Kalpana Datta (27 July 1913 – 8 February 1995), also Kalpana Joshi, was an
Indian independence movement
The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947.
The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged from Bengal ...
activist and a member of the armed independence movement led by
Surya Sen, which carried out the
Chittagong armoury raid
The Chittagong armoury raid, also known as the Chittagong uprising, was an attempt on 18 April 1930 to raid the armoury of police and auxiliary forces from the Chittagong armoury in the Bengal Presidency of British India (now in Bangladesh) b ...
in 1930. Later she joined the
Communist Party of India
Communist Party of India (CPI) is the oldest Marxist–Leninist communist party in India and one of the nine national parties in the country. The CPI was founded in modern-day Kanpur (formerly known as Cawnpore) on 26 December 1925.
H ...
and married
Puran Chand Joshi
Puran Chand Joshi (14 April 1907 – 9 November 1980), one of the early leaders of the communist movement in India. He was the general secretary of the Communist Party of India from 1935 to 1947.
Early years
Joshi was born on 14 April 1907, in ...
, the General Secretary of the
Communist Party of India
Communist Party of India (CPI) is the oldest Marxist–Leninist communist party in India and one of the nine national parties in the country. The CPI was founded in modern-day Kanpur (formerly known as Cawnpore) on 26 December 1925.
H ...
in 1943.
Early life
Kalpana Datta (also commonly spelled Dutta) was born to a
Baidya
Baidya or Vaidya is a Hindu community located in Bengal. Baidyas, a caste ('' jāti'') of Ayurvedic physicians, have long had pre-eminence in society alongside Brahmins and Kayasthas. In the colonial era, the Bhadraloks were drawn primarily, b ...
family in Sripur,
a village of
Chittagong District
Chittagong District, renamed the Chattogram District, is a district located in the south-eastern region of Bangladesh. It is a part of the Chattogram Division. The port city of Chattogram, which is the second largest city in Bangladesh, is ...
in the
Bengal Province of
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
(Sripur is now located in
Boalkhali Upazila
Boalkhali ( bn, বোয়ালখালী) is an upazila of Chattogram District in Chattogram Division, Bangladesh.
Geography
Boalkhali is located at . It previously had 33514 households and its total area is 145.44 km2.
According t ...
in Bangladesh). Her father Binod Behari Dattagupta was a government employee. After passing her
matriculation examination
A matriculation examination or matriculation exam is a university entrance examination, which is typically held towards the end of secondary school. After passing the examination, a student receives a school leaving certificate recognising academi ...
in 1929 in Chittagong, she went to
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
and joined the
Bethune College
Bethune College is a women's college located on Bidhan Sarani in Kolkata, India, and affiliated to the University of Calcutta. It is the oldest women's college in India. It was established as a girls' school in 1849, and as a college in 1879.
...
to study science. Soon, she joined the ''
Chhatri Sangha The Chhatri Sangha (Girls' Students' Association) was an Indian women's student organization. It recruited and trained women revolutionaries, organized study circles and gave lessons in cycling, driving and armed warfare. It functioned as the girls' ...
'' (Women Students Association), a semi-revolutionary organization in which
Bina Das
Bina Das (24 August 1911—1986) was an Indian revolutionary and nationalist from West Bengal.
Biography Early life and education
Das was the daughter of a Brahmo teacher, Beni Madhab Das and a social worker, Sarala Devi. Her elder sister ...
and
Pritilata Waddedar
Pritilata Waddedar (5 May 1911 – 24 September 1932) was an Indian revolutionary nationalist from the Indian subcontinent who was influential in the Indian independence movement. After completing her education in Chittagong and Dhaka, she att ...
were also active member's.
Armed independence movement
The Chittagong armoury raid was carried out on 18 April 1930. Kalpana joined the "
Indian Republican Army, Chattagram branch," the armed resistance group led by Surya Sen, in May 1931. In September 1931 Surya Sen entrusted her along with
Pritilata Waddedar
Pritilata Waddedar (5 May 1911 – 24 September 1932) was an Indian revolutionary nationalist from the Indian subcontinent who was influential in the Indian independence movement. After completing her education in Chittagong and Dhaka, she att ...
to attack the European Club in Chittagong. A week before the attack, she was arrested while carrying out reconnaissance of the area. She went into hiding after her release on bail. On 16 February 1933, the police encircled their hiding place in Gairala village. During this raid, Surya Sen was arrested but Kalpana managed to escape. To free Surya she tried to bomb the jail with explosives but failed.
Kalpana was finally arrested on 19 May 1933. In the second supplementary trial of the Chittagong armoury raid case, Kalpana was sentenced to
transportation
Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, ...
for life. She was released in 1939.
