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Surya Sen

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Master Da
Surya Sen
Sen in 1924
Born(1894-03-22)22 March 1894
Noapara,Bengal,British Raj(nowChittagong,Bangladesh)
Died12 January 1934(1934-01-12)(aged 39)
Chittagong,Bengal,British Raj (nowChittagong,Bangladesh)
Cause of deathExecution by hanging
NationalityBritish Indian
Organization(s)Indian National Congress,Jugantar,Anushilan Samiti
Known forChittagong armoury raid
Political partyIndian National Congress
MovementIndian Independence movement
Criminal penaltyCapital punishment
Criminal statusExecuted
SpousePuspa Sen
Signature
Anushilan Samiti
Influence
List
Anushilan Samiti
List
Notable events
List
Related topics
List

Surya Sen,also known asSurya Kumar Sen(22 March 1894 – 12 January 1934), was anIndian revolutionary[1]who was influential in theindependence movementagainstBritish rule in Indiaand is best known for leading the 1930Chittagong armoury raid.

Sen was a schoolteacherby profession and was popularly known asMaster Da( "da" is anhonorificsuffix inBengali language). He was influenced by the nationalist ideals in 1916 while he was a student of B.A. in Berhampore College (NowMES College).[2]In 1918, he was selected as president of theIndian National Congress's Chittagong branch.[3]Sen was known for recruiting a group of young and passionate revolutionaries known as the Chittagong group. The group includedAnanta Singh,Ganesh GhoshandLokenath Bal,and fought against the British stationed inChittagong.[4]

He was an active participant in theNon-co-operation movementand 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 "Humanismis a special virtue of a revolutionary. "[4]

After the Chittagong raid in 1930 and a fierce battle where over 80British Indian Armysoldiers and 12revolutionarieswere 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 February 1933, tried and was hanged on 12 January 1934.[5]Many of his fellow revolutionaries were also caught and sentenced to long periods of imprisonment.[6]

Early life[edit]

Sen wanted for 10,000 taka, poster distributed by the Inspector-General of the Police Division of Chittagong in 1932.

Sen was born on 22 March 1894 in aBengaliBaidyafamily at Noapara, underRaozan UpazilainChittagong,Bengal Presidency,British India(now inBangladesh). His father Ramaniranjan Sen was a teacher. In 1916, when he was a B.A. student inBerhampore College(nowKrishnath College) ofMurshidabadhe learned about Indian freedom movement from one of his teachers Shatishchandra Chakrabarti. When Sen came to Chittagong in 1918, he started teaching at the local National School, becoming famous with the honorificMaster da.Later, he left his job and became the president of the Chittagong branch of the Indian National Congress.[7][8]

Sen actively participated in the Non-Cooperation Movement. He looted the treasury of Assam-Bengal Railway for cash money to fuel the movement, for which he was imprisoned with fellow revolutionary Ambika Chakrabarty for two years. Both were released towards the end of 1928 and resumed their activities.[9][10][11]

Surya Sen's elder brother Chandra kumar Sen and his wife, Birajmohini devi, sister in law of Surya Sen

Chittagong armoury raid[edit]

Main article:Chittagong armoury raid

Sen led a group of revolutionaries on 18 April 1930 to raid the armouries of police and auxiliary forces in Chittagong.[12]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 ofBritish Raj.[12]However, although the group gained the arms, they failed to capture the ammunition. They hoisted theIndian National Flagon the premises of the armoury, and then escaped. A few days later, a large fraction of the revolutionary group was cornered on Jalalabad Hill by aBritish Indian Armydetachment. In the ensuing fight, twelverevolutionariesdied, many were arrested, while some managed to flee, including Sen.[6]

Arrest and death[edit]

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.[13]

Surya Sen 1978 stamp of India
Masterda Surya Sen's letter to his elder brother, Chandra kumar Sen
Surya Sen's letter to his sister in law, Birajmohini devi

He hid in the house of a friend. His relative named Netra Sen lived not far away.[14]But Netra Sen informed the British of his hiding place, and the police came and captured him in February 1933.[14]Before Netra Sen could be rewarded by the British, a revolutionary named Kironmoy Sen came into his house and beheaded him withda(a long knife).[15][16]As Netra Sen's wife was a big supporter of Surya Sen, she never disclosed the name of the revolutionary who killed Netra Sen. Before his eventual hanging on 12 January 1934 with another revolutionary namedTarakeswar Dastidar,both Sen and Dastidar underwenttortureat the hands of thepolice.[15]

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." [17]

  • The gallows in Chattogram (Chittagong) Central Jail, where Indian Revolutionary FreedomfighterSurya Senwas hanged. The Government of Bangladesh (East Bengal) has designated it a historical monument.

