Nityanand Saha (2 March 1933 – 3 August 1955) was an Indian

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...

from

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...

, known mainly for his involvement in the Satyagraha movement against the Portuguese government, to free

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

from Portuguese rule, under leader Ram Lohia. He was an active member of Janata Seva Sangh in

Payradanga Payradanga is a village in the Ranaghat I CD block in the Ranaghat subdivision of the Nadia district of West Bengal, India. History The history of Payradanga includes history of places like Pritinagar, Anulia, Baidyapur and Haradham. These ...

, Nadia, West Bengal, and on 13 August 1955, he was shot dead by the Portuguese government, along with his associates Baburao Thorat and Karnail Singh.

Early life and career

Nityanand Saha was born on 2 March 1933 in Porabari village,

Tangail district Tangail ( bn, টাঙ্গাইল জেলা) formerly a small Mohokuma of Greater Mymensingh district is a district (''zila'') in the central region of Bangladesh. In 1969, Tangail district was created by Tangail Mohokuma from its 237 ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

. He received his education at Thatya Jaburi college, and passed his matriculation exam in 1949. After the

partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

, he left his homeland and settled in Preetinagar division of Payradanga. He joined the Janata Seva Sangh of Payradanga at a young age, under Kitish Mohan Babu.

Death

He always wanted to be a martyr for his country's freedom, but after India became independent in 1947, he left his hope to be a martyr. He was inspired by

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

's non violence ideas and his determination to do something for his country. He joined the Satyagraha movement of Goa in 1955 to fight against the fascism of the Portuguese government in Goa. Many satyagrahis came from other parts of India to join the Goa independence movement. On 13 August 1955, a non-violent satyagraha movement started by Nityanand, with two of his associates, Baburao Thorat of Maharastra, and Karnail Singh of Punjab. But the Portuguese police couldn't tolerate this movement and shot the three of them: Nityanand, Karnail Singh and Baburao Thorat. Nityanand succumbed to his injuries, and on the same day, 13 August 1955, he died in Vengurla Hospital, Goa.

Legacy

The Paryadanga Smriti Sangh built a memorial in his memory in 1994, near the

Payradanga railway station Payradanga railway station is a railway station on the Sealdah Ranagahat line. It serves the local areas of Payradanga in the Nadia district of West Bengal. The Sealdah–Kusthia line of the Eastern Bengal Railway was opened to railway traffic ...

, which still stands today. Portuguese Church Street in

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

was renamed as Saheed Nityananda Saha Sarani.

References

{{Reflist Indian nationalists Indian revolutionaries 1933 births 1955 deaths Deaths by firearm in India Protest-related deaths