Later life
Kalpana Datta graduated from the
Calcutta University
The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a public collegiate state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered one of best state research university all over India every year, C ...
in 1940 and joined the
Communist Party of India
Communist Party of India (CPI) is the oldest Marxist–Leninist communist party in India and one of the nine national parties in the country. The CPI was founded in modern-day Kanpur (formerly known as Cawnpore) on 26 December 1925.
H ...
. She served as a relief worker during the
1943 Bengal famine
The Bengal famine of 1943 was a famine in the Bengal province of British India (present-day Bangladesh, West Bengal and eastern India) during World War II. An estimated 0.8 to 3.8 million Bengalis perished, out of a population of 60.3 millio ...
and during the
Partition of Bengal.
[ She wrote an autobiographical book in Bengali "চট্টগ্রাম অস্ত্রাগার আক্রমণকারীদের স্মৃতিকথা"
which was translated into English by Arun Bose & Nikhil Chakraborty with a preface by her husband Com. P. C. Joshi, a communist leader, as "Chittagong Armoury Raiders: Reminiscences," published in English in October 1945. In 1946, she contested in the elections for the Bengal Legislative Assembly as a Communist Party of India candidate from Chittagong but could not win.
Later, she joined the ]Indian Statistical Institute
Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) is a higher education and research institute which is recognized as an Institute of National Importance by the 1959 act of the Indian parliament. It grew out of the Statistical Laboratory set up by Prasanta C ...
where she worked until her retirement. She died in Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
on 8 February 1995.Nikhil Chakravartty
Nikhil Chakravartty (1913–1998) was an Indian journalist.
Biography
Chakravartty was born on 3 November 1913 in India's northeastern state of Assam. He was the founder-editor of the respected current affairs weekly ''Mainstream''. He gradua ...
, Kalpana Dutt's obituary in Mainstream, 18 February 1995.
Personal life
In 1943, she married the then General Secretary of the Communist Party of India
Communist Party of India (CPI) is the oldest Marxist–Leninist communist party in India and one of the nine national parties in the country. The CPI was founded in modern-day Kanpur (formerly known as Cawnpore) on 26 December 1925.
H ...
, Puran Chand Joshi
Puran Chand Joshi (14 April 1907 – 9 November 1980), one of the early leaders of the communist movement in India. He was the general secretary of the Communist Party of India from 1935 to 1947.
Early years
Joshi was born on 14 April 1907, in ...
. They had two sons: Chand and Suraj. Chand Joshi (1946-2000) was a noted journalist, who worked for the Hindustan Times
''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media, an entity controlled by the KK Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia.
It was founded by Sunder Singh Lyall ...
. He was also known for his work, Bhindranwale: Myth and Reality(1985).Chand's wife Manini (née Chatterjee) penned a book on the Chattagram armoury raid, titled'', "''Do and Die: The Chattagram Uprising 1930-34''."''
Artistic depictions
In 2010, Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone ( or ; born 5 January 1986) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. She is one of the highest-paid actresses in India, and her accolades include three Filmfare Awards. She features in listings of the nation's most pop ...
starred as Kalpana Datta and Abhishek Bachchan
Abhishek Bachchan (born 5 February 1976) is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work in Hindi films. Part of the Bachchan family, he is the son of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan and the grandson of poet Harivansh Rai Bach ...
starred as Surya Sen, in a Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
movie, ''Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey
''Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey'' () is an Indian Hindi-language historical action-adventure film directed by Ashutosh Gowariker and released on 3 December 2010. Starring Abhishek Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Sikandar Kher, it was based on Manini ...
'', which dealt with the Chittagong armoury raid
The Chittagong armoury raid, also known as the Chittagong uprising, was an attempt on 18 April 1930 to raid the armoury of police and auxiliary forces from the Chittagong armoury in the Bengal Presidency of British India (now in Bangladesh) b ...
and its aftermath.
Another movie, ''Chittagong
Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...
'', was released on 12 October 2012, based on the uprising. It was produced and directed by Bedabrata Pain
Bedabrata Pain ( bn, বেদব্রত পাইন; born 27 March 1963) is an Indian scientist turned film director, producer and screenwriter. Bedabrata Pain was also a member of the team that invented the CMOS image sensor. Bedabrata Pain ...
, an ex-NASA scientist.
References
External links
Women in India and Pakistan: The Struggle for Independence from British Rule (Part 3)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Datta, Kalpana
Indian revolutionaries
Communist Party of India politicians from West Bengal
1913 births
1995 deaths
Bethune College alumni
University of Calcutta alumni
Women in West Bengal politics
Women in war 1900–1945
Indian women of World War II
20th-century Indian women politicians
20th-century Indian politicians
Indian independence activists from West Bengal
Women Indian independence activists
Female politicians of the Communist Party of India
Female revolutionaries