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{{Short description| | {{Short description|Bengali revolutionary (1911-1932)}} | ||
{{Use Indian English}} | {{Use Indian English|date=July 2016}} | ||
{{Use dmy dates}} | {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}} | ||
{{Infobox person | {{Infobox person | ||
| name = Pritilata Waddedar | | name = Pritilata Waddedar | ||
| image = Original Archived photo of Pritilata Waddedar.jpg | | image = Original Archived photo of Pritilata Waddedar.jpg | ||
| image_size = | | image_size = | ||
| caption = | | caption = | ||
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1911|5|5|df=yes}} | | birth_date = {{Birth date|1911|5|5|df=yes}} | ||
| birth_place = | | birth_place = [[Patiya]], [[Eastern Bengal and Assam]], [[British India]] (now in [[Chittagong Division]], [[Bangladesh]]) | ||
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1932|9|24|1911|5|5|df=yes}}<ref name="Kalpana Dutt 1979 53">{{cite book |author=Kalpana Dutt |year=1979 |title=Chittagong Armoury raiders: reminiscences |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wcoBAAAAMAAJ |publisher=Peoples' Pub. House |page=53}}</ref> | | death_date = {{Death date and age|1932|9|24|1911|5|5|df=yes}}<ref name="Kalpana Dutt 1979 53">{{cite book |author=Kalpana Dutt |year=1979 |title=Chittagong Armoury raiders: reminiscences |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wcoBAAAAMAAJ |publisher=Peoples' Pub. House |page=53}}</ref> | ||
| death_place = Chittagong, Bengal Presidency, British India | | death_place = [[Chittagong]], [[Bengal Presidency|Bengal Province]], [[British India]] (now [[Chittagong]], [[Bangladesh]]) | ||
| death_cause = Suicide by consuming [[potassium cyanide]] | | death_cause = Suicide by consuming [[potassium cyanide]] | ||
| father = Jagabandhu Waddedar | | father = Jagabandhu Waddedar | ||
| Line 20: | Line 19: | ||
| other_names = Rani (nickname) | | other_names = Rani (nickname) | ||
| occupation = School teacher | | occupation = School teacher | ||
| | | signature = Signature of Pritilata.jpg | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''Pritilata Waddedar''' (5 May 1911 – 24 September 1932)<ref name="Kalpana Dutt 1979 53">{{cite book |author=Kalpana Dutt |year=1979 |title=Chittagong Armoury raiders: reminiscences |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wcoBAAAAMAAJ |publisher=Peoples' Pub. House |page=53}}</ref><ref name="Pritilata's 100th birthday today">{{cite news |date=5 May 2011 |title=Pritilata's 100th birthday today |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=184343 |newspaper=The Daily Star |access-date=18 December 2012}}</ref> was a [[Bengalis|Bengali]] [[Revolutionary nationalism|revolutionary nationalist]] from [[Chittagong]] who was influential in the [[Indian independence movement]].<ref name="Pritilata Waddedar (1911-1932)">{{cite web|title=Pritilata Waddedar (1911–1932) |url=http://www.newstoday.com.bd/index.php?option=details&news_id=51162&date=2012-01-25 |work=News Today |access-date=18 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126141408/http://www.newstoday.com.bd/index.php?option=details&news_id=51162&date=2012-01-25 |archive-date=26 January 2012 }}</ref> She is often praised as "Bengal's first woman martyr".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/8-reasons-it-s-time-bollywood-made-a-biopic-on-pritilata-waddedar-bengal-s-first-woman-martyr-250573.html |title= 8 Facts About Pritilata Waddedar - Bengal's First Woman Martyr|work=[[The Times of India]]|date= 13 February 2016|access-date=14 March 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://bangladeshpost.net/posts/pritilata-waddedar-bengal-s-first-woman-martyr-451 |title= Pritilata Waddedar: Bengal's First Woman Martyr |date=25 April 2019 |work=Bangladesh Post |access-date= 14 March 2022}}</ref> | |||
'''Pritilata Waddedar''' (5 May 1911 – 24 September 1932)<ref name="Kalpana Dutt 1979 53">{{cite book |author=Kalpana Dutt |year=1979 |title=Chittagong Armoury raiders: reminiscences |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wcoBAAAAMAAJ |publisher=Peoples' Pub. House |page=53}}</ref><ref name="Pritilata's 100th birthday today">{{cite news |title=Pritilata's 100th birthday today |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=184343 |newspaper=The Daily Star |access-date=18 December 2012}}</ref> was | |||
Pritilata joined a revolutionary group headed by [[Surya Sen]]. | After completing her education from [[Dr. Khastagir Government Girls' High School]] in [[Chittagong]] and [[Eden Mohila College|Eden College (now Eden Mohila College)]] in [[Dhaka]], Pritilata graduated in [[philosophy]] from the [[Bethune College]] in [[Calcutta]]. She worked as a school teacher for sometime before becoming part of the Indian Independence movement. In 1932, she joined a revolutionary group headed by [[Surya Sen]]. In September 1932, she led a group of revolutionaries in an armed attack on the Pahartali European Club. The revolutionaries torched the club and shot at it later, and one person was killed and eleven people were injured in the attack. After being cornered by the [[Indian Imperial Police|colonial police]], Pritilata [[Cyanide poisoning|committed suicide]] by consuming [[potassium cyanide]] as planned earlier. | ||
== Early life == | == Early life == | ||
