Alok Acharja

As British rule in the Indian subcontinent is a big chapter, so is the movement against the British. The names of countless heroes and their heroic sacrifices are added to the pages of this huge chapter. The names of those great people will be dimmed in the history of the world. Khudiram Bose made a bomb with his own hands and attacked the train to crush. Unfortunately, innocent Indians were killed in that bomb. He was hanged for that. Many freedom seekers have shed their blood for freedom. Prominent among these heroes is Surya Sen, who is popularly known as Masterda Surya Sen.

He is the master of all. Master Da Surya Sen was born on 22nd March 1894 in Noapara of Raujan Thana located in present-day Chittagong, Bangladesh. His family's economic condition was not very good. His father's name is Rajmani Sen and his mother's name is Shashi Bala Sen. Surya Sen is the fourth child of their family. Swami Vivekananda had a profound influence on his life.

He was a revolutionary and could not accept the subjugation of the country in any way. He gradually made up his mind to make his supreme sacrifice for the country. However, in his student life, Mastarda was brilliant and determined. After completing BA from Baharampur Krishnanath College, he returned to Chittagong and started teaching at Harishdutta National School. The fact that his Master's was the beginning of his teaching career has remained with him forever. He is a master to all. When the National School was closed, he started teaching as a mathematics teacher at Umatara High English School.

The thoughts and activities of his movement also started with that. While studying at Krishnanath College, Baharampur, he came close to Professor Satish Chandra Chakraborty, a member of the Yugantar Dal, and got involved with the revolutionary ideology. After that, he returned to Chittagong in 1918 and formed a secret revolutionary party in Chittagong along with similar Sens, Charubikash Dutta, Ambika Chakraborty, Nagendranath Sen, and others.

His married life is a little different. However, most of the revolutionaries have prioritized the liberation of the country or the revolution over marriage. Surya Sen was no exception in that respect. Although he married under the pressure of his family, the marriage was not done.

One of Surya Sen's companions was Ananta Singha. In the words of that eternal lion '"Who knew that the steady calm eyes of that innocent teacher engrossed in self-inquiry would one day light up and rise to avenge the two centuries of oppression of the motherland? The seeds of patriotism that a teacher had in him, he spread everywhere in the world.

By his hand, many more Revolutionary were involved in the revolution to free the British. Arvind Ghosh returned home after graduating from Cambridge University and joined Baroda College as Assistant Principal in 1893. He and the young barrister Pramathanath Mitra formed Bengal's first secret revolutionary party "Anushilan" Samiti in a house on Upper Circular Road, Calcutta. The members of the practice society were taught stick games, Aussie games, dice games, wrestling, musketeers, etc. This association was run on the subscriptions of Arvind Ghosh, Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das, etc. Barindra Kumar Ghosh led by refusing to be satisfied with stick games, Aussie games, and dice games.

A group of revolutionaries broke away from the "Practice Association" and formed the "Yugantar Dal". After the discovery of the revolutionaries' bomb factory in Maniktala, West Bengal, many revolutionaries including Arvind Ghosh were implicated in the Alipore Bomb Case. In 1907 some absconding accused of that case escaped secretly and came to Chittagong. Inspired by their ideology, the first revolutionary organization was born in Chittagong. Jamini Sen, Manindra Sen, and Ambika Chakraborty were members of this organization.

Nagendranath Sen of the 49th Bengal Regiment came to Chittagong in 1918 and met Surya Sen, Ambika Chakraborty, and Charubikash Dutta. At the end of the First World War, a secret revolutionary group was formed in Chittagong along with similar Sens, Charubikash Dutta, Ambika Chakraborty, Nagendranath Sen, and others. Surya Sen joined the non-cooperation movement in 1920 when the non-cooperation movement started across India at the call of Gandhiji. However, the situation changed after the Nagarkhana Pahar war. Surya Sen and Ambika Chakraborty were arrested after the 1923 "Nagarkhana Pahad War". Although both of them were acquitted in this case. However, the Calcutta Police Commissioner plans to kill Taggart due to the torture of revolutionaries after their arrest. The police knew about this plan in advance.

Because of this, some other revolutionaries including Surya Sen were arrested at that time. On October 8, 1926, Surya Sen was arrested from Wellington Street, Kolkata. After his arrest, he was kept in Medinipur Central Jail. Later sent to Ratnagiri Jail, Bombay, from there to Belgaum Jail. He was released after two years. Later two other women revolutionaries Kalpana Dutta and Pritilata Waddedar joined their revolutionary party. Pritilata Waddeda is the first woman martyr of the Indian subcontinent.

In 1930, plans were made to loot the Chittagong Armory. On 18th April 1930, Friday, the plan was divided into two groups. A gang attacked the telephone and telegraph office at Nandankanan in Chittagong. All his instruments with a hammer they broke the trap and poured petrol and set it on fire. Another group captured the Chittagong Railway Armory located at Pahartali. The British government announced a reward of Rs 5,000 for the capture of six leading revolutionaries including Surya Sen. On April 22, 1930, when the revolutionaries were stationed at Jalalabad Hills (Chittagong Cantonment Hills), armed British soldiers attacked them. Between 70 and 100 of the British forces and 12 of the revolutionary forces were martyred in the fierce battle of two hours.

After the Jalalabad war, raids were carried out from railway stations and steamer ghats to arrest the revolutionary leaders. Then when the European Club was invaded in 1932 and Pritilata committed suicide in that battle, the English government became even more desperate to capture Masterda. The reward for his capture was increased from five thousand to ten thousand rupees. Surya Sen was hiding in the house of Kshirodprabha Biswas in Gairla village.

Kalpana Dutta, Shanti Chakraborty, Mani Dutta, Brajen Sen, and Sushil Dasgupta were in a meeting there on the night of 16 February 1933. Brajen Sen's brother Netra Sen could not handle the lure of the prize money. This unscrupulous informed the police about the presence of Surya Sen. Police and army surrounded the house of Kshirodprabha Biswas at around 10 pm. Kalpana Dutta, Shanti Chakraborty, Mani Dutta, and Sushil Dasgupta managed to escape by exchanging fire in the dark of night.

But around 2 am, Surya Sen and Brajen Sen were caught with weapons. Master Da Surya Sen was sentenced to death on 14 August 1933 for carrying firearms. In the condemned cell, Surya Sen was kept in solitary confinement under heavy guard. He was unconscious when he was taken to the gallows. Because before that the British smashed all his teeth with hammers, pulled them out with his fingernails. It was January 12, 1934. His last days were witness to terrible torture.

A residential hall at Dhaka University and Chittagong University was named in his honor. Besides, Kolkata Metro has named Bansdroni Metro Station Masterda Surya Sen Metro Station in memory of Surya Sen. A gate named Masterda Surya Sen Gate on the Rangamati-Lelengara road was constructed in Raujan after him. Next to it, a portrait sculpture of Master Da Surya Sen was constructed on the road adjacent to Raujan Government College. The birthday of this great revolutionary is remembered with reverence by every people of India and all the revolutionaries of the world.

The writer is a Essayist and columnist Pabna