Durgawati Devi

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Durgavati Devi
Born(1907-10-07)7 October 1907
Shahjadpur
British India
(present-day Shahjadpur, Kaushambi, Uttar Pradesh, India)
Died15 October 1999(1999-10-15) (aged 92)
NationalityBritish Indian (1907–1947)
Indian (1947–1999)
Other namesDurga Bhabhi
OccupationRevolutionary
Organization(s)Hindustan Socialist Republican Association, Naujawan Bharat Sabha
MovementIndian independence movement
SpouseBhagwati Charan Vohra
Children1

Durgavati Devi (7 October 1907 – 15 October 1999), popularly known as Durga Bhabhi, was an Indian revolutionary and freedom fighter. She was one of the few women revolutionaries who actively participated in armed revolution against the ruling British Raj. She is best known for having accompanied Bhagat Singh on the train journey in which he made his escape in disguise after the killing of John P. Saunders.[1] Since she was the wife of another Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) member Bhagwati Charan Vohra, other members of HSRA referred to her as Bhabhi (elder brother's wife) and became popular as "Durga Bhabhi" in Indian revolutionary circles.

Life

Devi was born into Gujarati Brahmin family in Allahabad.[2] She was married to Bhagwati Charan Vohra when she was eleven.

She was an active member of the Naujawan Bharat Sabha, Devi came into prominence when the Sabha decided to observe the 11th anniversary of Kartar Singh Sarabha’s martyrdom on 16 November 1926 in Lahore. Devi was instrumental in helping Bhagat Singh and Shivaram Rajguru escape after the killing of John P. Saunders, a British police officer in Lahore who, on the instructions of James Scott, killed Lala Lajpat Rai during a lathi charge.

She led the funeral procession of

Jatin Das from Lahore to Calcutta after his death in a 63-day jail hunger strike. All along the way, huge crowds joined the funeral procession.[1]

Revolutionary activities

After

3,000 to rescue Singh and his comrades under trial.[3]

Devi, along with her husband, helped Vimal Prasad Jain, an HSRA member, in running a bomb factory named 'Himalayan Toilets' (a smokescreen to hide the agenda of making bombs) at Qutub Road,

Two days after killing John P. Saunders, on 19 December 1928,

They left the house early the next morning. At the station, Singh, with his concealed identity, bought three tickets to Cawnpore — two first-class tickets for Devi and himself and a third class one for Rajguru. Both men had loaded revolvers with them to deal with any unanticipated incident. They avoided raising the suspicions of the police and boarded the train. Breaking the journey at Cawnpore,(now Kanpur) they boarded a train for Lucknow since the CID at Howrah railway station usually scrutinised passengers on the direct train from Lahore. At Lucknow, Rajguru left separately for Benares while Singh, Devi and the infant went to Howrah. Devi returned to Lahore a few days later with her infant child.[4]

Later life

Durgawati Devi

Unlike other freedom fighters, after Indian independence, Devi started living as a common citizen in quiet anonymity and exclusion in Ghaziabad. She later opened a school for poor children in Lucknow. Devi died in Ghaziabad on 15 October 1999 at the age of 92.[1]

A small reference to her character was seen in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s 2006 film Rang De Basanti, where Soha Ali Khan played her part.[3]

The seventh episode of the 2014 Indian Epic TV anthology television series, Adrishya, is about Devi.

The 64 episode of the 2022 DD National's historical television series, Swaraj, is about Devi and her Husband.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "The Tribune...Sunday Reading". Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  2. ^ Maclean, Kama. "Freedom files: The secret life of Durga Devi Vohra". Scroll.in. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d "Children of Midnight Durgawati Devi: The Fearless Lady!". YoungBites. Major Kulbir Singh. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  4. ^ Bakshi, S. R. (1988). Revolutionaries and the British Raj. Atlantic Publishers. p. 61.

External links