[[File:MatriculationPritilata.jpg|thumb|left|Matriculation examination certificate of Pritilata]] | [[File:MatriculationPritilata.jpg|thumb|left|Matriculation examination certificate of Pritilata]] | ||
{{Anushilan Samiti}} | |||
Pritilata was born in a middle-class [[ | Pritilata Waddedar was born in a middle-class [[Bengalis|Bengali]] [[Baidya|Baidya Brahmin]] family on 5 May 1911 in Dhalghat village in [[Patiya]] [[upazila]] of [[Chittagong]] (in present day Bangladesh).<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 February 2016 |title=8 Facts About Pritilata Waddedar - Bengal's First Woman Martyr |url=https://www.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/8-reasons-it-s-time-bollywood-made-a-biopic-on-pritilata-waddedar-bengal-s-first-woman-martyr-250573.html |access-date=28 February 2022 |work=[[The Times of India]]}}</ref><ref name="A fearless female freedom-fighter">{{cite news |title=A fearless female freedom-fighter |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/rising/2004/09/05/switch.htm |work=Rising Stars |access-date=18 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Pritilata's birth anniversary observed at CU |url=http://www.newagebd.com/detail.php?date=2012-05-06http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newagebd.com%2Fdetail.php%3Fdate%3D2012-05-06&nid=9340%23.UQfx-33LdRx |url-status=dead |newspaper=New Age |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130129160031/http://www.newagebd.com/detail.php?date=2012-05-06http://www.newagebd.com/detail.php%3Fdate=2012-05-06&nid=9340%23.UQfx-33LdRx |archive-date=29 January 2013 |access-date=19 December 2012}}</ref> The family originally held the surname [[Dasgupta]]; Waddedar was a title conferred to an ancestor of the family. Her father Jagabandhu Waddedar was a clerk in the Chittagong municipality, and her mother Pratibhamayi Devi was a housewife.<ref name="Pritilata Waddedar (1911-1932)" /><ref name="Agnijuger Agnikanya Pritilata">{{cite news |date=5 May 2011 |title=Agnijuger Agnikanya Pritilata |url=http://blog.bdnews24.com/ruman11/15681 |newspaper=BDNews |language=bn |access-date=19 December 2012}}</ref> Pritilata was the second of six children, and had an elder brother Madhusduan, and four younger siblings–Kanaklata, Shantilata, Ashalata and Santosh. She was nicknamed Rani.<ref name="Agnijuger Agnikanya Pritilata" /> Jagabandhu tried to arrange the best possible education for his children, and got Pritilata admitted to the [[Dr. Khastagir Government Girls' School]] in Chittagong.<ref name="The Fire-Brand Woman Of Indian Freedom Struggle." /> Pritilata was a meritorious student in school,<ref>{{cite book|title=Pritilata|year=2008|publisher=Prometheus er pothe|page=15|language=bn}}</ref> and arts and literature were her favourite subjects.<ref>{{cite book |author=Manini Chatterjee |year=1999 |title=Do and die: the Chittagong uprising, 1930–34 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hQhuAAAAMAAJ |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |page=180 |isbn=978-0-14029-067-7}}</ref> A teacher in the school, whom students affectionately used to call ''Usha Di'', used stories of [[Rani Lakshmibai]] to inspire nationalism in her students. [[Kalpana Datta]], a classmate of Pritilata, wrote in the biography ''Chittagong Armoury Raiders''– "We had no clear idea in our school days about our future. Then the Rani of Jhansi fired our imagination with her example. Sometimes we used to think of ourselves as fearless...".<ref>{{cite book |author=Kalpana Dutt |year=1979 |title=Chittagong Armoury raiders: reminiscences |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wcoBAAAAMAAJ |publisher=Peoples' Pub. House |page=46}}</ref> She passed out of school in 1928 and got admitted to the [[Eden Girls' College, Bangladesh|Eden College]] in [[Dhaka]] in 1929. In the Intermediate examinations, she stood first among all students who appeared in that year's examination from the Dhaka Board.<ref name=Banglapedia/><ref name="The Fire-Brand Woman Of Indian Freedom Struggle.">{{cite web |url=http://www.towardsfreedom.in/site/Pritilata_Waddedar |title=The Fire-Brand Woman Of Indian Freedom Struggle. |publisher=Towards Freedom |access-date=18 December 2012}}</ref> As a student in Eden College, she participated in various social activities. She joined the group ''Sree Sangha'', headed by [[Leela Nag]], under the banner ''Deepali Sangha'' (''Dipali Sangha)''.<ref name=Banglapedia>{{cite book |last=Amin |first=Sonia |year=2012 |chapter=Waddedar, Pritilata |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Waddedar,_Pritilata |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref> | ||
=== | Pritilata graduated in philosophy with a distinction from the [[Bethune College]] in [[Calcutta]].<ref>{{cite book |author=S. S. Shashi |year=1996 |title=Encyclopaedia Indica: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wv0vAQAAIAAJ |publisher=Anmol Publications |page=135 |isbn=978-8-17041-859-7}}</ref> However, her degree was withheld by the administration of the [[Calcutta University]]. In 2012, she (and [[Bina Das]]) were conferred their certificates posthumously.<ref>{{cite news |date=22 March 2012 |title=After 80 yrs, posthumous degrees for revolutionaries |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/After-80-yrs-posthumous-degrees-for-revolutionaries/articleshow/12364819.cms |work=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=18 December 2012}}</ref> After completing her education in Calcutta, Pritilata returned to Chittagong. In Chittagong, she took up the job of headmistress at a local English medium secondary school called Nandankanan Aparnacharan School.<ref name=Banglapedia/><ref name="The Fire-Brand Woman Of Indian Freedom Struggle." /><ref>{{cite news |date=31 January 2009 |title=CCC plans to house 2 girls' schools in commercial complex |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=73697 |work=The Daily Star |access-date=18 December 2012}}</ref> | ||
