In the 1907 at the Surat Congress, there was a major difference of opinion between the ‘moderates’ and the ‘extremists’. The ‘extremist’ group was known as ‘Lal’, ‘Bal’ and ‘Pal’, after Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal. Besides advocating swadeshi movement, they also advocated a total boycott amounting to non-coperation and non-payment of taxes. ‘Lal’ and ‘Bal’ were deported to Mandalay in Burma. Tilak’s trial for incitement bought Bombay’s industries to a standstill and his 6 year sentence bought the troops into the street and there were 16 deaths. Sitting in a prison in Mandalay, Tilak wrote his commentary on the Bagavad Gita.
[Compiled from various sources] This series is part of “15 days of independence”:https://varnam.org/archives/cat_indian_independence.html

Aurobindo was another Bengali who left his mark on the freedom struggle. He was sent to England when he was 7 years old to get some “serious studies”. When he returned to India in 1893, the situation in India had changed. People were revolting against the British.
bq. Sri Aurobindo included in the scope of his revolutionary work one kind of activity which afterwards became an important item in the public programme of the Nationalist party. He encouraged the young men in the centres of work to propagate the Swadeshi idea which at that time was only in its infancy and hardly more than a fad of the few.
Continue reading “Forgotten Indians: Sri Aurobindo” →

Another region that did not initially join the union was Hyderabad. The Nizam, a muslim ruler had a large Hindu population but still he was thinking of staying independent. A year was given to the Nizam to make a decision by the Indian Administration. By 1948, there was no decision and the Indian troops rolled into Hyderabad and the Nizam signed the dotted line.
This series is part of “15 days of Independence”:https://varnam.org/archives/cat_indian_independence.html

Another province that did not want to join Indian union was Junagad, in the Saurashtra peninsula in Gujarat. The state was predominantly Hindu, but the ruler was Muslim. According to John Keay, in his book India: A History says
bq. At the time an estimated 11 percent of the state’s income was earmarked for the upkeep of the royal kennels, wherein some eight hundred canine pensioners lived in luxury denied to most of Junagad’s other subjects. To the nupitals of a favourite golden retriever the prince is said to have invited fifty thousand guests, including the viceroy. His decision to declare allegience to Pakistan had, though, nothing to do with dogs. It was made on the grounds of religion, for which piety his only reward was a show of strenth from Delhi which sent him winging his way to Pakistan with just four canine companions, plus a number of wives.
and Junagad joined the Union.

It is the courts that are finally taking the radical decisions in India. In another landmark ruling the Supreme Court stated that Government employees have no right to strike and hold the country to ransom.
bq. Justice Shah, writing for the Bench, said “law on this subject is well settled and it has been repeatedly held by this Court that the employees have no fundamental right to resort to strike.” Extracting a 41-year old constitution Bench Judgement relating to bank employees, the Bench said the apex Court had specifically held that even a very liberal interpretation of constitutional provisions “cannot lead to the conclusion that trade unions have a fundamental right to an effective collective bargaining or to strike, either as part of collective bargaining or otherwise.
It was the Kerala High Court which banned “bandhs”, “smoking in public places”:http://www.hinduonnet.com/2002/02/21/stories/2002022103110600.htm and recently “campus politics”:https://varnam.org/archives/000109.html. As usual the political parties are scared. Note the following headlines
* SC verdict is unfortunate: Oppn parties
* CPI(M) calls for protest day tomorrow against SC ruling
* Cong reacts cautiously to SC verdict
* Left parties find SC verdict “unacceptable”
This is not a new law which was created, the court was interpreting the Constituition.
[Source: “Outlook”:http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=158462, “Srijith”:http://www.srijith.net/trinetre/archives/2003/08/06/index.shtml#000357]

Even after India became Independent, the Portuguese refused to give up their territory of Goa.
bq. Both Britain and France had long given up their territories. A reluctant India decided to march into Goa and on December 13, 1961 Operation Vijay was launched. It was no contest and the whole thing finished in 48 hours.
bq. And yet, the action was not bereft of some interesting incidents. The Indian Navy saw its first action after Independence. At Diu, the Indian Army found it hard going to cross the creek surrounding Diu island and were taking heavy casualties until the navy’s ageing cruiser Delhi carried out point blank bombardment of Diu fort from a range of one-and-a-half miles forcing the garrison to surrender.
bq. Off Goa the only resistance put up was by the pre-World War II Portuguese frigate Alfonso de Albuquerque which came out to give battle to the Indian Navy’s latest frigate Betwa, commanded by Commander (later Vice-Admiral) Rusi Gandhy. Gallant Albuquerque was no match for Betwa’s state-of-the-art gunnery and was soon driven on shore by the latter. Her crew were taken prisoner.
[Source: “Rediff”:http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/may/10nad.htm]

Did you know that Sikkim became part of India only as late as 1975. When India became independent Sikkim became a protectorate under India. The Sikkim state congress wanted a democratic setup and join the Indian Union. The ruler Tashi Namgyal died in 1963 and was succeeded by his son Palden Thondup Namgyal. By 1970 people wanted an end to monarchy and an agitattion started. Indian Govt appointed a Chief Administrator and in 1973 Sikkim became an associate state. Then in 1975 the constitution was amended and Sikkim became a state in the Indian Union.

The present state of Kerala is made up of three princely states, Travancore, Cochin and Malabar. When the British announced their withdrawal from India, the Diwan of Travancore, Sir. CP Ramaswamy Iyer announced that Travancore would establish itself as an independent state and would not join the Indian Union.
Continue reading “Forgotten Events: How Travancore joined the Union” →

1921 was a memorable year in Kerala due to an event which happened in Turkey. The Caliphate was abandoned. This was followed by an uprising against the British by the Muslims in Malabar.
bq. Police attempted to arrest the secretary of the Khilafat Committee of Pokottur in Eranad on a charge of having stolen a pistol. A crowd of 2000 Moppilas from the neighbourhood foiled the attempt. The next day, a police party in search of Khilafat rebels entered the famous Mambaram mosque at Tirurangadi. They seized some records and arrested a few Khilafat volunteers. A rumour spread that the mosque was desecrated. Hundreds of rustic Moppilas converged on Tirurangadi and besieged the local police station. The police opened fire. The mob reacted in a mad fury. Violence spread and engulfed Eranad and Valluvanad taluks and neighbouring areas for over two months.
Continue reading “Forgotten Events: Wagon Tragedy” →

Born in 1765 AD in a very righteous family, Umar Qazi was to become the pride of Kerala, the visionary poet and a just ruler. At the age of 11, he joined the Madrasa at Tanoor. At 13, he joined Ponnani Madrasa for higher studies. After completing his studies in Ponnani Madrasa, he was made the Qazi (judge) of Veliyankode.
Umar Qazi introduced the Non-Taxation Movement decades before Mahatma Gandhi, the father of nation and the unchallenged leader of Indian freedom struggle, started it. In 1805, Umar publicly announced his defiance of the British taxation system.
Continue reading “Forgotten Indians: Umar Khazi” →