ON THE 40TH DEATH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GREATEST REVOLUTIONERY FREEDOM FIGHTER INDIA – VEER CHANDRA SINGH GARHWALIJI

ON THE 40TH DEATH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GREATEST REVOLUTIONERY FREEDOM FIGHTER INDIA – VEER CHANDRA SINGH GARHWALIJI

There are very few people in history who are born for the country and the society, not for themselves or their families. There entire life remains the chapter of relentless struggle and the bed of thorns.

Such people never aspire for comforts, luxuries, power, positions and money but despite being applicable for everything, prefer the toughtest route of struggle n sacrifice. They believe in making history despite all odds n keep themselves prepared to confront the worst in life.

Such was the most valuable legend in Indian history known as Chandra Singh Garhwali, a revolutionery freedom fighter and a committed patriot whose entire life and the initial one and a half decades were spent in solitary confinement in the Pakistan’s Abattabad prison n thereafter in Naini Jail for defying the clear orders of the then British officers’ like Genl Rickett in Peshawar, Pakistan in 1930, refusing to fire on the unarmed Pathans and feeedom fighters opposing the British rule tooth and nail, while fighting for the independence of India which was then stretched till Afghanistan n Pakistan.

TODAY IS THE 40 th ANNIVERSARY OF THIS HIGHLY REVERRED LEGEND, POPULARLY KNOWN AS VEER CHANDRA SINGH GARHWALI which is commemorated in Uttarakhand as well as in various parts of the country by his ardent followers and the government of Uttarakhand.

A most valiant soldier n a dedicated freedom fighter late Chandra Singh Garhwali led his entire life as a commoner for values, principles and ethics not deriving a minutest of the political miliage or economic benefit for himself or his family with not his single son getting a government job or other benefits throughout their lives, who are also unfortunately no more in this world, leading his fourth generation to still fight the war of their scarcy existence after being handed over the eviction notice by the Uttar Pradesh government from Haldukhaatu, Bhavar, Kotdwar Garhwal when they had been living for decades and surviving in their own under distressed circumstances on few acres of land sanctioned by the then government under lease of 99 years.

Born on 25th December 1891 in a modest village Masau in Thalisain block of Garhwal, Uttarakhand in a poor family Chandra Singh Garhwali’s ancestors were Rajput Chouhan, having their roots in Moradabad, UP who had setlled in the then capital of Garhwal known as CHANDPURGARHI, having thereafter started serving the landlords of this area.

His father’s name was Jaloth Singh Bhandari. Being a poor farmer, Chandra Singh’s father could not give his son any education but he himself studied in the house to seek the minimum possible knowledge to read and write.

The poor financial condition of the family compelled Chandra Singh to come to Lansedown in 1914 to join the Army. The country was under the rule of the colonial British and the first world war was underway. During those days the Britishers needed Indian boys in the Army to fight wars for them so that the Indians suffer the maximum casualties and Chandra Singh Garhwali too was sent alongwith other Garhwali soldiers to France on 1st August 1915 to be the part of the first world war. However after a year’s time he came back to Lansdowne on 2nd February, 1916.

He, similarly participated in two international first world war, one in Mesopotania in 1917 in which the British won and thereafter in the Baghdad war in 1918. In the book of an eminent literateur Sanskrityaan it has been revealed how Chandra Singh Garhwali n his other fellow Garhwali soldiers had to face the worst situations in bunkers, open war fields or jungles where they were hungry for days, unbathed and even sometimes compelled to pass their stools under extreme pathetic conditions in their pants, thus suffering immense untold hardships for the Britishers.

The selfish British whose only aim was to use these soldiers in world war so as to win it and sacrifice them but not the British soldiers or officers, thereafter started retrenching/ ousting the Indian soldiers from the force after the end of the first world war n even lessening the numbers of those soldiers who were accorded promotions during n after the first world war.

Chandra Singh Garhwali was also one of them. He was promoted as Constable from an ordinary soldier. Feeling annoyed and frustrated after the ugly and obnoxious attitude of the Britishers Chandra Singh Garhwali formally decided to quit the British Army.

However the British officers who were’nt interested to lose the valiant soldier like Garhwali tried to pacify his tempers by saying that he n other soldiers were being send on leave for sometime and would be taken back on rolls later on.