After completing her education in Calcutta, Pritilata returned to Chittagong. In Chittagong, she took up the job of headmistress at a local English medium secondary school called Nandankanan Aparnacharan School.<ref name=Banglapedia/><ref name="The Fire-Brand Woman Of Indian Freedom Struggle." /><ref>{{cite news |title=CCC plans to house 2 girls' schools in commercial complex |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=73697 | | |||
== Revolutionary activities == | == Revolutionary activities == | ||
=== Joining Surya Sen's group === | |||
=== Joining | |||
{{quote box |quote = "Pritilata was young and courageous. She would work with a lot of zeal and was determined to drive the British away." | {{quote box |quote = "Pritilata was young and courageous. She would work with a lot of zeal and was determined to drive the British away." | ||
|source ='''Binod Bihari Chowdhury''', a contemporary revolutionary<ref name="A Long Walk to Freedom" /> |align = right |width = 35% |border = | |source ='''Binod Bihari Chowdhury''', a contemporary revolutionary<ref name="A Long Walk to Freedom" /> |align = right |width = 35% |border = | ||
|fontsize = |bgcolor = #c6dbf7}} | |fontsize = |bgcolor = #c6dbf7}} | ||
Pritilata | As Pritilata joined the [[Indian independence movement]], [[Surya Sen]] heard about her and wanted her to join their revolutionary group.<ref name="A Long Walk to Freedom">{{cite web |title=A Long Walk to Freedom |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/magazine/2010/02/03/cover.htm |work=The Daily Star |access-date=18 December 2012}}</ref> On 13 June 1932, Pritilata met Surya Sen and Nirmal Sen in their Dhalghat camp.<ref name="Agnijuger Agnikanya Pritilata" /> [[Binod Bihari Chowdhury]] objected to her participation as women was not allowed to join their group. However, Pritalata was allowed to join the group because the revolutionaries reasoned that women transporting weapons would not attract as much suspicious as men.<ref name="A Long Walk to Freedom" /> Pritilata took part in several attacks on telephone and telegraph offices in the region and the capture of the reserve police line.<ref name="A fearless female freedom-fighter" /> She took the responsibility to supply explosives to the revolutionaries.<ref name="Pritilata Waddedar (1911-1932)" /> | ||
=== | === Meeting Ramkrishna Biswas === | ||
Surya Sen and his revolutionary group decided to kill Craig, the inspector general of Chittagong. [[Ramakrishna Biswas]] and Kalipada Chakravarty were assigned for this task. However, they mistakenly killed Tarini Mukherjee, the superintendent of police in Chandpur. Ramakrishna Biswas and Kalipada Chakravarty were arrested on 2 December 1930.<ref>{{cite book |author=Reva Chatterjee |year=2000 |title=Netaji Subhas Bose |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y6Dw3W9ubLkC&pg=RA2-PT151 |publisher=Ocean Books |pages=2– |isbn=978-8-18710-027-0}}</ref> Biswas was ordered to be hanged and Chakravarty was exiled to the [[Cellular Jail]] in the [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]].<ref name="Sonali Swapno">{{cite book|last=Pal|first=Rupamay|title=Surjo Sener Sonali Swapno|year=1986|publisher=Deepayan|location=Kolkata|page=162}}</ref> The family and friends lacked the amount of money for travel from Chittagong to [[Alipore Jail]] in Calcutta. Since at that time Pritilata was staying in Calcutta, she was asked to go to Alipore Jail and meet Biswas before his punishment was carried out.<ref name="Sonali Swapno" /> Pritilata used to meet him in the alias of his cousin sister.<ref name="Biswas">{{cite book |author=Craig A. Lockard |date=1 January 2010 |title=Societies, Networks, and Transitions: A Global History: Since 1750 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IVvnrsaIgA8C&pg=PA699 |publisher=Cengage Learning |pages=699– |isbn=978-1-4390-8534-9 |access-date=18 December 2012}}</ref> | |||
The family and friends lacked the amount of money | |||
=== Pahartali European Club attack (1932) === | === Pahartali European Club attack (1932) === | ||
[[File:Euclub.jpg|thumb|The Pahartali European Club (shown here in 2010) was torched by the group of revolutionaries]] | [[File:Euclub.jpg|thumb|The Pahartali European Club (shown here in 2010) was torched by the group of revolutionaries.]] | ||
