Filed under: Aurobindo Ghosh, Bal Gangadhar Lokmanya Tilak, Bengal, Bipin Chandra Pal, Gitarahasya, Independence, Indian National Congress, Lala Lajpat Rai, Partition, Rabindranath Tagore, Sri Krishna, sub-continent, Swaraj, Swedeshi, Viceroy Curzon, Vivekananda
All over India groups and movements for the independence were taking shape. The Indian National Congress was already an organized body elaborating its strategy to achieve independence by parliamentary or democratic means. On the other hand there were many patriots in different provinces who were organizing an armed resistance against the British.
The partition of Bengal in 1905 sent a wave of indignation throughout the country. Swedeshi groups demonstrated in protest and started the boycott of textiles and other products made in England, burning the goods at public places. The government reacted with violence – firing on demonstrators and arresting hundreds of them everywhere. 
Why did Viceroy Curzon partition Bengal?
Of course, the province was becoming very dangerous for the government. In fact, in the rich diversity of the peoples of India, the British had well identified the points of weakness: the Hindu society divided in castes and sub-castes, communities divided in Hindu and Muslim, property owners and landless poor, and the Congress party itself divided in 2 wings – moderate and extremists, not to mention language differences etc. They exploited it to the full, setting one group against another to rule the sub-continent.
North and East Bengal with its Muslim populations was promised many posts in the administration and other advantages, whereas the West with a Hindu majority suffered injustice and discrimination. Rivalry and jealousy developed between the communities like poison, a cancer in the social body. That culminated, as you all know, in the horrors of the partition of the country in 1947. More than 5 million people were massacred in the riots, families uprooted, and bases of life destroyed.
But in those years we note that Vivekananda 
was holding up the ideals of India’s spiritual struggle and of moral force; Rabindranath Tagore was inspiring people to stand united in the love of the country by his exemplary and courageous actions and his songs. And in Maharashtra, we see the emergence of a militant Hindu nationalism led by an eminent patriot and philosopher, – a Chitpavana Brahmin – Bal Gangadhar (Lokmanya) Tilak who was soon to declare: “Swaraj is my birthright”! His fight starts against the ignorance of the masses, as he brings out 2 monthly revues: ‘Keshari’ in Marathi and ‘Marhatta’ in English to bring information to the people on national and world politics and on social as well as economic subjects. The British imprisoned him many times. In 1917 during his 6 year long imprisonment under horrible conditions in the Mandalay jail, he wrote a remarkable book “Gitarahasya” expounding his ideas on the philosophy of action inspired by ‘karma-yoga’ as exposed by Sri Krishna in the Divine Song.
Lala Lajpat Rai in Punjab and Aurobindo Ghosh and Bipin Chandra Pal in Bengal joined in Tilak’s programme for self-govt. (swaraj). At the same time in Bengal young members belonging to revolutionary groups were attacking government officers with bombs and other firearms.
Repressive measures by the government spared neither the leaders nor other citizens. Young men and women patriots were being hanged without ceremony.
All this account is nothing more than a rough outline, a little attempt to recall events which had happened long before our Baba came of age. I can easily guess, that you’re wondering why your Saraju’s trying to bore you, repeating things, on which your history teacher and the school-books had informed you thoroughly. You’ll be patient, because I haven’t finished, and because it’s interwoven in our story.
Some of you remember, as I do, that the walls of our 2 homes in Mac Robert Gunj hadn’t many decorations. There were always a couple of calendars at strategic places like near the kitchen or so, and there were some portraits, in large frames, placed high on the sitting room walls. Even our guests must have noticed them. Apart from Sri Chaitanya singing in the streets and a picture of Durga pratima, there was Rabindranath in three-quarter profile, in his long blue-grey robe, there was Subhash Chandra Bose, as also Vivekananda, upright in turban, looking straight in front, with Paramahamsa’s profile in the background. At Dadu’s place we had Gandhiji, in black and white, eyes closed in prayer and Sri Aurobindo, whose hair-style was special. Those great men used to receive a garland as present when we had flowers. To us, they had somehow become members of our household.
In the 30s when Baba was a student in Calcutta, the capital had been shifted to Delhi since long. Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, JL Nehru, Subhash Bose and countless others were most of the time in jails; the country was afire, rocked by agitations. Repression by the government knew no limits. In the Science College he had among his professors a great scientist, Prafulla Chandra Ray, for whom he developed a lasting admiration.
To be continued
Visualization & Illustration: Surya Ranjan Shandil
1 Comment so far
Leave a comment
Mesdi's Saturday Post 
Stumbled upon your blog a week ago and decided to come back. Not for the articles you write, but for how you write them, really amazing stuff you’re doing here, I like how you put information into the articles which makes it much more easier to read and much more interesting of course. Keep up the good work!
Comment by dinosaur fact December 20, 2007 @ 2:16 pm