THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK
Bal Ram Sampla
Geopolitics
Surya Sen, known lovingly as “Master Da” (Master Brother), was one of India’s bravest freedom fighters. Yet today, many Indians do not know his name or his sacrifice. He was a school teacher who became a revolutionary leader. He dared to challenge the mighty British Empire with courage that still inspires us today.
Born on March 22, 1894, in Chittagong (now in Bangladesh), Surya Sen was an ordinary school teacher who dreamed of a free India. He could not accept British rule over his motherland. While teaching children during the day, he was secretly planning a revolution at night.
Master Da believed that India could not win freedom through peaceful protests alone. He felt that Indians needed to fight back with arms. This belief separated him from leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, who believed only in non-violence.
The Chittagong Armoury Raid
On April 18, 1930, Master Da led one of the most daring attacks against the British in Indian history. He and his young revolutionary group raided the Chittagong armoury and police headquarters. They cut telephone lines, destroyed railway tracks, and briefly took control of the entire city.
For a few glorious hours, Chittagong was free. Master Da declared a provisional revolutionary government. He showed the British that Indians were not afraid to fight for their freedom.
The British were shocked and furious. They sent troops to crush the uprising. Many of Master Da’s young followers were killed in battle. But the message was clear: Indians would fight for their freedom, no matter the cost.
Capture and Brutal Torture
For nearly three years, Master Da avoided capture. The British searched everywhere for him. Finally, in February 1933, they arrested him.
What happened next was one of the darkest chapters of British colonial rule in India. The British tortured Master Da severely on January 12, 1934, the day of his execution. They wanted him to reveal the names of other revolutionaries.
The torture was brutal beyond imagination. Historical records tell us that the British interrogators used a hammer to break his teeth. They broke his limbs and joints with the same hammer. They pulled out all his fingernails. The pain was so extreme that Master Da lost consciousness.
Despite all this suffering, Master Da never betrayed his comrades. He refused to give the British any information. His courage under torture became legendary.
After his execution, the British were afraid that his body would become a rallying point for other revolutionaries. So they put his body in a metal cage and threw it into the Bay of Bengal. They denied him even the dignity of proper last rites.
He was only 39 years old when he was martyred.
The Silence of Gandhi and Congress
Here is where the story becomes even more painful. When Master Da was being tortured and awaiting execution, the leaders of the Indian National Congress and Mahatma Gandhi remained silent. There is no historical record of any clemency petition filed by Gandhi or the Congress party to save Master Da’s life.
Why this silence?
India’s Freedom Struggle
India’s independence movement was not united. There were different paths:
1. Gandhi’s Path:
Mahatma Gandhi and the Congress believed in Ahimsa (non-violence). They wanted to win freedom through peaceful protests, civil disobedience, and moral pressure on the British.
2.The Revolutionary Path:
Leaders like Master Da believed that the British would never leave India peacefully. They felt that armed resistance was necessary. They were willing to fight and die for freedom.
These two paths could not meet. Gandhi and Congress saw armed revolutionaries as obstacles to their non-violent movement.
Why Gandhi Did Not Speak Up
Gandhi was committed to his principle of non-violence above all else. Supporting Master Da, who had led an armed attack, would have meant abandoning this principle. For Gandhi, the method of achieving freedom was as important as freedom itself.
The Congress party followed Gandhi’s lead. They did not want to be associated with “violent revolutionaries” because it would hurt their image with the British and with many Indians who supported peaceful protest.
The Cruel Irony
The cruel irony is that Master Da had once believed in Gandhi’s methods. He had joined the Congress and even served as president of its Chittagong branch. But when Gandhi suddenly stopped the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1922 after the Chauri Chaura incident, Master Da felt betrayed. He realized that non-violence alone would not drive out the British.
So Master Da chose the path of armed resistance. And when he needed support, the Congress leaders who once knew him turned away.
Even if Congress and Gandhi did not support Master Da’s methods, they could have spoken against his torture. Torture is inhuman and violates basic human dignity. But they remained silent.
Perhaps they feared that defending a revolutionary would anger the British, with whom they were trying to negotiate. Perhaps they believed that speaking up would encourage more young Indians to take up arms. Perhaps they simply did not see revolutionaries as part of their movement.
Whatever the reason, their silence meant that Master Da suffered alone. No national leader raised their voice when the British broke his body. No petition was filed to stop his execution.
Why Is Master Da Forgotten?
After independence, India’s history was written largely by those who followed Gandhi and Congress. The story of India’s freedom became the story of non-violent resistance. The brave revolutionaries who gave their lives fighting the British were pushed to the margins of history.
Master Da and thousands like him became footnotes. Their sacrifices were acknowledged briefly, but their stories were not celebrated like Gandhi’s Salt March or Nehru’s speeches.
Today, most Indian schoolchildren know about Gandhi, Nehru, and other Congress leaders. But how many know about Master Da, who was tortured beyond recognition and hanged at age 39? How many know about the young students who died fighting in Chittagong?
What We Should Remember
Master Da Surya Sen deserves to be remembered as one of India’s greatest heroes. He gave up a safe, comfortable life as a teacher to fight for his country’s freedom. He inspired young people to be brave. He showed that Indians could stand up to the British Empire.
His torture and execution showed the cruelty of colonial rule. His courage under torture showed the strength of the Indian spirit.
The silence of Gandhi and Congress during his suffering is also part of our history. It reminds us that India’s freedom struggle was not simple or united. Different people chose different paths, and sometimes those paths led them apart.
We must honor all those who fought for India’s freedom, whether they followed Gandhi’s path of non-violence or Master Da’s path of armed resistance. Both types of fighters made sacrifices. Both types of fighters loved India deeply.
Conclusion
Master Da Surya Sen is a forgotten hero, but he should not be. His story teaches us about courage, sacrifice, and the price of freedom. His torture and death remind us of the cruelty of British rule. The silence of Congress and Gandhi during his ordeal teaches us that even great movements can fail individual heroes.
As we enjoy the freedom that India won in 1947, we should remember that this freedom came from many sources. It came from Gandhi’s fasts and marches. It came from Nehru’s political vision. But it also came from Master Da’s bullets and bombs. It came from the blood of young revolutionaries who died fighting in Chittagong.
Master Da’s last words were “Goodbye, my countrymen! Goodbye!” We owe him more than goodbye. We owe him our gratitude, our respect, and our memory.
Let us not forget Master Da Surya Sen. Let us tell his story to our children. Let us remember that freedom has many faces, and one of those faces belonged to a brave school teacher from Chittagong who refused to bow before the British Empire, even when they broke his body.
References
1.https://www.mapsofindia.com/my-india/history/know-about-the-indian-revolutionary-leader-surya-kumar-sen
2.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surya_Sen
3.https://historyunderyourfeet.wordpress.com/2016/03/22/master-da-surya-sen/
4.https://learn.culturalindia.net/surya-sen.html
5.https://prashantb.wordpress.com/2011/03/08/surya-sen-%E2%80%93-the-chittagong-hero/
6.https://thebetterindia.com/135249/surya-sen-revolutionary-freedom-struggle-chittagong/
7.https://www.sunsigns.org/famousbirthdays/profile/surya-sen/