In 1932, Surya Sen planned an attack on the Pahartali European Club which had a signboard that read "Dogs and Indians not allowed".<ref>{{cite book |author=Geraldine Forbes |author-link=Geraldine Forbes |year=1999 |title=Women in Modern India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hjilIrVt9hUC&pg=PA140 |series=The New Cambridge History of India |volume=IV.2 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=140–141 |isbn=978-0-521-65377-0}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://pib.nic.in/feature/feyr98/fe0898/f1808989.html |title=Remembering the Legendary Heroes of Chittagong |work=NIC |access-date=6 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.clatgyan.com/downloads/Independence-CLATGyan.pdf |title=Indian Independence |access-date=5 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121119062342/http://www.clatgyan.com/downloads/Independence-CLATGyan.pdf |archive-date=19 November 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Sen decided to appoint a woman leader for the mission. As Kalpana Datta was arrested prior to the planned attack, Pritilata was assigned the leadership of the group. Pritilata went to Kotowali sea side for arms training and the plan of their attack was finalised there.<ref name="The Fire-Brand Woman Of Indian Freedom Struggle." /> It was decided to attack the club on 24 September 1932, and the members of the group were given [[potassium cyanide]], to be swallowed to commit suicide if they were caught.<ref name=Banglapedia/><ref name="Kalpana Dutt 1979 53">{{cite book |author=Kalpana Dutt |year=1979 |title=Chittagong Armoury raiders: reminiscences |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wcoBAAAAMAAJ |publisher=Peoples' Pub. House |page=53}}</ref> | |||
On the day of the attack, Pritilata dressed herself as a [[Punjabi people|Punjabi]] male. Her associates Kalishankar Dey, Bireshwar Roy, Prafulla Das, Shanti Chakraborty wore | On the day of the attack, Pritilata dressed herself as a [[Punjabi people|Punjabi]] male. Her associates Kalishankar Dey, Bireshwar Roy, Prafulla Das, Shanti Chakraborty wore [[dhoti]] and shirt. Mahendra Chowdhury, Sushil Dey and Panna Sen wore [[lungi]] and shirt.<ref name="Sonali Swapno" /> The group reached the club at around 10:45 pm to launch their attack, and divided themselves into three separate groups. There were around 40 people inside the club during the attack. The building was set on fire before the armed group started shooting into it. A few armed police officers, who were present at the club, returned fire. Pritilata was shot and incurred a single bullet wound. According to the police report, one woman was killed, and four men and seven women were injured in the attack.<ref name="Sonali Swapno" /> | ||
== Death == | |||
[[File: | [[File:EuclubattackFolok.jpg|thumb|There is a plaque dedicated to Pritilata at the place where she committed suicide]] | ||
An injured Pritilata was trapped by the [[Indian Imperial Police|colonial police]], and she consumed potassium cyanide to evade capture.<ref name="Pritilata Waddedar (1911-1932)" /><ref name="A Long Walk to Freedom" /> The police found her body the next day, and found a photograph of Ramkrishna Biswas, some bullets, a whistle, some leaflets, and a draft plan of the attack. She had a suicide note with her, where she had penned down the objectives of the Indian Republican Army of Chittagong branch. In the letter, along with the names of Surya Sen and Nirmal Sen, she had also mentioned about her experience of meeting Ramkrishna Biswas in the Alipore Jail.<ref name="Biswas"/> | |||
An injured Pritilata was trapped by the [[Indian Imperial Police|colonial police]].<ref name="Pritilata Waddedar (1911-1932)" /> | |||
The chief secretary of Bengal sent a report to British authorities in London. In the report it was written that Pritilata:<ref>''Fortnightly Reports on Bengal'', for the second half of September 1932, GOI Home Poll F. No. 18/1932 as quoted in {{cite book |last=Chatterjee |first=Manini |year=1999 |title=Do and Die: the Chittagong uprising, 1930-34 |publisher=Penguin Books |page=284 |isbn=978-0-330-53629-5}}</ref> | During the [[post-mortem]] examination, it was found that the bullet injury was not life threatening and her cause of death was ruled as cyanide poisoning.<ref name="Sonali Swapno"/> The chief secretary of Bengal sent a report to British authorities in London. In the report it was written that Pritilata:<ref>''Fortnightly Reports on Bengal'', for the second half of September 1932, GOI Home Poll F. No. 18/1932 as quoted in {{cite book |last=Chatterjee |first=Manini |year=1999 |title=Do and Die: the Chittagong uprising, 1930-34 |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |page=284 |isbn=978-0-330-53629-5}}</ref> | ||
{{blockquote|had been closely associated with, if not actually the mistress of, the terrorist Biswas who was hanged for the murder of Inspector Tarini Mukherjee, and some reports indicate that she was the wife of Nirmal Sen who was killed while attempting to evade arrest at Dhalghat, where Captain Cameron fell.}} | {{blockquote|had been closely associated with, if not actually the mistress of, the terrorist Biswas who was hanged for the murder of Inspector Tarini Mukherjee, and some reports indicate that she was the wife of Nirmal Sen who was killed while attempting to evade arrest at Dhalghat, where Captain Cameron fell.}} | ||
== Influence == | == Influence and legacy == | ||
