It will not be possible to read full review on EPW issue of 29th January 2022 unless you are a subscriber. I am posting here the text of the review.
Review: Waiting for
Swaraj by Aparna Vaidik
Vaidik, Aparna, Waiting for Swaraj: Inner Lives
of Indian Revolutionaries, Cambridge University Press, first ed.
2021, Pages 232
Biography of Chandrashekhar Azad through Memoirs: A methodology in
writing political history.
Chaman Lal*
Chandrashekhar
Azad is one of most fascinating heroes of Indian revolutionary movement for
freedom from British colonialism. Though Bhagat Singh name remains on top among
Indian revolutionaries in social media, but Azad is no less popular hero. In fact,
they were both leaders of Hindustan Socialist Republican Associations/Army
(HSRA) in their own right. If Bhagat Singh position was of the political
ideologue of HSRA, Azad was commander-in-chief of its armed wing. There was
perfect harmony between the two within the organization and outside too,
acknowledged by the author herself in the book. Both were martyred within one month of 1931
and both turned into youthful icons for the Indian youth for times to come and
after 90 years of their martyrdom, they continue to inspire the youth as they
inspired during the time of their revolutionary life and martyrdom for the
cause of Indian freedom from colonial clutches.
Aparna
Vaidik, a renowned historian focusing on revolutionaries and their movement,
has chosen to focus on Azad first (Her next publications in 1922 is perhaps on
Bhagat Singh, already pre announced), as she thinks that there has been
overplay of attention on Bhagat Singh. Perhaps she and few others, including
descendants of few revolutionaries such as Mathura Das Thapar, brother of Sukhdev,
also think that way and somewhat resent that it has been at the cost of other
revolutionaries. While revolutionaries themselves can’t be blamed for more or
less public attention on their lives and actions or images, as they got
martyred. It was the task of historians or other public figures to pay
attention on their lives and actions, which build their images-overplayed or
underplayed! Irony of the matter is that historians did not make much attempts
to focus on revolutionary aspect of freedom struggle and remained focused more
on larger Congress movement in different forms in achieving freedom of India
from colonial control. In absence of objective and facts-based studies, folk
tradition created images of revolutionaries through songs, plays, folk tales
and somewhat on memoirs of surviving revolutionaries, but which was inadequate
in terms of proper publication of their memoirs and which came up only after
their release after long time imprisonment. These memoirs appeared mostly after
independence or a little before. Even when they appeared before independence,
these were immediately pounced upon by colonial authorities and were proscribed
and writers/editors were heavily punished financially as well as by short or long-term
imprisonment. Jitender Nath Sanyal, one of Lahore conspiracy case accused, in
which Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were sentenced to death and many others
to long term incarceration, was one of those few, who were acquitted. Same
Sanyal, younger brother of more known elder brother Sachindernath Sanyal, was
sentenced to two years imprisonment after he wrote and published first proper
biography of Bhagat Singh within just two months of his execution-in May 1931,
he published biography of Bhagat Singh in English from Allahabad, which was being
serialized simultaneously in Hindi-by-Hindi journal Bhavishya, edited by
Ramrakh Singh Sehgal from Allahabad itself. Not only biography in English was
proscribed immediately and was not allowed to be reprinted till 1946, when the
interim national government took over under Jawahar Lal Nehru as Prime Minister;
its publication in Bhavishya, which had published about six chapters of
the biography in Hindi translation, was also banned and its editor was heavily
fined and even jailed for few months.
Vaidik as a trained historian, has formatted her book in a rigorous
academic discipline. In blurb the book is introduced as ‘Drawing on the revolutionaries’
memoirs, this book locates the essence of being a revolutionary in the everyday
conversations, banter and anecdotes, and in the stray fragments of life in the
underground. Xxxxxxx Waiting for Swaraj is an exploration of the rich
variegated and intimate history of revolution as praxis.’
