Feminist Revolutionary of the Freedom Movement

Kalpana Datta, a revolutionary who took part in the famous Chittagong Armoury Raid of 1930. She worked as a relief worker during the Bengal famine and the Partition, and as a member of the Communist Party after independence.

Kalpana Datta in her younger days; Source: Public Domain

The Indian freedom movement prides itself for the active participation of women from all sections of society. The revolutionaries who believed in armed resistance held similar diversity. When we think of revolutionaries of the Indian movement for independence, we tend to think of Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad and Ram Prasad Bismil, with their manly fervour towards inciting unrest against the British. However, the face of this anger was not entirely masculine – women were actively involved in the revolutionary side of affairs as well. Kalpana Datta was one such young lady who was associated with the Indian Republican Army.

In the midst of colonial conflict at the port district of Chittagong, Kalpana Datta was born in the village of Sripur, which now lies in modern-day Bangladesh. Her family was what millennials might call ‘apolitical’; they didn’t care enough to boycott foreign cloth when the rest were adopting indigenously produced khadi.

After completing her schooling in 1929, Kalpana moved to Calcutta for higher studies at the Bethune College. This was a transitional point in her life – it was here that she met the revolutionaries and joined the independence movement. She joined the Chhatri Sangha, the women’s revolutionary youth wing, along with her renowned revolutionary Preetilata Waddedar.

Kalpana was also introduced to Surya Sen, the founder of the Indian Republican Army – a seemingly mild-mannered schoolmaster who had the hidden potential of leading guerrilla warfare. He led the famous Chittagong Armoury Raid in 1930, where Kalpana participated in an attempt to dismantle the functioning of the Chittagong armoury, by cutting telephone and telegram wires to disrupt movements.

Unfortunately, their plan to take British officers hostage failed and they could not locate the armoury. Though the revolutionaries fled the scene and dispersed, the troops traced some of them down and killed about 12 in a gunfire battle.

Kalpana managed to escape the first time around, but she was arrested later in 1931, while she was scouting the European Club which was their next target.

Though Kalpana escaped while she was out on bail, she was rearrested and sentenced to prison yet again. She was released in 1939, after which she took on the responsibilities of a relief worker during the Bengal famine and later, its partition. Kalpana Datta eventually joined the Communist Party of India where she took part in electoral politics for a brief period.

She died on February 8, 1995, leaving behind an autobiography and a legacy of feminist revolutionary bravery.

The Chittagong Armoury Raid has been portrayed artistically in the 2010 Bollywood movie ‘Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey’, where Deepika Padukone played the role of Kalpana, while the role of Master Surya Sen was enacted by Abhishek Bachchan. It was based on a book written in 1999 by Manini Chatterjee, who was Datta’s daughter-in-law.