Individual Paper
2. From Oceanic Crossroads: Empires, Networks and Histories
The Women revolutionaries of the Anushilan Samiti in East Bengal The focus of this paper is on the response of the women revolutionaries of the Anushilan Samiti to armed struggle though participation of women in other revolutionary groups like Jugantar,Sri Sangha, Bengal Volunteers in the British colonial period was prevalent. The study gives an insight into the activities of the Anushilan female suspects, found in Dhaka, Tippera, Mymensingh, Barishal, Faridpur, Rangpur, Rajshahi, Pabna,Chittagong Sub divisions of East Bengal. Conviction of women in Eastern Bengal was far greater than Western part. Even village women aided and were regarded as potential enemies by the British Police.Anushilan women were often drawn into the struggle as tactical necessities. Participation of women was independent of any support or leadership. In the beginning, they played important role in the periphery of Anushilan Samiti as household members giving shelter to absconders as housekeepers concealing and distributing arms and ammunitions, passing coded secret messages, providing financial assistance to revolutionary engaging in preparation of explosives etc. Soon they became political dacoits collecting funds for the organization. They were even planning raids in the nerve centers of British Administration. This organization was used to channelize the women’s opinion. It became a training ground for them to join politics with the proliferation of socialist ideas. Many joined trade union activities and did social work. After 1939, most were released under the general amnesty for political prisoners.
Keka Dutta Roy
Prafulla Chandra College Kolkata, India