Pushpalata Das (English: Pushpalata Das, born- March 27, 1915; died- November 9, 2003) was a social worker, ardent Gandhian and freedom fighter, who actively participated in India’s freedom struggle since childhood. At the age of just 6 she joined ‘Banar Sena’ (Monkey Brigade), a locally organized volunteer group of girls who worked to promote Swadeshi and popularize Khadi among the people . The Government of India honored Pushpalata Das with the Padma Bhushan in 1999.
Pushpalata Das was born on March 27, 1915 in North Lakhimpur, Assam. She was also a distinguished social worker, independence activist and former parliamentarian. He was born to Late Rameshwar Saikia and Swarnalata Saikia. Pushpalata Das received her schooling from Pan Bazaar Girls High School, Guwahati, from where she was expelled in February 1930 at the age of 14 for being the secretary of an organization called ‘Mukti Sangh’. He and his comrades had raised their voices against the death sentence given to Bhagat Singh.
Pushpalata Das passed her intermediate examination from Banaras Hindu University after matriculation as a private student in 1934. He graduated from Political Science at Andhra University and later completed Masters (1938). He then joined Earle Law College to study law, but had to leave it because he was imprisoned for his association with ‘Individual Satyagraha’. She was a firm believer in women power and courage since childhood. Pushpalata Das promoted Gandhiji’s Khadi concept and formed the ‘Charkha Sangh’.
Growing up during such times in Assam, Pushpalata Das was deeply inspired by the work and ideology of Bhagat Singh and other revolutionary activists. She started internalizing these ideas while she was in school. In 1930, Pushpalata Das along with two of her friends started a revolutionary organization called ‘Mukti Sangh’ in the premises of ‘Kamrup Mahila Samiti’. This was the time when the country was embroiled in the Civil Disobedience Movement. These girls took a pledge and signed it with their blood to join the fight to liberate the country from the shackles of British rule. When Bhagat Singh was given death sentence, he also boycotted it. When the news of the union came out, Pushpalata was expelled from the school. Subsequently, she was tutored privately and after graduation in 1938, she went on to study law at Earl’s Law College, Guwahati. During her student years she was highly influenced by communist ideas and was involved in student activism. She was also associated with organizations whose purpose was to protect civil rights and national defense.
Pushpalata Das was one of the many women who were at the forefront of India’s freedom struggle as part of the Civil Disobedience Movement around the 1940s. She was one of the joint secretaries of the women’s wing of the Congress in Assam and was given the charge of organizing and organizing women volunteers. By this time she was deeply committed to the national cause of independence from the British. Mahatma Gandhi’s call had inspired the nationalist sentiments of many people and Pushpalata Das also participated in ‘Individual Satyagraha’ which ultimately led to her going to jail.
Pushpalata Das’s leadership skills were at the forefront during the Quit India Movement of 1942, when she and her husband Omio Kumar Das, a fellow Gandhian, were entrusted with the responsibility of organizing the women of Darrang district in Assam. The Satyagrahis were divided into two groups, Shanti Vahini and Mrityu Vahini. The plan was to show their defiance against the British rule by taking out peaceful processions in Gohpur, Dhekiajuli, Bihali and Sootiya on 20 September 1942 and hoisting the national flag at the police stations. However, their plan did not succeed, as the police opened fire on the peaceful protesters, killing and injuring many of them.
Pushpalata Das was an exemplary woman who led from the front during India’s freedom struggle and inspired many others to do the same. In 1942, he was arrested under the ‘Defense of India Rules’ and imprisoned for three and a half years. Her patience was such that when she fell ill in imprisonment and the government requested her to be paroled, she refused. He also rejected the copper plate given by the Government of Assam.
Padma Bhushan
Even after the country gained independence, Pushpalata Das continued to serve in various capacities and roles. She was a member of the Rajya Sabha and a member of the Assam Legislative Assembly. In 1999, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India for his role in India’s freedom struggle.
death
Pushpalata Das died on 9 November 2003 in Kolkata, West Bengal.