PANJIM: “Every armed forces jawan is essentially a kisan in uniform,” said veteran journalist P Sainath, while speaking on his book titled ‘The Last Heroes: Foot Soldiers of Indian Freedom’ on the occasion of 78th Indian Independence Day celebrations at the Museum of Goa, Pilerne, on Thursday.
Sainath, who's also the founding editor of People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI) Network and Ramon Magsaysay Award winner, spoke at lengths about the common people who fought for India’s independence.
“These were ordinary people – farmers, landless labourers, workers, couriers, forest produce gatherers, homemakers. But, now they are all forgotten as there no official records to claim that they are freedom fighters. This book celebrates 16 such men and women who are of various different regions and ideologies, who fought tooth and nail against the British rule,” he said.
He added that our history books speak mainly about upper class and upper cast, elites.
“It was the racist reading adopted by victims of racism. However, there were few like Mahatma Gandhi, who way back in in 1914 in England — during his felicitation — stated that his victory in South Africa was not his. He was just their lawyer. It was the victory entirely of the struggle of the Indian indentured labourers. They are the flag bearers of the revolution,” the veteran journalist said.
Sainath drew parallels of this spirit of revolution with the Kisan Andolan or the farmer’s protest, that was held in 2020-21 against the three farm laws, which is now termed as the greatest protest movement for justice organised in the world in the last 30 years.
It lasted for 53 weeks, where the farmers saw worst Delhi winter in 40 years, worst winter in 20 years, and which resulted in death of 720+ protesting peasants due to COVID-19 and hyperthermia. “Many of these farmers were retired jawans who had fought wars for India and now were fighting against these three farm laws, which were then taken back by the government due to the protest,” Sainath said.
He pointed out during the celebration of 75 years of India’s freedom, the government launched a new website ‘Azaadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ by spending Rs. 110 crores, but there is not a single photo, article, quote, or even a line about a freedom fighter who is alive. In his book he has listed 16 such freedom fighters, five of them are women, who are unrecognised by the State.
The youngest is 98 years and eldest is 105 years old. His attempt with this book is to make younger generation aware about their work and sacrifice.
In his speech, he also spoke at lengths about the atrocities committed by the British, the famines, which resulted in death of millions of Indians.
He quoted the research paper by Dylan Sullivan and Jason Hickel which stated that between 1880-1920, India saw 168 million deaths and out of which 100 million were excess deaths.
“This was due to British colonial policies that resulted in famines. This was more than all famines in the Soviet Union, Maoist China and North Korea put together,” he said.
Along with these atrocities, British also corroded India financially. As Sainath quoted research by Economic historian, Utsa Patnaik that suggests that the British colonial regime looted 44.6 trillion dollars from India from 1765 to 1938.
Speaking about the revolt he mentioned various revolts and that there was not a quiet day after the Battle of Plassey of 1757.
He then gave various examples of the forgotten foot soldiers like Hausabai Patil, member of the Toofan Sena, the armed wing of the Prati Sarkar, the provisional government of Satara, that had declared independence from British rule in 1943. She actually came to Goa in 1944, and crossed Mandovi River at night by sitting on a big wooden box from Ratnagiri.
Mallu Swarajyam, part of the Telengana People’s Struggle of the 1940s, killed Razakars with sling shots. She was also trained with a rifle and had a price of Rs 10,000 set on her capture, dead or alive, by the Nizam of Hyderabad’s government.
Shobharam Gehervar, who believed in both-- Gandhian and Ambedkarite philosophy.
Sainath mentioned that many of these freedom fighters are still fighting as freedom is a process and we may or may not see in our lifetime.