As Indian-Americans celebrate the centennial of the Ghadar movement, launched by a band of patriotic Indians in the US West Coast back in 1913 in their bid to drive out the British colonialists from India, old-timers want the saga of the ‘Ghadarites’ to be duly recognised and featured prominently in history textbooks.
“Just releasing a stamp is not enough. It (the Ghadar saga) has been kept away from history books,” complained 76-year-old Surinder Pal Singh, the grandson of noted Ghadarite Bhagwan Singh, at an event in Washington on Sunday.
The Atlanta-based Singh’s comments came in the context of the steps announced by the Indian Government, including release of a commemorative stamp by the Prime Minister earlier this year, in recognition of the Ghadar movement’s great contributions to the Indian freedom struggle.
Indian Ambassador Nirupama Rao, who extolled the spirit of sacrifice and courage shown by the Ghadar stalwarts, outlined some of the measures taken by the Indian Government to perpetuate the memory of the movement, including the proposed conversion of the Ghadar Memorial Hall in San Francisco into a functional library and museum.
In the US itself, the Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) has issued a call to celebrate the contributions of the Ghadarites on Memorial Day, which America observes on the last day of May every year in remembrance of the sacrifices of its great martyrs.
GOPIO chairman Inder Singh, who has also co-authored a book titled, The Ghadar Heroics, wants the Indian-American community to remember and honour the sacrifices of the Ghadarites at least on Memorial Day. “It will be a great community service to educate our community of our Indian-American history, of passing on the legacy of the pioneers to the next generation,” he said.
led by lala Har Dayal, Indian scholar and revolutionary, the overseas Indians first met in Astoria, Oregon in April 1913 and formed what was initially called the Hindustan Association of the Pacific Coast with the aim of liberating India from British rule. Sohan Singh Bhakna was elected its president and Pandit Kanshi Ram Mardauli its treasurer, while Har Dayal as general secretary was the moving spirit of the newly-launched organization.
later that year, they all decided to launch a weekly newspaper in Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi and Gujarati, called “The Gadar”, which would advance the revolutionary ideals of their party or movement that also came to be called by the name. The first issue of “The Gadar” came out from San Francisco on November 1, 1913, with the masthead carrying the caption, Angrezi Raj Ka Dushman (Enemy of the British rule).
As part of the centennial celebrations, Ami Bera, the only Indian-American Congressman, along with fellow-Democratic lawmaker from California Mike Honda, introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives last month to honour the Ghadar movement and its pioneers.
Descendents of the Ghadarites believe there is very little knowledge and appreciation among the young generation in India or members of the Indian diaspora in America about the missionary zeal displayed by young Indians who had come to the United States and Canada in pursuit of higher education or economic opportunities in the early years of the 20th century.