Master Da- Surya Sen, a beacon shedding light on nation’s path onward

In 2010 and 2012 two Bollywood movies namely Khelein hum jee jaan sey and Chittagong did hit box office. But could they do enough to meet the real end? By meeting real end, we mean instilling revolutionary ideas among the new generation, to rise to the occasion to fight for their Motherland. The producers may or may not have that end in mind. They were not promise bound or obliged to do so. They wanted to bring to light an almost forgotten part of supreme sacrifice by a small section of British ruled Bengal's youth to protest militarily against the mighty British raj with their meagre means showing them the way back to their far homestead. They knew very well that by their mutiny British rule of India will not cease. Still they went to achieve the unachievable with the hope that their limited success will ignite the insatiable desire of freedom in the minds of their countrymen who will come forward to carry the batton of freedom to its glorious victory podium.

 A cine film is a cinema and not everything is expected out of it. The two successful films partially could stir a section of people and youth and somewhat forgotten knowledge about the inspiring revolutionary movement led by Masterda Surya Kumar Sen was revived. But now, ten years later, it has again gone back to oblivion. If you ask how many of Indian and Bangladeshi youth and for that matter their parents know about Masterda's mission and vision, I am afraid the figure you get will be very low. That is the reason the stories of valour of our freedom fighters (be it from British or Pakistani regimes) must be told again and again so that the future generation can be proud of their predecessors and draw experience and courage from the past achievements to combat future oppression, dominance, injustice and deprivation.

Surya Kumar Sen was born in village Noapara of Chattogram in 1894. He had his early education in Chittagong and was sent to Berhampur for graduation studies in 1916.  During this period he was exposed to the politics of Indian Independence movement. He got involved in Indian National Congress and subsequently became one of the Congress leaders on his return to Chittagong. Indian Congress chose the path of democratic nonviolent politics. But a section of the enthusiastic revolutionary youth thought that the Brits would not go by simple negotiation or peaceful means. They are to be driven out by force. They formed secret armed units namely Anushilan and Jugantor but still remained within the framework of Congress. In Bengal Arabinda Ghosh was one of the whistle blowers and Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki were amongst the first Martyrs of Bengal. Bengal Volunteers with Hemchandra and other leaders were also leading in action.
Bagha Jatin and his team was another group that deserves special mention. Meantime, elsewhere in India Bhagat Singh of Punjab,Ashfaqullah of Kakori case,Ramprasad Bismil of the same case were also rising. Indian students studying abroad were also very active. India was on fire. Non-cooperation movement and Khilafat movements could not satisfy the people. Despite gathering huge support,they could not convince the colonial government to leave. The masters were dilly dallying to buy time promising self-rule, more autonomy and so forth. A section of Indian revolutionary forces, especially youth, resorted to armed struggle.

Our hero Surya Kumar Sen was one such revolutionary leaders. On return to Chittagong, he got involved in Congress leadership and took up the profession of a school teacher first in National Primary School and then in Umatara school. Meantime he had spent two years in prison pursuing non-cooperation movement. He had the capabilities of an extraordinary organiser. Being a school teacher, he became known as Master Da. Frustrated with the venom less noncooperation movement, he decided to go his own way. He started recruiting strong, healthy young men imbibed with patriotism having unflinching faith in their leader Master Da. They were given physical training in local gyms and were becoming good wrestlers and experts in fighting with sticks. A selected few were also given limited arms training. Thus, by 1930 he assembled a force of around 160 youth who were ready to do anything ordered by Master Da to drive the Brits away from India. Their resolve was nothing short of laying their own life on the alter of freedom. During the previous two years smaller actions were taken on individual lackeys of the British power. Some of the government money and supplies were taken into custody of the revolutionary youth by force. These youth took rigorous physical training to build them as hardy as possible to take up difficult assignments.

Besides, they took basic military training. They knew how to operate revolvers and rifles of different nomenclatures could handle combustible chemicals to make bombs and knew how to operate local weapons. The beauty of their training was flawless chain of command. School teacher Master Da was such a personality that everyone in his group regarded him as a figure next to God. Aspirants to enter the revolutionary team were in thousands. But strict screening measure was adopted only to select best of the bests. Master Da was influenced by the Irish revolutionaries and decided his D day on Easter day of 1930 resembling Irish Easter Rising. Netaji Subhas and Irish revolutionary leader De Valera were his idols. In Indian national politics Netaji Subhas was falling apart from the mainstream Gandhian line of non-cooperation and peaceful protests against the brutal British colonialists. Master Da,like some other splinter groups chalked out their plan and agenda of armed struggle against the oppressing British regime. As mentioned, the D day for Chittagong uprising was fixed on 28 April during Easter holidays. 64 fittest boys from the group of 160 were selected for meticulously worked out targets. Master Da and his closest comrades chalked out the following targets:

Capture and destroy the telegraph office at Nandankanan;  Severe the rail link between Chittagong and rest of India near Feni railway station; To capture the armoury of the Auxillary forces; To attack Chittagong Club,the symbol of whiteman's pride; Finally to capture the Chittagong armoury at Dampara.

