an Indian film director, actor, writer and producer. He is known for directing the films Lagaan , Swades , Jodhaa Akbar , What's Your Raashee and Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey...
made a film on his life Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey
Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey
Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey is a Hindi period piece film directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, starring Abhishek Bachchan and Deepika Padukone in the lead roles. It is based on the book Do And Die by Manini Chatterjee, based on the Chittagong Uprising of 1930. The film has been shot mostly in Goa along...
where his role is essayed by Abhishek Bachchan
Abhishek Bachchan
Abhishek Bachchan is an Indian actor and producer. He is the son of Indian actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan and is married to actress and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai....
. The film was initially to be shot in West Bengal as it nearest to Bangladesh (Chittagong) but director Gowariker chose Goa. As he felt Goa was more similar to Chittagong than any place in West Bengal.
Manoj Bajpai
Manoj Bajpai
Manoj Bajpai , also credited as Manoj Bajpayee, is an Indian film actor, known for playing offbeat and unconventional roles. He first shot into fame with his breakthrough role in Ram Gopal Varma's 1998 film Satya.-Early life:...
played the role of Surya Sen in the movie Chittagong. The film was directed by Bedabrata Pain.
See also
- Pritilata WaddedarPritilata WaddedarPritilata Waddedar was a Bengali anti-British revolutionary from what is now Bangladesh, who became a martyr for the liberation of her motherland....
- Indian independence movementIndian independence movementThe 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...
- Chittagong armoury raidChittagong armoury raidThe Chittagong armoury raid was an attempt on April 18, 1930 to raid the armoury of police and auxiliary forces from the Chittagong armoury in Bengal province of British India, by armed revolutionaries led by Surya Sen....
- BansdroniBansdroniBansdroni is an eminent locality in South Kolkata. It is connected to the city with the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Road linking Garia in the south and Tollygunge in the North...
- Kolkata MetroKolkata MetroThe Kolkata Metro or Calcutta Metro is a mass rapid transit system serving the city of Kolkata and the districts of South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas in Indian state of West Bengal. The network consists of one operational line and five lines currently under construction...