While the
main text in four chapters and conclusion has 136 pages, explanatory notes are
given in nearly 55 pages and Bibliography has taken 30 pages. Among the Primary
literature included in bibliography, main emphasis is on Memoirs in the form of
printed books, Private papers and oral history transcripts from Nehru Memorial
Museum and Library (NMML) and from Centre for South Asian Studies, Cambridge
University, Cambridge. Both institutions had recorded long or short interviews
of veteran revolutionaries in very large nos. Vaidik has consulted 32
transcripts from NMML and 11 from Cambridge collection. The printed books are
also mainly from memoirs of veteran revolutionaries, who survived after the martyrdom
of their revered revolutionary comrades. In case of Chandrashekhar Azad, his
own recruits and followers in HRA, later HSRA-Vishwanath Vaishampayan, Bhagwan
Das Mahaur, Sadashiv Malkapurkar, Manmathnath Gupt, Ram Krishan Khatri, Nand
Kishore Nigam, Ramchand and Shridevi Mussadi are more important and focused
upon, though the scholar has failed to refer to the original publication of
such memoirs, as in case of Vishwanath Vaishampayan, his memoirs in three parts
in three separate volumes, were published from Krantikari Prakashan Mirzapur in
1970’s, but she has referred only to Sudhir Vidyarthi edited Amar Shaheed Chandrashekhar
Azad in single volume, much later published volume, which has nothing to be
edited about, it is only the same text reproduced with the credit being taken
by editor without any contribution on his part. In the case of books authored
and published by revolutionaries directly without need of any editor in their
own lifetime, after their death many individuals have published those books
with the edition of their name as ‘Editor’, taking fake credit in the name of
revolutionary literature. In many cases the families of revolutionaries are not
even aware of this and no permission has been taken by such ‘editors’ or publishers
to reprint these books. Comrade Ramchandra book Naujwan Bharat Sabha and Hindustan
Socialist Republican Army (HSRA) self-published by him in 1986 during his life
time with his own money, later reprinted possibly by his family in 2003, has
been shown published by a publisher in 2007 with an ‘editor’ name on it, while Ramchandra
family is unaware of this publication! The scholar should have been careful in
assigning the credits to ‘editors’ and publishers at the cost of writers of
these memoirs, especially when observing such rigorous academic discipline and
even consulting Ramchandra oral transcripts in NMML, mentioned in bibliography!
Before turning
to main part of the book in the form of four chapter, the book has a literary quote
put on one whole page of the book before contents page. This is quote from Roland
Barthes’s ‘A Lover’s Discourse Fragments-
The lover’s fatal identity is precisely this-I am
the one who waits…
The
spirit of the book or interpreting revolutionaries’ psychology reveled in life
events lies in this statement, as the title of first chapter shows-The
Revolutionary-Who-Waits. And the chapter shifts to focus on Intrepid
Bahurupia-Harishankar living in a Hanuman Temple in village Dhimarpura near
princely state of Orchha, surviving on people’s given food as given to a
Sanyasi, he was also teaching children in Pathshala, and he was a good marksman
as well. What Orchha king could not shoot, Harishankar shot perfectly, rising
suspicion in mind of king as someone in disguise! And so he was-Pandit ji alias
Mahashya ji alias No. 2 alias Chandrashekhar Tewari alias Chandrashekhar Azad,
who had deceived the police to evade arrest till the end of his life, as he had
proudly claimed-Azad hi Rahenge…
Introducing Azad briefly, the author shifts to
theoretical aspects of her work. She refers to the methodology of her history
writing with reference to works of Kama Maclean, Durba Ghosh and then to
Memoirs of revolutionaries, also to the source material as interviews conducted
by Haridev Sharma and Shyam Lal Manchanda during late sixties to 1980’s. Then
she poses her own challenge of crafting narrative. She gives examples from many
more memoirs, including of two celebrated Hindi writers and having jail
experience, ex revolutionaries Yashpal and Ageyeya to explain the form and
content of subsequent chapters of her book.
The second
chapter title is Satyagrahi to Krantikari-telling the life story of Chandrashekhar
Azad from childhood. Born in Bhavra
village in Madhya Pradesh in very poor Brahmnin family, had run away to Bombay
before he was even fourteen. He worked in dock as laborer with other members of
labor class, but could not shed his Brahmanical sanskars, though many habits
were broken due to the pressure of metropolitan life. He would bathe once a
week, see lot of films to stay away from hard living life. Later he landed up
in Banaras after knowing Brahmin children get free Sanskrit education and
boarding lodging, so he got into Sanskrit school availing these facilities and
he wrote first letter to family informing them his wellbeing. As it was year 1921 of noncooperation movement
of Mahatma Gandhi. Azad got the title name Azad from this movement. He was punished
with lashes for taking part in it and shouting Mahatma Gandhi ki jai. Magistrate
was irritated to no end when he got the reply on his name as Azad, father’s
name as Swatantra and abode as jail. His bold assertion and punishment at the
age of 15 years, got him fame in Banaras as young Satyagrahi. Revolutionary
minded Pranvesh and Manmathnath Gupta were also students of Kashi Vidyapeeth,
they befriended Azad and slowly brought him to be part of revolutionary
activity, especially when Gandhi had withdrawn the movement on Chauri Chaura violence
incident, frustrating not only thousands of youth activists, but even senior
congress leaders. As Sachindernath Sanyal had formed Hindustan Republican Association/Army
(HRA) in 1924, bringing together various revolutionary groups in the country on
one platform, so Azad for his constant enthusiasm and magnetic personality got
te name of Quicksilver, given by Ram Prasad Bismil. Bismil was most prominent
associate of HRA organizer Sachindernath Sanyal , who was earlier connected
with Matrivedi Society with Genda Lal Dikshit of Mainpuri conspiracy case. Bismil
and his close friend Ashfaqullah Khan joined HRA. With Bengal revolutionary
leader Jogesh Chatterjee assistance HRA was expanded to 23 districts of UP. Bismil
became de facto head of HRA in absence of Sanyal and Chatterjee, who were away
due to internment or just being away. Azad was asked to become a disciple of a
dyeing Mahant in the beginning to get control over his financial resources
after his death. As the Mahant became healthy, Azad ran away from there. There
were certain dacoities committed by HRA, most striking Kakori Rail dacoity on 9th
August 1925, when a Govt. treasury was looted from a train crossing Kakori
railway station. Ten revolutionaries took part in action, about ten thousand
rupees were looted. Ashfaq was not in favor of this dacoity as he apprehended
massive state attack, which actually happened after. Apart from execution of
four revolutionaries-Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaq, Roshan Singh and Rajinder
Lahiri, almost all the senior leadership was jailed, except Azad, who could
never be arrested.