Bangladeshi writer [[Selina Hossain]] calls Pritilata an ideal for every woman.<ref>{{cite web |date=1 June 2011 |title=Contribution of Pritilata recalled |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=188097 |work=The Daily Star |access-date=18 December 2012}}</ref> The ''Birkannya Pritilata Trust'' (''Brave lady Pritilata Trust'') was established to promote the life and achievements of her, and commemorates her birthday annually.<ref>{{cite web |date=26 September 2012 |title=A beacon of light for women |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=251218 |work=The Daily Star |access-date=18 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=80th death anniversary of Pritilata observed |url=http://www.newagebd.com/detail.php?date=2012-09-25&nid=24889%23.UfIdvWfancc |url-status=dead |newspaper=New Age |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130725180819/http://www.newagebd.com/detail.php?date=2012-09-25&nid=24889%23.UfIdvWfancc |archive-date=25 July 2013 |access-date=18 December 2012}}</ref> Her great-grandniece is British journalist and activist, [[Ash Sarkar]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/05/relatives-terrorist-past-women-politic-british-bengal|title=My great-great-aunt was a terrorist: women's politics went beyond the vote|last=Sarkar|first=Ash|date=5 February 2018|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=12 July 2018}}</ref> | |||
Bangladeshi writer [[Selina Hossain]] calls Pritilata an ideal for every woman.<ref>{{cite | |||
In 2012, a bronze sculpture of Pritilata Waddedar was erected in front of the Pahartali Railway School, adjacent to the Pahartali European Club.<ref>{{cite news |date=2 October 2012 |title=Pritilata's bronze sculpture to be installed in port city |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=252027 |newspaper=The Daily Star |access-date=20 August 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=3 October 2012 |title=Pritilata's memorial sculpture unveiled in Ctg |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=252261 |newspaper=The Daily Star |access-date=20 August 2015}}</ref> The last section of the Sahid Abdus Sabur Road leading to Mukunda Ram Hat of [[Boalkhali]] upazila in Chattogram has been named as Pritilata Waddedar Road.<ref>{{cite news |date=18 December 2012 |title=Road named after Pritilata in Ctg |url=http://www.thenewnationbd.com/newsdetails.aspx?newsid=4347 |newspaper=The New Nation |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130203234257/http://www.thenewnationbd.com/newsdetails.aspx?newsid=4347 |archive-date=3 February 2013 |access-date=18 December 2012 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> Educational instiutions named after her include [[Pritilata Waddedar Mahavidyalaya]] in [[Panikhali]], Pritilata Waddedar Primary School in Chattogram, and Khantura Pritilata Shiksha Niketan schools in [[Gobardanga]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Affiliated College of University of Kalyani |url=http://www.klyuniv.ac.in/list_colleges.html |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301165259/http://www.klyuniv.ac.in/list_colleges.html |archive-date=1 March 2012 }}</ref> There are halls and buildings named after her at [[Jahangirnagar University]], [[Kalyani Government Engineering College]], [[National Institute of Technology, Durgapur]], and [[University of Chittagong]].{{cn|date=January 2026}} | |||
<gallery mode="packed"> | <gallery mode="packed"> | ||
File:Pritilata Half statue.jpg|Bust at Pritilata Waddedar primary school, [[Chattogram]] | |||
File:Pritilata.jpg|Statue at Maidan, [[Kolkata]] | File:Pritilata.jpg|Statue at Maidan, [[Kolkata]] | ||
File:Bust of Pritilata Waddedar.JPG|Bust of | File:Bust of Pritilata Waddedar.JPG|Bust at the place of her death | ||
File:Pritilata Shohid Minar.jpg|Pritilata Shohid Minar | File:Pritilata Shohid Minar.jpg|Pritilata Shohid Minar | ||
File:Pritilata Hall at University of Chittagong (04).jpg|Pritilata Hall, [[University of Chittagong]] | File:Pritilata Hall at University of Chittagong (04).jpg|Pritilata Hall, [[University of Chittagong]] | ||
File:Pritilata-hallju.jpg|Pritilata Hall, [[Jahangirnagar University]] | File:Pritilata-hallju.jpg|Pritilata Hall, [[Jahangirnagar University]] | ||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
=== In popular media === | |||
* The 2010 [[Hindi film]] ''[[Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey]]'' was based on the Chittagong Uprising, in which [[Vishakha Singh]] played the character of Pritilata.<ref>{{cite web |title=Young rebels |url=http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/young-rebels/451001/ |work=[[Business Standard]] |access-date=18 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The veer Konna of Chittagong |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1101201/jsp/entertainment/story_13240594.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304131506/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1101201/jsp/entertainment/story_13240594.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 March 2016 |work=[[The Telegraph (India)|The Telegraph]] |access-date=19 December 2012}}</ref> | |||
* In the 2012 Hindi film ''[[Chittagong (film)|Chittagong]]'', [[Vega Tamotia]] played the role of Pritilata.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.screenindia.com/news/manoj-bajpayee-back-in-the-limelight/640489/ |title=Manoj Bajpayee, back in the limelight |magazine=Screen India |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120910203026/http://www.screenindia.com/news/manoj-bajpayee-back-in-the-limelight/640489/ |archive-date=10 September 2012 |access-date=18 December 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
