I was not a born revolutionary, but one who becomes a revolutionary with the maturity of ideas.
Durga Devi Vohra
When I say the name Bhagat Singh, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? A young man, of just 23 years, who willingly became a martyr for the freedom of his country. His famous dialogue, “Ab sirf aazadi hi meri dulhan hai”, which when translated means, “The freedom of the country is my only bride”. I think it’s safe to say that the last line, is probably Bhagat Singh’s most famous dialogue, heard by everyone. But what if I told you that for a few very risky hours, Bhagat Singh had a wife and a son? Sounds weird, doesn’t it? Well then, allow me to start right from the top.
Durga Devi Vohra, the forgotten revolutionary
Bhagat Singh was a part of a revolutionary party called the Hindustan Socialist Republic Association (HSRA). It is here that he met most of the freedom fighters who would go on to become his companions in the freedom struggle. The most well known out of the lot were Sukhdev Thapar, Shivaram Rajguru and Chandrashekhar Azad. But who knows about the one woman, who was also a part of this revolutionary party? Most of us out there have heard only about the relatively more ‘famous’ female revolutionaries like – Sarojini Naidu, ‘Jhansi ki Rani’, Savitri Bai Phule, Captain Laxmi Sehgal and a few more. But there were countless more women who fought for the country, but have somehow, over time, been erased from the pages of our history. One such woman went by the name of ‘Durgawati Devi Vohra’. She, like Bhagat Singh and his companions, was actively involved in India’s freedom struggle against British.
(Left to Right) – Shivaram Rajguru, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar
Born in Allahabad on October 7 1907, Durga Devi was orphaned at a very early age. Her mother died when she was quiet young, and her father renounced the world soon after that. So, she was brought up by her aunt. Soon after, she was married off to Bhagwati Charan Vohra, when she was 11-years-old, who was from a wealthy family and had completed his studies from the esteemed National College at Lahore. (Interesting fact: The college was founded by John Kipling, the father of the famous author Rudyard Kipling). It was here that he had met Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev. Bhagwati Charan had been involved in the freedom struggle for quiet some time, even before he met his future wife. His parents were deceased, and therefore there was no one to stop the young couple from participating in the freedom movements. The Hindustan Socialist Republic Association (HSRA) was founded by Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Chandrashekhar Azad in 1928, and the couple joined them a few months later.
Durga Devi with her husband, Bhagwati Charan Vohra and son
The couple had their first and only child in 1925, named Sachinanda Vohra. They rented a house in Lahore, dedicated solely to party activities – including the production of bombs. Even after she had her child, she continued to work as a teacher in a girl’s college in Lahore till she was forced to go underground in 1929. The couple seemed to have an unsaid understanding between them – their lives now revolved only around India’s freedom struggle. Since Bhagwati Charan came from a relatively wealthy family, money did pose a lot of problem to the party workers. Now, we move onto the main part of Durga Devi’s life.
Durga Devi with her son – Sachinanda Vohra
If you were in Lahore 92 years ago, this is what you would have seen. An old, yet strong, 63-year-old man, who went by the name of Lala Rajpat Rai, leading a peaceful protest against the Simon Commission. The date was 30th October 1928. Suddenly, there is a lathi charge carried out by the police, and Lala Ji is soon announced dead. The Superintendent of Police – James A. Scott, is responsible for the death of the veteran leader. Now, the scene shifts to the District Police headquarters in Lahore, and the date is 17th December 1928. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev and Chandrashekhar Azad are hiding behind a tree, just outside the headquarters. The reason they were present there, is because they wanted to avenge Lala Ji’s death by killing James Scott. A man who went by the name of John P Saunders is shot by Rajguru and Bhagat Singh, in a case of mistaken identity, and then they are seen fleeing from the scene.
Durgawati Devi in her later days
On 19th December 1928, the trio landed in front of Durga Devi, asking her to help them plan an escape from Lahore. In all probability, she did know about their hand in the infamous assassination of JP Saunders. But she did not question them. Bhagwati Charan had left Lahore in early December to attend the annual meeting of the Indian National Congress in Calcutta, and before he left, he gave his wife a large sum of ₹4000/₹5000, to be used in emergencies. Durga Devi readily gave away all the money to them. But there was still another problem – how do we leave Lahore without drawing unnecessary attention? So, Durga Devi came up with a plan, one that would not attract any attention. Bhagat Singh and Rajguru were to pose as master and servant (respectively), and Durga would pose as Bhagat Singh’s wife. Her son, Sachi, was also taken along and he posed as their son. This plan defied all of the social conventions at the time, but this was the only way that the three could escape. Azad dressed himself up as a Rishi, and escaped along with Sukhdev’s mother and sister, as though he was escorting them on a pilgrimage. How Sukhdev escaped, is not mentioned anywhere.
Durga Devi whilst giving an interview, post Independence
From Lahore, they boarded a train for Lucknow and from there they changed trains for Calcutta. When they were in Lucknow, Singh sent across a telegram to Bhagwati Charan, who was in Calcutta. He wrote, “I am coming to Calcutta along with Durgawati.” Bhagwati Charan was surprised and wondered, “Who is this Durgawati?”, probably because he never would’ve thought that his wife would help Bhagat Singh devise a plan for escape. When the “family”, arrived in Calcutta, where Bhagwati Charan was living with his sister Sushila, who was also a prominent woman revolutionary, he was shocked to learn about his wife’s role in such a risky plan. After this, Durga Devi returned to Lahore with her son, while her husband, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru made plans to bomb (smoke bomb) the Legislative Assembly. All this time, Bhagwati Charan was in Calcutta, learning how to make bombs.
After the bombing took place, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru, made no attempt to escape and were arrested. Post this, when they were tortured for information about the rest of their comrades, they refused to answer and a death sentence was handed down to them. On 28th May 1930, Bhagwati Charan Vora passed away, when he was testing a bomb and it exploded. Despite being widowed at an early age of 23, Durga Devi soldiered on. The day after the death sentence was handed down to the trio, Durga with two other men who were also a part of the HSRA, attempted to shoot the Governor of Punjab Sir Geoffrey de Montmorency. But there was a tight security around his house, and instead she shot two Britishers, standing near the Police Station. She recalled firing 3-4 shots. Despite all of these attempts, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were executed on 23rd March 1931.
Durgawati Devi in her later days
So, this was a major part of Durgawati Devi Vohra’s life. Orphaned when she was a child, she went on to get married when she was only 11. Had a child when she was 18, she was soon widowed at the age of 23. She passed away at the age of 92, on 15th October 1999.The reason this lady, remains relatively unknown is because she spent the rest of her life, post Independence as a simple lady, taking care of her only child, unlike the rest of the revolutionaries who went on to become prominent figures in Indian Politics. A woman who faced many struggles in her life as a revolutionary, who actually held a pistol in her hand and fired shots at a time when a woman stepping out of the house itself was considered unconventional, has sadly failed to make her name known in the pages of Indian history. This is my attempt to make sure that women like her, who changed the very meaning of being a woman, are remembered by us, forever.
Sources:
Durga Devi Vohra: ‘Wife’ Of Bhagat Singh – Live History India
An excerpt from a book on Indian revolutionaries like Durga Devi Vohra – Hindustan Times
Hindustan Socialist Republican Association – Wikipedia
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