In popular media[edit]

Indian film directorAshutosh Gowarikerdirected the filmKhelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey(2010) about Sen's life. ActorAbhishek Bachchanplayed the role of Sen.[18]Another filmChittagong(2012) directed byBedabrata Painwas about Sen's armoury raid.Manoj Bajpayeeplayed the leading role.[19]

Legacy[edit]

Surya Sen is considered one of the leading revolutionaries in British India, and is a highly respected figure in both Bangladesh and India. Residential halls have been named after him at both the University of Dhaka[20]and the University of Chittagong.[21]Kolkata has a metro railway station and a street named after him as well.[22]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Bowman, John S. (5 September 2000).Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture.Columbia University Press. p. 740.ISBN978-0-231-50004-3.
  2. ^Shah, Mohammad (2012)."Surya Sen, Mastarda".InIslam, Sirajul;Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.).Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh(Second ed.).Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  3. ^Chakrabarti, Bidyut (1990).Subhas Chandra Bose and Middle Class Radicalism: A Study in Indian Nationalism, 1928-1940.I. B. Tauris & Co. Ltd. p. 108.ISBN1850431493.
  4. ^abChandra, Bipan;Mukherjee, Mridula;Mukherjee, Aditya; Mahajan, Sucheta;Panikkar, K.N.(2016) [First published 1987].India's Struggle for Independence(Revised and updated ed.). Penguin Books. p. 251.ISBN978-0-14-010781-4.
  5. ^"Death Sentence On Terrorists".The Glasgow Herald.15 August 1933. p. 9.Retrieved7 January2022.
  6. ^abChandra, Bipan;Mukherjee, Mridula;Mukherjee, Aditya; Mahajan, Sucheta;Panikkar, K.N.(2016) [First published 1987].India's Struggle for Independence(Revised and updated ed.). Penguin Books. p. 252.ISBN978-0-14-010781-4.
  7. ^"মাস্টারদা সূর্য সেনের জন্ম".Archived fromthe originalon 23 March 2023.Retrieved16 June2023.
  8. ^Mahotsav, Amrit."Surya Sen".Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Ministry of Culture, Government of India.Archived fromthe originalon 24 May 2023.Retrieved16 June2023.
  9. ^Kumar, Vijay (2008).हर दिन पावन.लोकहित प्रकाशन.ISBN9788189606350.
  10. ^"Surya Sen".abhipedia.Retrieved16 June2021.
  11. ^Karan, Rewati (22 March 2022)."Surya Sen — Chittagong's 'Master da' who led the raid that broke the 'armed might' of British".ThePrint.Retrieved30 March2022.
  12. ^abChandra, Bipan;Mukherjee, Mridula;Mukherjee, Aditya; Mahajan, Sucheta;Panikkar, K.N.(2016) [First published 1987].India's Struggle for Independence(Revised and updated ed.). Penguin Books. pp. 251–252.ISBN978-0-14-010781-4.
  13. ^Pradhāna, Rāmacandra (2008).Raj to Swaraj: A Textbook on Colonialism and Nationalism in India.Macmillan India.ISBN978-0-230-63406-0.
  14. ^abSrinvantu magazine (Aurobindo Bhawan, 8, Shakespeare Sarani, Kolkata - 700 071. ed. 8 March 2021. p. 36)
  15. ^ab"Chittagong British Armoury Raid 1930: Revolutionary, Surya Sen led the attack on April 18".India Today.19 April 2021.Retrieved30 March2022.
  16. ^বসু, ঋজু (15 August 2021)."75th Independence Day: ধর্মের ছোঁয়াচ ছাড়া বিয়ের স্বাধীনতা".Ananda Bazar.Retrieved29 March2022.
  17. ^Srinvantu magazine (Aurobindo Bhawan, 8, Shakespeare Sarani, Kolkata - 700 071. ed. 8 March 2021. p. 37)
  18. ^"Ashutosh Gowariker's Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey to be released on December 3".Daily News & Analysis.22 April 2010.Retrieved11 October2011.
  19. ^"'Chittagong': Manoj Bajpayee took no money for the film ".The Times of India.28 September 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 3 January 2013.Retrieved28 September2012.
  20. ^"Home:: Dhaka University".
  21. ^"University of Chittagong".
  22. ^"Masterda Surya Sen Metro Station Kolkata".routemaps.info.Retrieved30 March2022.

External links[edit]

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