The
Azad story then shifts to Chapter three titled as Between Kranti and
Inquilab-
The
terms used here have same meaning in Hindi and Urdu respectively, but the shade
changes according to use of certain language in certain social context. HRA
revolutionaries were used to slogans of Vande Matram and Bharat Mata ki Jai. At
one time the whole India was familiar with Bharat Mata ki jai, not so much with
Vande Matram. Even Mahatma Gandhi ki Jai has also taken popular shape, as
Satyagrahi Chandrashekhar shouted with every lash on his back. Vaidik says that
“On Bhagat Singh’s insistence word Socialist’ was added to the party’s name
when they grouped together in September 1928 on the grounds of Ferozesha Kotla
in Delhi’ (Page 63), it was as the first step towards endearing revolutionaries
to the masses. This was the time when revolutionaries of Bhagat Singh-Azad
generation were reading novels, political tracts and books as Bhagat Singh’s
jail notebook had mentioned the number of books from political economy to
literature. Vaidik accepts that ‘HSRA’s political consciousness was unfolding
in a historical context where the question of mobilization of the masses had
acquired even greater urgency.’(Page 67). But Vaidik also underlines that ‘not
a single word was changed from manifesto of HRA, when it was changed to HSRA’,
she asserts this on the basis of testimony of Manmathnath Gupt, but there are
few versions of HSRA manifesto different from HRA manifesto. She also asserts
that not all writings in the name of HSRA has single authorship of Bhagat Singh.
Bhagwati Charan Vohra and Yashpal like revolutionaries were also part of common
authorship of HSRA literature, but no one has ascribed this literature to
Bhagat Singh alone. All of the writings ascribed to Bhagat Singh, about 130 in
total, including letters, essays, sketches of revolutionaries, Jail Notebook
has single authorship, without taking into account HSRA manifesto or NBS
manifesto. Vaidik asserts that Azad was surprised to know about change in
party’s name after knowing about it. But many accounts by Shiv Verma and Bejoy
Kumar Sinha included testify to Azad’s consent taken before the meeting was
held. So, it is not possible as Azad expressing ‘surprise’. She has
acknowledged that Azad’s ‘faith’ in Bhagat Singh made him accept the change.
