Vishnu Ganesh Pingle

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Vishnu Ganesh Pingle
Vishnu Ganesh Pingle while a student at the University of Washington
Born2 January 1888
Ghadar Conspiracy

Vishnu Ganesh Pingle (2 January 1888 – 16 November 1915) was an

Lahore conspiracy trial for his role in the Ghadar conspiracy
.

Early life

Vishnu Ganesh Pingle was born on 2 January 1888 to a Marathi speaking Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmin family Talegaon Dhamdhere, near

Bombay University. While at school, Pingle came under the influence of the nationalist movement of the time, and actively participated in the movement under V. D. Savarkar.[2] However, Pingle later transferred to the Samarth Vidyalaya in Talegoan Dabhade in 1908 following the closure of Maharashtra Vidyalay due to shortage of funds. However, his early involvement in the nationalist movement left a lasting imprint.[2]

In 1910, Samartha Vidyalaya was closed by the British Government. Vishnu left for Mumbai and found employment in Govindrao Potdar's Pioneer Alkali works at Mahim. Mr. Potdar was a nationalist and an expert at explosives. He belonged to the Nationalist Group and introduced Vishnu to his associates. One of them was Hari Laxman Patil, a lawyer from Vasai, with whom Vishnu came to form a close friendship. At the height of the Swadeshi movement, inspired by the Japanese handloom industry, Pingle began his own small Swadeshi loom at Ausa, near Latur. However, Pingle's ambition was to be an engineer.[2]

United States

Main articles:
Ghadar Party and Hindu–German Conspiracy

Vishnu was also strongly influenced by the history of the American War of Independence. In 1911, Pingle left Ausa for the United States. It is said that he kept the news of his impending departure from his family and only told his elder brother Keshavrao of his plans at the railway station. He reached America via Hong Kong, and enrolled as a student of mechanical engineering at the University of Washington in 1912.[3] While in the United States, Pingle became associated with the Ghadar Party and became an active worker. As World War I opened in Europe, plans began between the Germans, the Berlin Committee in Europe and the Ghadarite movement in America to attempt an insurrection in India.

Ghadar Conspiracy

Main article:
Ghadar Conspiracy

Pingle had known

Santokh Singh and Shiv Dayal Kapur to Bangkok for necessary arrangements.[4]

In November 1914, Pingle, Kartar Singh and Satyen Sen arrived in Calcutta. Satyen introduced Pingle and Kartar Singh to Jatin Mukherjee. "Pingle had long talks with Jatin Mukherjee, who sent them to

Jatin Mukherjee and Satyen Bhushan Sen were seen interviewing these Sikhs.[6]

Since 1900, the Extremist leaders under Lokamanya

Amarendra Chatterjee who had introduced Rash Behari to Sundar Lal. In 1915, Pingle will be received in Allahabad by the Swarajya group.[7]

Rash Behari had been in Benares since early 1914. Large number of outrages were committed there between October 1914 and September 1915, 45 of them before February was over. On 18 November 1914, while examining two bomb caps, he and

Jatin Mukherjee and reported that some 4,000 Sikhs of the Ghadar had already reached Calcutta. 15,000 more were waiting to come and join the rebellion.[8] Behari sent Pingle and Sachin to Amritsar, to discuss with Mula Singh who had come from Shanghai. Rash Behari's man of confidence, Pingle led a hectic life in UP and Punjab for several weeks.[9]

During the

Jatin Mukherjee, who actively assisted them. Since then, angry letters from US-based Indians reached India with hope of a German victory; one of the emigrant leaders warned that his associates were in touch with the Bengal revolutionary party. It was at this juncture, in December 1914, that Pingle arrived in the Punjab, promising Bengali co-operation to the malcontent emigrants. A meeting demanded revolution, plundering of Government treasuries, seduction of Indian troops, collection of arms, preparation of bombs and the commission of dacoities. Rash Behari planned collecting gangs of villagers for the rebellion. Simultaneous outbreaks at Lahore, Ferozepore & Rawalpindi was designed. Rising at Dacca, Benares, Jubbalpur to be extended.[10]

Preparing bombs was a definite part of the Ghadar programme. The Sikh conspirators – knowing very little about it – decided to call in a Bengali expert, as they had known in California Professor Surendra Bose, associate of Tarak Nath Das. Towards the end of December 1914, at a meeting at Kapurthala, Pingle announced that a Bengali babu was ready to co-operate with them. On 3 January 1915, Pingle and Sachindra in Amritsar received Rs 500 from the Ghadar, and returned to Benares.[11]

