Suhasini Das
Suhasini Das | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1915 |
| Died | 30 May 2009 |
| Citizenship | Bangladesh |
| Occupation(s) | Social worker, activist |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
Suhasini Das (Bengali: সুহাসিনী দাস; 1915 - 30 May 2009) was an anti-British activist, social worker and politician from Bangladesh. She was a member of the Indian National Congress and an important figure in East Bengal, before, during and after Partition.
Biography
[edit]Das was born in 1915 in Jagannathpur village in Sunamganj district, East Bengal.[1] Her parents were Parimohan and Shobha Roy; she had two younger brothers and two younger sisters.[2] She was married aged 18 to a businessman, Kumud Chandra Das, who owned the Kuti-Chand Press.[2]
Career
[edit]She turned her house into a centre for thread-making and charkha. In order to fund this she used the wealth inherited after the death of her husband.[2] The charkha became a symbol of Indian independence and on 20 January 1940, Das announced that she would only wear khaddar clothes for the rest of her life.[3]
Das was a supporter of Gandhi.[4] In 1942, she joined the Quit India Movement, which was under Gandhi's leadership; Das was imprisoned alongside other members.[5] In 1943, Suhasini Das was released from jail.[6] She was also a supporter of the Non-Cooperation Movement.[7] She later joined the Indian National Congress.[3] During Partition in 1947, Das travelled widely in the Sylhet area, encouraging Hindu people to stay at home and tried to calm their fears.[8] From 1946 to 1947, Das worked in a relief camp in Noakhali, one of seventeen set up by Leela Roy, following the riots which took place there.[9] Whilst working there she contracted smallpox, and was visited by Gandhi whilst recovering.[5]
After Partition, Das was instrumental in establishing the Rangirkul Ashram, which she ultimately became leader of.[2]
During the war for independence in 1971, it was Das' leadership which protected the ashram.[2] After independence, Das left politics to concentrate on her social and religious work.[3][8] However, in 1973, she still attended a conference of anti-British freedom fighters in Delhi, where she highlighted to role of people from East Bengal in the struggle.[3]
In 1986, Das attended the World Hindu Congress in Nepal.[3] Religious tolerance and understanding was very important to her and in 1990 worked to restore faith between Hindus and Muslims after attacks on mosques and temples.[3]
Awards
[edit]In 1997, Bangladesh gave Das its highest award for 'Social Service'.[2]
Death
[edit]Das died on 30 May 2009 in Sylhet.[10][3] She had fallen whilst taking a bath on 25 May and was admitted to hospital.[2] At the news of her death, crowds gathered in a vigil outside the hospital.[2]
Legacy
[edit]Das published her memoirs under the title Sekaler Sylhet (Sylhet during the British Raj: Memories of Suhasini Das) in 2005.[4] These are a vital resource for understanding Partition in East Bengal, particularly from a female perspective.[11] These diaries recorded the rising dominance of the Muslim League and the pressures the Hindu minority felt.[12][13] One of the halls at Sylhet Agricultural University is named after her.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ Bagchi, Jasodhara; Ghosh, Subhasri (2009). The trauma and the triumph : gender and partition in eastern India. Kolkata: Stree. p. 168. ISBN 978-81-85604-55-8.
- ^ a b c d e f g h ব্রিটিশ বিরোধী আন্দোলনের নেত্রী সুহাসিনী দাস মারা গেছেন. bdnews24.com (in Bengali). Retrieved 2020-08-02.
- ^ a b c d e f g সুহাসিনী দাস - Golden Femina. www.goldenfeminabd.com. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
- ^ a b Hossain, Ashfaque (2013). "The Making and Unmaking of Assam-Bengal Borders and the Sylhet Referendum*". Modern Asian Studies. 47 (1): 250–287. doi:10.1017/S0026749X1200056X. ISSN 0026-749X. S2CID 145546471.
- ^ a b সুহাসিনী দাস ও তাঁর 'দেশ বিভাগের ডায়েরি' | দৈনিক ইত্তেফাক ঈদ সংখ্যা. The Daily Ittefaq. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
- ^ "Quit India Movement: Sylhet experience | Bangladesh on Record". Retrieved 2022-02-07.
- ^ "510 Suhasini Das, A partition diary". www.india-seminar.com. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
- ^ a b Khan, Yasmin (2007). The great Partition : the making of India and Pakistan. Yale University Press. p. 146. ISBN 978-0-300-12078-3.
- ^ Ghosh, Biswaroop (2011). "Religion and Politics in Bengal: The Noakhali Carnage 1946-47". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 72: 944. ISSN 2249-1937. JSTOR 44146785.
- ^ বিখ্যাত ব্যক্তিত্ব. 2011-06-23. Archived from the original on 2011-06-23. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
- ^ Baragohāñi, Nirupamā; Borgohain, Pradipta (1999). Abhiyatri = One life many rivers. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. p. 168. ISBN 81-260-0688-9.
- ^ "Recovering Sylhet". Himal Southasian. 2012-11-22. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
- ^ Dutta, Binayak (2016). "In the Shadows of Violence: Migration, Perceptions of Security and Tales of Horror in Post-Partition North East India" (PDF).
- ^ "SAU::Sylhet Agricultural University". www.sau.ac.bd. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