* In 2018, [[Kiran Sonia Sawar]] delivered a monologue, written by [[Tanika Gupta]], in ''Pritilata'', a short film in the [[BBC]] series ''Snatches: Moment's From Women's Lives'' to mark the hundredth anniversary of women's suffrage.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b7rml0|title=Snatches: Moments from Women's Lives|work=[[BBC]]|access-date=1 June 2025}}</ref> | |||
* A [[Bangladeshi film]] titled ''Pritilata'' starring [[Pori Moni]] and based on the life of Pritilata is under production.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Siddique |first1=Habibullah |title=Pori Moni: From Pirojpur to FDC's most popular heroine |url=https://www.tbsnews.net/glitz/pori-moni-pirojpur-fdcs-most-popular-heroine-261277 |work=[[Business Standard]] |date=15 June 2021}}</ref> | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
* | * {{anl|Jatindra Nath Das}} | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
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== Further reading == | == Further reading == | ||
{{commons category}} | |||
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Latest revision as of 13:01, 25 March 2026
Pritilata Waddedar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 5 May 1911 |
| Died | 24 September 1932 (aged 21)[1] |
| Cause of death | Suicide by consuming potassium cyanide |
| Other names | Rani (nickname) |
| Alma mater | Bethune College |
| Occupation | School teacher |
| Known for | Pahartali European Club attack (1932) |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Ash Sarkar (great-great-niece) |
| Signature | |
 | |
Pritilata Waddedar (5 May 1911 – 24 September 1932)[1][2] was a Bengali revolutionary nationalist from Chittagong who was influential in the Indian independence movement.[3] She is often praised as "Bengal's first woman martyr".[4][5]
After completing her education from Dr. Khastagir Government Girls' High School in Chittagong and Eden College (now Eden Mohila College) in Dhaka, Pritilata graduated in philosophy from the Bethune College in Calcutta. She worked as a school teacher for sometime before becoming part of the Indian Independence movement. In 1932, she joined a revolutionary group headed by Surya Sen. In September 1932, she led a group of revolutionaries in an armed attack on the Pahartali European Club. The revolutionaries torched the club and shot at it later, and one person was killed and eleven people were injured in the attack. After being cornered by the colonial police, Pritilata committed suicide by consuming potassium cyanide as planned earlier.
Early life[edit | edit source]
| Anushilan Samiti |
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| Influence |
| Anushilan Samiti |
| Notable events |
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Pritilata Waddedar was born in a middle-class Bengali Baidya Brahmin family on 5 May 1911 in Dhalghat village in Patiya upazila of Chittagong (in present day Bangladesh).[6][7][8] The family originally held the surname Dasgupta; Waddedar was a title conferred to an ancestor of the family. Her father Jagabandhu Waddedar was a clerk in the Chittagong municipality, and her mother Pratibhamayi Devi was a housewife.[3][9] Pritilata was the second of six children, and had an elder brother Madhusduan, and four younger siblings–Kanaklata, Shantilata, Ashalata and Santosh. She was nicknamed Rani.[9] Jagabandhu tried to arrange the best possible education for his children, and got Pritilata admitted to the Dr. Khastagir Government Girls' School in Chittagong.[10] Pritilata was a meritorious student in school,[11] and arts and literature were her favourite subjects.[12] A teacher in the school, whom students affectionately used to call Usha Di, used stories of Rani Lakshmibai to inspire nationalism in her students. Kalpana Datta, a classmate of Pritilata, wrote in the biography Chittagong Armoury Raiders– "We had no clear idea in our school days about our future. Then the Rani of Jhansi fired our imagination with her example. Sometimes we used to think of ourselves as fearless...".[13] She passed out of school in 1928 and got admitted to the Eden College in Dhaka in 1929. In the Intermediate examinations, she stood first among all students who appeared in that year's examination from the Dhaka Board.[14][10] As a student in Eden College, she participated in various social activities. She joined the group Sree Sangha, headed by Leela Nag, under the banner Deepali Sangha (Dipali Sangha).[14]
Pritilata graduated in philosophy with a distinction from the Bethune College in Calcutta.[15] However, her degree was withheld by the administration of the Calcutta University. In 2012, she (and Bina Das) were conferred their certificates posthumously.[16] After completing her education in Calcutta, Pritilata returned to Chittagong. In Chittagong, she took up the job of headmistress at a local English medium secondary school called Nandankanan Aparnacharan School.[14][10][17]
Revolutionary activities[edit | edit source]
Joining Surya Sen's group[edit | edit source]
"Pritilata was young and courageous. She would work with a lot of zeal and was determined to drive the British away."