During this gap Chandra Singh Garhwali came into the personal contact of Mahatma Gandhi and was greatly influenced by his ideals n principles while fighting for India’s independence.

However, after some time in 1920 Chandra Singh Garhwali was sent to Vaziristan by the British officers after which he was again promoted.

Meanwhile, he came in the contact of Arya Samajies and started taking interest in their activities of which the Britishers got the sense n subsequently posted him to distant Khyber Pass Darra but by this time Chandra Singh was promoted as Hawaldar Major.

During these days in 1930, the entire Peshawar, now in Pakistan was under the influence of the freedom movement with the Pathans relentlessly protesting for India’s freedom and the Britishers were in full mood to crush the freedom movement at any cost ready to go to any extent, even killing them brutally.

Chandra Singh Garhwali, the Hawaldar Major was sent to Peshawar by the British to crush the Pathan rebellion n protest demonstrations which were in peak on 23rd April 1930.

It was here on this day that Chandra Singh Garhwali and his unit ( battalion) was ordered by the then general Ricket after taking positions, to Fire on the unarmed Pathan freedom movement activists not once, but repeatedly.

But instead of obeying the firing orders of Ricket, Garhwaliji refused outrightly by saying cease fire Garhwalies and all the guns went down creating a history. It was a huge bombshell of hostility against the British at a time when nobody dared to oppose them as death sentence was the only n final punishment.

But full of valour and guts, Chandra Singh Garhwali n his unit defied the British not evening caring for death.

Chandra Singh’s version was, how could they fire on the unarmed Pathans n he revolted creating panic in the entire British Army which later on inspired the revolutionery freedom fighters to oppose the British with valour n dignity finally seeking Independence from the foreign yoke.

Chandra Singh Garhwali and his battalion was put behind jail in solitary confinement in 1930 at Abbottabad Jail in Pakistan and were likely to be accorded the death penalty but after the strong and outstanding representation by Sr Solicitor Mukandi Lal Barrister of Lansedown, Garhwal who pleaded their case intelligently, the death sentence of Garhwali was converted into the life imprisonment and Chandra Singh Garhwali was imprisioned in solitary confinement for 14 long years till 1941.

Beyond imagination? From here Chandra Singh Garhwali achieved the pinnacle of Heroism for defying the orders of the mighty British during whose tenure the sun never set. His imprisonment was however lessened to 11 years later on, after being shifted to various jails with the country.

After being freed from jail on 26th September 1941 he went to see Gandhiji alongwith his tormented family and stayed in his Ashram for some time. He thereafter wandered here and there.

He also went to Allahabad, Anand Bhawan n met Nehru and also participated in the Bharat Chodho ( Quit India) movement against the British. He was again arrested and jailed for three years in Naini Jail till 1954.

Garhwaliji’s entire life was full of struggles but he never achieved anything for himself n his family through out his life. He was not benefitted by the Congress leaders despite his infinite sacrifice for the country. He was a towering personality n a revolutionery freedom fighter who sacrificed his entire youth for the nation by being in jail for 14 long years.

He later on joined the Communist party of India and contested the election from Choundkot Garhwal with meagre resources, only to lose in 1957.

He breathed his last on 1st October, 1979 at Dr. Ram Manohar Hospital after prolonged illness.

His body was kept in the Communist Party’s office in Delhi for last darshan where several leaders including former prime minister Indira Gandhi, late H. N. Bahuguna, communist leaders like HS Surjeet, Rajeshwar Rao, EMS Naboodiripad etc paid their floral tributes to this revolutionery soul.

I fondly remember that the then union minister H. N. Bahuguna n others had marched from the hospital to the Communist party office in the afternoon under the scorching sun. Communist leader Kalyan Singh Rawat deserves to be complimented who looked after him during his illness days. I and my late father Thakur Singh Negi were also privileged to march with Bahuguna giving shoulder to his body n later on laying wrath as a mark of reverence to this great legend.

The entire nation n Uttarakhand pays its sincere heartfelt homage to this great icon of the country.

The indian government released a postal stamp in his honour in 1994 but sounds shocking and irrational that his family has now been served eviction notice to vacate the land they had been allotted at Haldukhaata Kotdwara.

The Uttarakhand CM has spoken to the UP CM Yogi Adityanath for the withdrawal of the notices. Let’s see what comes out of it finally. Salutes to him.