Towards Swaraj: Presidency During the Independence Movement of India

The East India Company started trading in India from 1613. Over the next one hundred years, the Company expanded its commercial activities across the subcontinent by eradicating other European mercantile powers. After the Battle of Plassey (1757), it started acquiring territories by using brutal force. By the mid-nineteenth century, the entire subcontinent came under its control. The British, who regarded themselves to be racially superior, considered their rule to be a ‘civilising mission’ and used innumerable mechanisms, that technologically worked to modify the cultural fabric of the Indian society, to consolidate it. In 1858, following a massive revolt in large parts of central and northern India, the administration of India was taken over by the British Crown. The British empire in India is understood to be one of the most oppressive and powerful empires of the world. Not only did it systematically exploit India's natural resources but also made its people culturally impoverished.

The Non-Cooperation-Khilafat movement (1920-22) saw the first staging of non-violent mass-agitation. In 1930, Gandhi once again mobilised the Indians to carry out large-scale protests against the colonial government with the demand of ‘purna swaraj’ or complete independence. The Civil Disobedience movement (1930-34) was the most decisive phase in the long fight for freedom since it united the people of all sections of society from every part of the country. This experience of collective struggle strengthened the idea of nationhood among the masses. This period also witnessed a sudden upsurge of revolutionary activities. In 1942, Mahatma Gandhi launched the Quit India movement. The country saw an unparalleled participation of men and women in this final struggle for freedom. These movements, in which Presidencians like Surendranath Banerjee, Chittaranjan Das, Jatindramohan Sengupta, Saratchandra Bose, Subhaschandra Bose and Dr. Rajendra Prasad played important roles, paved the way for freedom. India won independence on 15th August, 1947. Three years later, it became a republic on 26 January 1959, as the nation's constitution came into effect.

At the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress (1928), Subhaschandra Bose, an alumnus of Presidency College (now Presidency University) and the most prominent nationalist leader after Gandhi, moved a resolution demanding ‘complete independence’ instead of ‘dominion status’. The resolution was defeated. Later, he even issued a manifesto calling for complete independence. Ultimately, at the Lahore session (1929), Mahatma Gandhi declared that ‘purna swaraj’ or complete independence as the political goal of Congress, thus setting the stage for the Civil Disobedience movement. On 12 March 1930, Mahatma Gandhi started the Civil Disobedience movement by violating government’s salt monopoly. In the wake of this movement, Mr. K. Nazimuddin, the then Minister-in-charge of the Education Department of the Government of Bengal issued a circular regarding the conduct of all the government servants in relation to the Civil Disobedience Movement. Copies of that circular were sent to Presidency College since it was a government college.

The Civil Disobedience movement also witnessed a sudden upsurge of revolutionary activities. Attempts were made to infuse radical ideas among the students of Presidency College. Leaflets of the Chittagong branch of the Indian Republic Army were found in Presidency College (now Presidency University).

Letters exchanged between the Secretary to the Government of Bengal and the Director of Public Instruction of Bengal (DPI) about the prolonged disturbances created and strikes called by the students of government schools and colleges during the Civil Disobedience movement.

The British government suspected that the students of Presidency College (now Presidency University) might be secretly associated with revolutionary activities and they might also use the chemicals, stored in the laboratory, to make bombs. Alarmed by this thought, the Director of Public Instruction of Bengal (DPI) asked the Principal of Presidency College to make adequate arrangement for keeping the chemicals in safe custody.

Letters exchanged between the Principals of Presidency College (now Presidency University), Headmasters of Hindu School and Hare School, and the Directors of Public Instruction of Bengal regarding the circulation of the pamphlets of the Bengal Publicity Board among the students.

Letters exchanged in the wake of the circular issued by the University of Calcutta on 31 January 1935 regarding the steps that should be taken to check the spread of terrorism among the students.

After the failure of the Cripps Mission, Mahatma Gandhi launched the Quit India movement (also known as the ‘August Revolution’) from a historic meeting at Gowalia Tank in Bombay on 8 August 1942. On this occasion, he delivered his famous ‘Do or Die’ speech wherein he asked his countrymen to either free India or die in the attempt. In next few months, the people demonstrated unparalleled militancy. Parallel governments were set up in different parts of the country. The colonial government implemented all sorts of draconian measures to brutally repress the movement, but the people resisted gallantly and made colossal scarifices. Here is a page of 'Amrita Bazar Patrika' containing news related to the Quit India movement.

This leaflet, written in Bengali, was issued by the Bengal Provincial Congress Committee (B.P.C.C.) during the Quit India movement. It was found among the old documents of Presidency College (now Presidency University). The leaflet is meant to trigger the revolutionary students of Bengal to take part in the final battle for freedom. It also outlines the exact role that they should play.

The Eden Hindu Hostel, where the students of Presidency College (now Presidency University) and other government colleges used to live, was also affected by the burn of the gruesome events that happened as an after effect of the Direct Action Day.

On 26 January 1950, India became a republic as the constitution came into effect. Dr. Rajendra Prasad (1884-1963), who was an alumnus of Presidency College (now Presidency University), assumed the office of the President of Republic of India. He was a Gandhian nationalist leader from Bihar who served as the president of the Constituent assembly of India. This picture was taken in 1955 when he visited his Alma mater during its centenary celebration.

In the ensuing years, Presidency played a very important role in the making of modern India.