Binod Bihari Chowdhury, a contemporary revolutionary[18]
As Pritilata joined the Indian independence movement, Surya Sen heard about her and wanted her to join their revolutionary group.[18] On 13 June 1932, Pritilata met Surya Sen and Nirmal Sen in their Dhalghat camp.[9] Binod Bihari Chowdhury objected to her participation as women was not allowed to join their group. However, Pritalata was allowed to join the group because the revolutionaries reasoned that women transporting weapons would not attract as much suspicious as men.[18] Pritilata took part in several attacks on telephone and telegraph offices in the region and the capture of the reserve police line.[7] She took the responsibility to supply explosives to the revolutionaries.[3]
Meeting Ramkrishna Biswas[edit | edit source]
Surya Sen and his revolutionary group decided to kill Craig, the inspector general of Chittagong. Ramakrishna Biswas and Kalipada Chakravarty were assigned for this task. However, they mistakenly killed Tarini Mukherjee, the superintendent of police in Chandpur. Ramakrishna Biswas and Kalipada Chakravarty were arrested on 2 December 1930.[19] Biswas was ordered to be hanged and Chakravarty was exiled to the Cellular Jail in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.[20] The family and friends lacked the amount of money for travel from Chittagong to Alipore Jail in Calcutta. Since at that time Pritilata was staying in Calcutta, she was asked to go to Alipore Jail and meet Biswas before his punishment was carried out.[20] Pritilata used to meet him in the alias of his cousin sister.[21]
Pahartali European Club attack (1932)[edit | edit source]
In 1932, Surya Sen planned an attack on the Pahartali European Club which had a signboard that read "Dogs and Indians not allowed".[22][23][24] Sen decided to appoint a woman leader for the mission. As Kalpana Datta was arrested prior to the planned attack, Pritilata was assigned the leadership of the group. Pritilata went to Kotowali sea side for arms training and the plan of their attack was finalised there.[10] It was decided to attack the club on 24 September 1932, and the members of the group were given potassium cyanide, to be swallowed to commit suicide if they were caught.[14][1]
On the day of the attack, Pritilata dressed herself as a Punjabi male. Her associates Kalishankar Dey, Bireshwar Roy, Prafulla Das, Shanti Chakraborty wore dhoti and shirt. Mahendra Chowdhury, Sushil Dey and Panna Sen wore lungi and shirt.[20] The group reached the club at around 10:45 pm to launch their attack, and divided themselves into three separate groups. There were around 40 people inside the club during the attack. The building was set on fire before the armed group started shooting into it. A few armed police officers, who were present at the club, returned fire. Pritilata was shot and incurred a single bullet wound. According to the police report, one woman was killed, and four men and seven women were injured in the attack.[20]
Death[edit | edit source]
An injured Pritilata was trapped by the colonial police, and she consumed potassium cyanide to evade capture.[3][18] The police found her body the next day, and found a photograph of Ramkrishna Biswas, some bullets, a whistle, some leaflets, and a draft plan of the attack. She had a suicide note with her, where she had penned down the objectives of the Indian Republican Army of Chittagong branch. In the letter, along with the names of Surya Sen and Nirmal Sen, she had also mentioned about her experience of meeting Ramkrishna Biswas in the Alipore Jail.[21]
During the post-mortem examination, it was found that the bullet injury was not life threatening and her cause of death was ruled as cyanide poisoning.[20] The chief secretary of Bengal sent a report to British authorities in London. In the report it was written that Pritilata:[25]
had been closely associated with, if not actually the mistress of, the terrorist Biswas who was hanged for the murder of Inspector Tarini Mukherjee, and some reports indicate that she was the wife of Nirmal Sen who was killed while attempting to evade arrest at Dhalghat, where Captain Cameron fell.
Influence and legacy[edit | edit source]
Bangladeshi writer Selina Hossain calls Pritilata an ideal for every woman.[26] The Birkannya Pritilata Trust (Brave lady Pritilata Trust) was established to promote the life and achievements of her, and commemorates her birthday annually.[27][28] Her great-grandniece is British journalist and activist, Ash Sarkar.[29]
In 2012, a bronze sculpture of Pritilata Waddedar was erected in front of the Pahartali Railway School, adjacent to the Pahartali European Club.[30][31] The last section of the Sahid Abdus Sabur Road leading to Mukunda Ram Hat of Boalkhali upazila in Chattogram has been named as Pritilata Waddedar Road.[32] Educational instiutions named after her include Pritilata Waddedar Mahavidyalaya in Panikhali, Pritilata Waddedar Primary School in Chattogram, and Khantura Pritilata Shiksha Niketan schools in Gobardanga.[33] There are halls and buildings named after her at Jahangirnagar University, Kalyani Government Engineering College, National Institute of Technology, Durgapur, and University of Chittagong.[citation needed]
-
Bust at Pritilata Waddedar primary school, Chattogram -
Statue at Maidan, Kolkata -
Bust at the place of her death -
Pritilata Shohid Minar -
Pritilata Hall, University of Chittagong -
Pritilata Hall, Jahangirnagar University
.jpg)
In popular media[edit | edit source]
- The 2010 Hindi film Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey was based on the Chittagong Uprising, in which Vishakha Singh played the character of Pritilata.[34][35]
- In the 2012 Hindi film Chittagong, Vega Tamotia played the role of Pritilata.[36]
- In 2018, Kiran Sonia Sawar delivered a monologue, written by Tanika Gupta, in Pritilata, a short film in the BBC series Snatches: Moment's From Women's Lives to mark the hundredth anniversary of women's suffrage.[37]
- A Bangladeshi film titled Pritilata starring Pori Moni and based on the life of Pritilata is under production.[38]
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Kalpana Dutt (1979). Chittagong Armoury raiders: reminiscences. Peoples' Pub. House. p. 53.