Pingle returned to Calcutta with Rash Behari's invitation to the

Naren Bhattacharya left for Benares (early January 1915). In a very important meeting, Rash Behari announced the rebellion, proclaiming : "Die for their country." Though through Havildar Mansha Singh, the 16th Rajput Rifles at Fort William was successfully approached, Jatin Mukherjee wanted two months for the army revolt, synchronising with the arrival of the German arms. He modified the plan according to the impatience of the Gadhar militants to rush to action. Rash Behari and Pingle went to Lahore. Sachin tampered with the 7th Rajputs (Benares) and the 89th Punjabis at Dinapore. Damodar Sarup [Seth] went to Allahabad. Vinayak Rao Kapile conveyed bombs from Bengal to Punjab. Bibhuti [Haldar, approver] and Priyo Nath [Bhattacharya?] seduced the troops at Benares; Nalini [Mukherjee] at Jabalpur. On 14 February, Kapile carried from Benares to Lahore a parcel containing materials for 18 bombs.[12]

By the middle of January, Pingle was back in Amritsar with "the fat babu" (Rash Behari); to avoid too many visitors, Rash Behari moved to Lahore after a fortnight. In both the places he collected materials for making bombs and ordered for 80 bomb cases to a foundry at Lahore. Its owner out of suspicion refused to execute the order. Instead, inkpots were used as cases in several of the dacoities. Completed bombs were found during house searches, while Rash Behari escaped. "By then effective contact had been established between the returned Gadharites and the revolutionaries led by Rash Behari, and a large section of soldiers in the NW were obviously disaffected." "It was expected that as soon as the signal was received there would be mutinies and popular risings from the Punjab to Bengal." "48 out of the 81 accused in the Lahore conspiracy case, including Rash Behari's close associates like Pingle, Mathura Singh & Kartar Singh Sarabha, recently arrived from North America."[13]

Along with

Howrah Station
the next day (which would have been cancelled if Punjab was seized) and was to strike immediately. However, the Punjab CID
Giani Pritam Singh, Swami Satyananda Puri and others fled to Thailand or other sympathetic nations.[17][20]

Trial and execution

Vishnu Ganesh Pingle and a number of other Ghadarites including

February plot.[19] Pingle was executed by hanging at the Lahore Central Jail on 16 November 1915, along with Kartar Singh Sarabha and Pandit Kanshi Ram.[21]

Legacy

A street in central Mumbai suburb of Chinchpokli is named after him.[22]

Pingle's granddaughter

Rajni Patil is a politician. She has served as a Member of the Indian Parliament
.

Notes

  1. ^ "Vishnu Ganesh Pingle – Bharatmatamandir". 20 July 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d "Ganesh Pingle, Sikh pioneers.org". sikhpioneers.org. Retrieved 2 January 2008.
  3. ^ "New, thinking, agile, and patriotic: "Hindu" students at the University of Washington, 1908-1915". University of Washington Libraries. Retrieved 2 January 2008.
  4. ^ A. C. Bose, Indian Revolutionaries Abroad, pp. 87–8, p. 132. Statemt of Pingle and Mula Singh to Cleveland, d/31-3-1915, H.P. 1916, May 436-439B. Notes on Tahal, Roll 6, RG 118. Also, the Rowlatt Report §110, §121 and §138. And Bimanbehari Majumdar, Militant Nationalism in India, p. 167
  5. ^ A. C. Bose, pp. 161–2
  6. ^ Terrorism in Bengal, Government of West Bengal, Vol. III, p. 505
  7. ^ J.C. Ker, pp. 373–5
  8. ^ Rowlatt, §121, §132-§138
  9. ^ Terrorism in Bengal,[abbrev. Terrorism], Vol. V, p. 170
  10. ^ Rowlatt, §138
  11. ^ James Campbell Ker, Political Trouble in India,[abbrev. Ker], p. 367
  12. ^ Rowlatt, §121. Also Ker, pp. 377–8
  13. ^ A. C. Bose, pp. 124–5
  14. ^ B.B. Majumdar, p. 167
  15. ^ B.B. Majumdar, p. 169
  16. ^ J.C. Ker, p. 369
  17. ^ a b Gupta 1997, p. 3
  18. ^ B.B. Majumdar, p. 169.
  19. ^ a b Chhabra 2005, p. 598
  20. ^ Strachan 2001, p. 796
  21. ^ Sreenivasan R. "Across a chasm of seventy five years, the eyes of these dead men speak to today's Indian American". rediff. Retrieved 2 January 2008.
  22. ^ "Pincode of Vishnu Ganesh Pingle Marg Chinchpokli East_". www.getpincode.info. Retrieved 18 August 2019.

References

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vishnu_Ganesh_Pingle&oldid=1186236654"