The 64-member team was divided into groups of necessary strength under specific group leaders and respective targets were assigned to them. Off they went after dark on the fateful evening. Effective preparations yielded splendid results.

By self-sacrifice, he wanted to kindle the fire of free India in the heart of all Indians. He was sure,inspired by their heroic actions,youth all over British ruled India will rise to the occasion and drive the evil forces away from their holy motherland. He was not wrong. 17 years from their revolutionary activities India own freedom. Of course, apart from the revolutionary armed actions,Netaji Subhas's Azad Hind movement,Indian Naval rebellion,uprising at several cantonments and political movement by mainstream political parties also played their part. In fact the Britishers left India after hurriedly bifurcating the country into two without proper planning and precaution. In fact Lord Mountbatten left India about a year ahead of time after partitioning the subcontinent so callously that it created huge bloodshed and misery. They actually were afraid of widespread law and order disorientation from freedom seekers. Later the British PM Attlee conceded that the effect of regular political movement on their leaving India was minimal.

Coming back to Chittagong Youth rebellion we see that after hoisting the Indian tricolor at the Chittagong Police lines Master Da considered that his primary object was achieved. He also realised that with his small but disciplined force he could not hold back for long at the city center. So he ordered his army to retreat to the Jalalabad hills at the outskirts of the city.

Master Da knew that the next day the British will come with greater forces and bigger numbers. Without any hope of getting arms and other supplies he did not want to stay there to be destroyed.  He promptly dispatched orders to his followers to disperse and vanish within their own people as fish in the water. Next orders were to recharge themselves and carry on with the mission in the form of guerrilla warfare. His followers did exactly that. Testimony to the fact is Dhalghat skirmish,Gairala encounter,Pahartali European Club attack and so on. They kept on inflicting losses on the enemy. A bounty of Rs 10000 was declared on his head. Meantime guerrilla actions continued. One Netro Sen allured by the bounty declaration passed on to police information about Master Da's presence in a house near his. British forces closed in on that house,gun fight broke out. Finally the leader,his deputy Tarakeswar Dastidar and spirited lady revolutionary Kalpana Dutta were arrested from the spot at Gairala. It was already 1933.

Meantime many revolutionary youth of Chittagong Youth revolution were apprehended. Two cases were instituted and most of the revolutionaries were dished out stern punishments including kalapani(transportation for life to the Andamans). Against MasterDa and Tarakeswar Dastidar a third supplementary Chittagong Armoury raid case was started. It went through the Session's judges and High court with lightening speed. Both were condemned to death. A last ditch trial by the revolutionaries to blast the jail walls with dynamite to free their leaders failed.


January 12th, 1934 was fixed as the day of their execution. On the evening of the 11th Master Da issued his last statement with directives for his countrymen. The paper was smuggled out to his disciples by a patriotic jail guard. The whole evening the Chittagong jail reverberated with slogans like Inquilab Zindabad. The authorities were feeling shaky. Before execution of the leaders Surya Sen and Tarakeswar Dastidar,the brutal oppressors beat them mercilessly and reportedly broke their limbs and both were almost dying when their bodies were hung from the hanging stage.

Ignoring all international norms, their bodies were not handed over to their relatives. They were carried in cages by steamers to the deeper part of Bay of Bengal and drowned with heavy loads put in the cages. The British were so afraid of the charismatic leader that they thought his grave or memorial on Chittagong soil will become a pilgrimage for the revolutionaries thus increasing anti British activities.

I would like to draw a finishing line by attracting attention of my readers to a historical mistake. In literature the Chittagong Youth Revolution or the Chittagong Armoury Raid has been mentioned as Chattogram Ashtragar lunthon. The use of the word Lunthon here is very unfortunate. Lunthon is loot which is an act of miscreants. What MasterDa and his boys did is taking possession of the weapons from the armoury by defeating the British forces. My request remains to all concerned to refrain from using the word Astragar Lunthon.

Long live Master Da. Long live Chittagong Youth Revolution. During our Great War of Liberation our freedom fighters derived inspiration from MasterDa. In Bangladesh and India many institutions, areas, roads and other units are named after MasterDa Surya Sen.Long live his undying ideas!

-    The writer is a contributor