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Garma
Garam More |
A Saga of Sacrifice & Struggle |
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Fanning the fires of freedom abroad By Kulwant Singh The story of the Indian struggle for Independence will be incomplete without recollecting the contribution of the Indians settled abroad, and their publications which helped to fan the fire for Independence. The agitation against the British in foreign countries took a concrete shape towards the beginning of the 19th century, just prior to the World War I. It was supported by the Germans and the Japanese, both enemies of the British. With the abolition of slavery by the British Parliament, early in the 19th century, and the refusal of the African slaves to work as free labour, indentured labour from India was sent to British colonies all over the world. The great Indian labour migration started in 1837, and by about 1915, their number had swelled to 3.5 million. A majority of the Punjabi immigrants, largely Sikh farm-hands, started settling down on the Pacific Coast of America and Canada, around California and Vancouver. Artisans preferred the Far East, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand. These areas, particularly California, became the hot bed for spreading sedition against the British Raj.
The popularity of Free Hindustan was followed by two more publications — Aryan and Swadesh Sewak. Equally revolutionary, they generally followed the theme of Free Hindustan. The men associated with these papers were committed in as much as they took courses in military training, evidently in contemplation of an armed revolution in India. The most important and well known amongst them was Lala Hardyal, who had a brilliant academic career, a student of Gurukul Kangri and was considered to be a mathematical wizard. He came to Oxford with a scholarship by the Indian government. He declined that as he felt he should not accept money from the British Government which was committing atrocities on Indians. Hardyal also edited Bande Mataram, the most violent paper of all, financed by the famous Madam Cama — a British hater and a sympathiser of India’s cause. At that time (1909-1910) there were 5000 Indian settlers on the Pacific Coast, who were targeted by Hardyal to preach his doctrine — that young Indians should leave their homes in India and visit foreign countries so that the social sense may be quickened and intense indignation against injustice be aroused against the British occupation of India. He openly advocated murder, the use of bombs and dynamite. For four years, from 1909-1912, Bande Mataram remained his launch pad for propaganda until after the formation of the Ghadar Party which gave further impetus to the movement and introduced fresh publications with effective directions by an organised body. During the period when Bande Mataram was being published, two Urdu periodicals - The Islamic Fraternity and El - Islam were also in circulation. These were edited and produced by a great revolutionary ,Mohammad Maulvi ,Barkatullah, who was a professor of Urdu at the Tokyo University. He was assisted by the Japanese in his efforts against the British. Barkatullah played an important role of being a connecting link between three different movements: Pan Islamic, Asia for Asiatic, and the Indian sedition. The common aim of all these movements and Barkatullah’s writing was to free Asia, including Turkey from the British domination. All his pamphlets were Islamic, funded by the Sultan of Turkey and Amir of Afghanistan. Barkatullah’s papers were smuggled into India in large numbers from Yokohama to Bombay and Calcutta and later to all cities with a sizeable Muslim population. Barkatullah was assisted in his efforts by a Granthi at Penang, Bhai Bhagwan Singh. The latter was the most wanted rebel by the British Government. He was hunted all over the world; more on him later. The Ghadar Party, originally known as the Hindu Association of the Pacific Coast was formed in April 1912 at Astoria (Oregan) with the efforts of Hardyal, Barkatullah and Jatinder Nath, all known revolutionaries. It had seven founder members. Prominent among them were Rattan Singh, Kartar Singh Sarabha, Jawala Singh, Santokh Singh and Jagat Ram. The mouthpiece of this party, a weekly paper Ghadar was launched on November 1, 1913. It was published quite openly at the Yugantar Ashram, 436 Hill Street, San Francisco. It was initially published in Urdu and Gurmukhi. More languages were added later. Two dedicated revolutionaries, Nahar Singh and Munsha Singh, both on the hit list of the British, were trusted with the task of producing the paper. A quotation from the very first number sufficiently indicates its character: "Today, there begins in foreign lands, but in our own country’s tongue, a war against the English Raj....What is our name? Mutiny (Ghadar means mutiny). What is our work? Mutiny. Where will the mutiny break out? In India.....The time will soon come when rifles and blood will take the place of pen and ink.....Brave men and worthy sons of India, be ready with bullets and shots. Soon the fate of tyrants will be decided on the battlefield, and days of happiness and glory will dawn for India." . |