- ↑ "Pritilata's 100th birthday today". The Daily Star. 5 May 2011. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Pritilata Waddedar (1911–1932)". News Today. Archived from the original on 26 January 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
- ↑ "8 Facts About Pritilata Waddedar - Bengal's First Woman Martyr". The Times of India. 13 February 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- ↑ "Pritilata Waddedar: Bengal's First Woman Martyr". Bangladesh Post. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- ↑ "8 Facts About Pritilata Waddedar - Bengal's First Woman Martyr". The Times of India. 13 February 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "A fearless female freedom-fighter". Rising Stars. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
- ↑ "Pritilata's birth anniversary observed at CU". New Age. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Agnijuger Agnikanya Pritilata". BDNews (in Bengali). 5 May 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 "The Fire-Brand Woman Of Indian Freedom Struggle". Towards Freedom. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
- ↑ Pritilata (in Bengali). Prometheus er pothe. 2008. p. 15.
- ↑ Manini Chatterjee (1999). Do and die: the Chittagong uprising, 1930–34. Penguin Books. p. 180. ISBN 978-0-14029-067-7.
- ↑ Kalpana Dutt (1979). Chittagong Armoury raiders: reminiscences. Peoples' Pub. House. p. 46.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Amin, Sonia (2012). "Waddedar, Pritilata". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
- ↑ S. S. Shashi (1996). Encyclopaedia Indica: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh. Anmol Publications. p. 135. ISBN 978-8-17041-859-7.
- ↑ "After 80 yrs, posthumous degrees for revolutionaries". The Times of India. 22 March 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
- ↑ "CCC plans to house 2 girls' schools in commercial complex". The Daily Star. 31 January 2009. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 "A Long Walk to Freedom". The Daily Star. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
- ↑ Reva Chatterjee (2000). Netaji Subhas Bose. Ocean Books. pp. 2–. ISBN 978-8-18710-027-0.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 Pal, Rupamay (1986). Surjo Sener Sonali Swapno. Kolkata: Deepayan. p. 162.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Craig A. Lockard (1 January 2010). Societies, Networks, and Transitions: A Global History: Since 1750. Cengage Learning. pp. 699–. ISBN 978-1-4390-8534-9. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
- ↑ Geraldine Forbes (1999). Women in Modern India. The New Cambridge History of India. Vol. IV.2. Cambridge University Press. pp. 140–141. ISBN 978-0-521-65377-0.
- ↑ "Remembering the Legendary Heroes of Chittagong". NIC. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
- ↑ "Indian Independence" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 November 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
- ↑ Fortnightly Reports on Bengal, for the second half of September 1932, GOI Home Poll F. No. 18/1932 as quoted in Chatterjee, Manini (1999). Do and Die: the Chittagong uprising, 1930-34. Penguin Books. p. 284. ISBN 978-0-330-53629-5.
- ↑ "Contribution of Pritilata recalled". The Daily Star. 1 June 2011. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
- ↑ "A beacon of light for women". The Daily Star. 26 September 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
- ↑ "80th death anniversary of Pritilata observed". New Age. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ Sarkar, Ash (5 February 2018). "My great-great-aunt was a terrorist: women's politics went beyond the vote". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
- ↑ "Pritilata's bronze sculpture to be installed in port city". The Daily Star. 2 October 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
- ↑ "Pritilata's memorial sculpture unveiled in Ctg". The Daily Star. 3 October 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
- ↑ "Road named after Pritilata in Ctg". The New Nation. 18 December 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "Affiliated College of University of Kalyani". Archived from the original on 1 March 2012.
- ↑ "Young rebels". Business Standard. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
- ↑ "The veer Konna of Chittagong". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
- ↑ "Manoj Bajpayee, back in the limelight". Screen India. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "Snatches: Moments from Women's Lives". BBC. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ↑ Siddique, Habibullah (15 June 2021). "Pori Moni: From Pirojpur to FDC's most popular heroine". Business Standard.
Further reading[edit | edit source]
- Kalpana Dutt (1979). Chittagong Armoury raiders: reminiscences. People's Pub. House.