This creates stereotype of Azad as ‘less read’ revolutionary, whereas Shiv
Verma had testifies that Azad used to listen from him the books and articles,
he was even well versed with English, though he may not be used to its
speaking. Vaidik herself has mentioned Azad going to Carmichael library, while
being student of Kashi Vidyapeeth. She also acknowledges the fact that idea of
socialism appealed to most of revolutionaries of HRA, as many of them had come
from very poor background despite being born in so called high caste like
‘Brahmin’! Azad and Rajguru fell in this category of revolutionaries. But this
also true that not all revolutionaries knew the concept of socialism in its
entirety. She does acknowledge on testimonies of Jaidev Kapur and Manmathnath
Gupt that ‘Bhagat Singh and Azad were two dynamos of the party’, as per
Manmathnath Gupta-‘Both loved each other and complimented each other’(Page 92)
The last
fourth chapter is again focused on Azad as-The Ascetic Kaalyodha. But
the narration in this chapter is quite problematic. She describes killing of
Azad in Alfred Park Allahabad on 27th February 1931 was not known to
anyone and police had already consigned his dead body to flames after clicking
photographs and his body was identified from photographs shown to Sirajuddin, a
motor mechanic from Jhansi especially called by police under whom Azad had
worked. She had depended upon a policeman Dharmender Gaur book Azad ke do
gaddar sathi. The book is named differently also, but the documents
produced in this book have proved to be fake to make Yashpal as ‘police
informer’! On the contrary, as per Malviya family Hindi paper from Allahabad Abhyuodey
had published reports to the effect that news had spread in Allahabad in no
time and people had gathered in large numbers. Kamla Nehru, wife of Jawaharlal
Nehru, Purshotam Das Tandon like Congress leader had reached. After post
mortem, the body was cremated in Rasulabad in presence of Kamla Nehru and
Purshotam Das Tandon like Congress leaders. She has correctly mentioned earlier
those rituals of cremation were performed by Shiv Narayan Mishra. Another
error, though many times corrected by Urdu scholars that Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna
ab hamare dil mein hai….song, she has again ascribed to revolutionary Ram
Prasad Bismil. No doubt Ram Prasad Bismil was also a poet and his Hindi poems
are published too. But Sarfaroshi poem is proved beyond doubt that it was
creation of poet Bismil Azeemabadi (Azeembaad was one of the earlier names of
Patna). She has referred to many psychological anxieties of revolutionaries in
general about their attitude towards life and moral codes like asceticism and following
brahmcharya. Semen anxiety is one of term she tries to explain among
revolutionaries-the fear of nightfall. Many stories from revolutionary’s lives
have been referred in this chapter, apart from Azad’s final days.
The concluding part of he book interestingly
links the earlier narratives to contemporary struggle against Citizenship
Amendment act(CAA) of 2019. How in this movement, icons of freedom struggle non
violence upholders and revolutionaries come alive again as source of inspiration?
How Bhim army chief is named by his mother as Chand Shekhar Azad and his elder
brother as Bhagat Singh. In real personalities, Azad was one year older than Bhagat
Singh, but in contemporary folk perception Bhagat Singh becomes elder! Icons of
Bismil and Ashfaq as symbols of Hindu-Muslim unity were also used! Author
concludes that ‘Indian warriors ascetic tradition in favour of Gandhian
non-violence is set aside in our historical imagination’(Page 133) Concluding
sentence of author is-‘It9book) focuses on ‘political lives of, the every day
reality of being a revolutionary, and on praxis as a way of studying political
history and the history of Indian nationalism.’(Page 136). Author could have
more meaningfully linked the 2020-21 farmers struggle to this narrative, as it
proved to be more concrete adaptation of Bhagat Singh ideas of mass movement in
their struggle and to successful conclusion of it in victory also, as anti-CAA movement
was crushed under state boots, farmers movement brought Govt. to its knees,
proving revolutionary spirit of sustaining movement despite state atrocities,
with Gandhian non-violence tactics!
In last one decade or more there has been a
renewed interest in the heroes of revolutionary freedom fighters of India, more
so among foreign scholars or among Indian scholars with academic background of
foreign universities. Few names have
prominently emerged-Kama Maclean, Christopher Moffat, Daniel Elam, Christopher
Pinney and among Indian scholars Neeti Nair and Aparna Vaidik. Neeti Nair’s one
essay Bhagat Singh as Satyagrahi has drawn wide attention and has been
translated in some Indian languages too. Kama Maclean’s book and few essays
have also drawn wide attention of Indian readers. Elam’s writings on cinema
passion of Bhagat Singh and Moffat’s afterlife impact of Bhagat Singh has also drawn
attention. All these scholars have used academic language of their professional
competence, which remains almost inaccessible for common readers, otherwise
having much interest in reading about these popular heroes. While Kama Maclean
and Elam writings among foreign scholars and Neeti Nair essay on Bhagat Singh
did create readership among nonacademic, but enlightened common readers, Moffat
and Aparna Vaidik language and style is too academic to reach for popular
readership. Aparna Vaidik has done much rigorous study on her subject, yet her
conclusions do not seem to be objective. Memoirs could be a good tool to create
biographies, especially of political personalities, but then memoirs could also
be subjective sometimes and not completely detached from the self. While using
memoirs for writing political biographies could be one of the tools or
resource, for an objective study of a political personality, it needs to be
added by contemporary context and social milieu. Aparna Vaidik biography of
Chandrashekhar Azad, not mentioned as biography in strict term, yet intends to
be so, falls short of an objective biography in this sense.
*Chaman Lal is a retired Professor from JNU, New
Delhi and editor of The Bhagat Singh Reader. He was also Senator and
Dean of faculty of Languages at Panjab University Chandigarh.
Chamanlal.jnu@gmail.com Mobile
no. 09868774820
