The freedom movement of India is a very inspiring chapter in the history of India as well as the history of several liberation movements. However several analysts of the freedom movement of India have described two important streams of the freedom movement, particularly during the important decade of 1921-31, as very different movements with different ideologies. However in reality what is more important is that despite some apparent differences, these two movements often complemented each other in significant ways, with actions of one movement appearing as a source of strength of the other movement.
Prof. Jagmohan Singh, Chairman of Shahid Bhagat Singh Centenary Foundation who has been studying such aspects of the freedom movement for a long time quotes the great freedom fighter and philosopher Aurobindo Ghosh as stating that the division of the people then was basically between the nationalists and the loyalists. This appears to be a much better way of understanding the situation prevailing then instead of saying that the main division was between the path led by Mahatma Gandhi and the path led by revolutionaries like Shahid Bhagat Singh.
The loyalists basically took the stand that either the British rule should not be challenged or cannot be challenged. They may or may not have supported the colonial rule but they were not willing to be a part of any struggle against the British rule. On the other hand nationalists were committed to ending the British rule to get freedom for India, regardless of their time frame for this or the path they adopted for this.
An important point made by Prof. Jagmohan Singh relates to the significant contribution made by Mahatma Gandhi in terms of removing the fear of ordinary people which had been holding back their participation in the freedom movement for so long. The call for satyagraha and non-violent struggles was able to being people in such huge members on the streets for various protest actions that both the colonial rulers and the loyalists were shocked beyond belief. Movements for non-cooperation and for boycotting various symbols and means of cooption including government jobs, courts and colleges, attractive imported goods that were destroying local employments, shops selling liquor and intoxicants also linked to increased government revenue received very encouraging support from people. Lawyers, teachers and traders also started joining the freedom movement in increasing numbers, ignoring the immediate losses suffered by them. Women too started joining in significantly increasing numbers. The boycotts, the willingness to face police batons ad bullets, to go to jail brought out vividly the growing fearlessness of people.
It is this growing fearlessness which helped the revolutionary movement to grow. At the same time it were the several very courageous actions of the revolutionaries which captured the imagination of many people and brought them to the streets protests and mobilizations led by Mahatma Gandhi and the Congress. As stories of the great courage of revolutionaries spread, the Congress was also motivated to declare the objective of complete independence much before several of its own conservative leaders were ready for this. Hence the role of the revolutionaries and the main stream of the freedom movement complemented and helped with each other, contributing to the overall strength of the freedom movement.
Prominent leaders of both of these streams were very committed to creating a society based on justice and much higher equality in post-independence India. They were also committed firmly to resisting sectarianism, and to promoting the unity of people of different religions and sects.
This unity of the two streams is not just a matter of academic interest but continues to retain its relevance for present times in terms of the broad unity and complementarity of the various forces of justice, peace and social harmony.
Bharat Dogra is co-author and editor of an important book on this issue ‘When the Two Streams Met’ and its Hindi version. His other recent books include ‘Hindi Cinema and Society’ and ‘A Day in 2071’.
