Kamala Das Gupta
Encyclopedia
Kamala Das Gupta was an Indian freedom fighter
. She was born in 1907, to a bhadralok
Vaidya family of Bikrampur in Dhaka
, now in Bangladesh
; the family later moved to Calcutta, where she got a Master of Arts degree in history from Bethune College
, Calcutta University. Nationalist ideas were current among the young people in Calcutta she met at university, and she was filling with a strong desire to take part in the freedom struggle. She tried to quit her studies and enter Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s Sabarmati Ashram
, but her parents disapproved. Finishing her education, she became friends with some members of the extremist Jugantar
Party, and was quickly converted from her original Gandhism to the cult of armed resistance.
In 1930 she left home and took a job as manager of a hostel for poor women. There she stored and couriered, bombs and bomb-making materials for the revolutionaries . She was arrested several times in connection with bombings but was released every time for want of evidence. She supplied Bina Das
with the revolver that she used to try to shoot Governor Stanley Jackson in February 1922 , and was arrested also on that occasion, but released. In 1933 the British finally succeeded in putting her behind bars. In 1936 she was released and placed under house arrest. In 1938 the Jugantar Party aligned itself with the Indian National Congress
, and Kamala also transferred her allegiance to the larger party. Thenceforth she became involved in relief work, especially with the Burmese refugees of 1942 and 1943 and in 1946–47 with the victims of communal rioting. She was in charge of the relief camp at Noakhali that Gandhi visited in 1946.
She worked for women’s vocational training at the Congress Mahila Shilpa Kendra and the Dakshineshwar Nari Swabalambi Sadan. She edited the groundbreaking women’s journal Mandira for many years. She authored two memoirs in Bengali, Rakter Akshare (In Letters of Blood, 1954) and Swadhinata Sangrame Nari (Women in the Freedom Struggle, 1963).
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...
. She was born in 1907, to a bhadralok
Bhadralok
Bhadralok is a Bengali term used to denote the new class of 'gentlefolk' who arose during colonial times in Bengal. It is still used to indicate members of the upper middle and middle classes of Bengal.-Caste and Class makeup:...
Vaidya family of Bikrampur in Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
, 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...
; the family later moved to Calcutta, where she got a Master of Arts degree in history from Bethune College
Bethune College
Bethune College is a women's college in India. It was founded as a school in 1849 by John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune and in 1879 developed as the first women's college in India. It is located at 181, Bidhan Sarani, Kolkata -700006, just opposite the current campus of Scottish Church College,...
, Calcutta University. Nationalist ideas were current among the young people in Calcutta she met at university, and she was filling with a strong desire to take part in the freedom struggle. She tried to quit her studies and enter Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s Sabarmati Ashram
Sabarmati Ashram
Sabarmati Ashram is located in the Ahmedabad suburb of Sabarmati adjoining to famous Ashram Road, at the bank of River Sabarmati, 4 miles from the town hall. This was one of the residences of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi...
, but her parents disapproved. Finishing her education, she became friends with some members of the extremist 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...
Party, and was quickly converted from her original Gandhism to the cult of armed resistance.
In 1930 she left home and took a job as manager of a hostel for poor women. There she stored and couriered, bombs and bomb-making materials for the revolutionaries . She was arrested several times in connection with bombings but was released every time for want of evidence. She supplied Bina Das
Bina Das
Bina Das was an Indian revolutionary and nationalist from Bengal.She was the daughter of the well knownd Brahmo teacher, Beni Madhab Das and a social worker Sarala Devi....
with the revolver that she used to try to shoot Governor Stanley Jackson in February 1922 , and was arrested also on that occasion, but released. In 1933 the British finally succeeded in putting her behind bars. In 1936 she was released and placed under house arrest. In 1938 the Jugantar Party aligned itself with 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...
, and Kamala also transferred her allegiance to the larger party. Thenceforth she became involved in relief work, especially with the Burmese refugees of 1942 and 1943 and in 1946–47 with the victims of communal rioting. She was in charge of the relief camp at Noakhali that Gandhi visited in 1946.
She worked for women’s vocational training at the Congress Mahila Shilpa Kendra and the Dakshineshwar Nari Swabalambi Sadan. She edited the groundbreaking women’s journal Mandira for many years. She authored two memoirs in Bengali, Rakter Akshare (In Letters of Blood, 1954) and Swadhinata Sangrame Nari (Women in the Freedom Struggle, 1963).
Further reading
- The Silence Day note to Kamala Das Gupta December 16, 1946. Collected Works By Mahatma GandhiMahatma GandhiMohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
. Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India, 1994. page 231.