BY DR. J. STELLA, M.A., B.ED., M.PHIL., S.D.T.D., PH.D., D.LITT.
The
history of freedom struggle narrated with the heroic deeds of great men with
little reference about prominent women fighters born with silver spoon or
belongs to ruling community or rich academic background. Thousands of women freedomsfighter’s contribution
to India were ignored or insignificant in the history of Tamil Nadu during the Indian
National Movement. These unsung heroines
deed should be included to fill the lapse in writing the history of Tamil Nadu
to regain its glory in the past. Many
women participants who were took active participation without any fear to face
the bullet with dare while fought for the freedom of India. One among the unsung heroine was Rajamani the
direct contributor of INA and also refer two more indirect participants of INA
and Indian Freedom Struggle.
The entire history of the freedom movement
is replete with the saga of bravery, sacrifice, military intelligence wing of
the Indian National Army and political sagacity of not only great women of the
country. Many prominent women played a
vital leading role in the Indian Freedom Movement. Many thousands of women
directly or indirectly support freedom struggle by providing their wealth and
demanding justice and led many agitations by raise their fist and take to the
streets demanding freedom from British.
When I was searched for women participants from Southern India, the
researcher has not found not exceeding ten freedom fighters in the history of Tamil
Nadu. Moreover, When Subhash Chandra
Bose made a call for joining INA, many young women sent their spouse for fought
for Indian freedom by joining INA. One
among them was Mrs.Shunmugaththai, who was the researcher’s own aunty. As a young uneducated women with one born
child and another elder son not complete the age of 5, at the age of 21she was ready to respond another call of her caste leader PasumponMuthuramalingaThevar
and prepared her mind and soul to sendher spouse to join INA. After He joined INA, he took a
group photos and sent to family members along with a letter worth mentioning
that INA is going to leave the country and marching towards Burma, If I am
alive I will back to home and see you all after World War II, otherwise accept
that I was no more and I sacrificed my life for India. As per his letter,Unfortunately,
he didn’treturn home after World War II. The only evidence that her husband in
INA was some black and white photos with my father Mr. M. Jesudoss, took before leaving India, Laterwhich
was the only evidence and main source of her to claim meagre freedom fighter’s
family Pension. In the meantime, the whole burden left on My
father M. Jesudoss’s shoulder as an elder boy of the family. As soon as he has completed III Form, and he
joined British Force as a trainee in Madras Boys Regiment, fortunately, by the
end of his training period World War II came
to an end. Fate played vital role,
sister’s husband in INA and M.Jesudoss in British during Indian Freedom Struggle. When My father Jesudossstood for roll call,
one British official came an asked him that anyone of your relative in INA, as a
young innocent boy answered that yes, my sister’s husband Sevaththa Pandian, by
hearing the name, that British official give a Great Salute to my father and
described his uncle’s heroic deed as a forceful officer in INA. After a year long hard military training he
was deputed as a drawsman in the
Department of Engineering, he earn Rs. 82/- as his salary which is almost equal
to British Official said by Mr. Jesudoss.
When the two nation theory announced all religious people fought each
other, he was deputed as a wireless operator on the day of implementing two
nation theory and declared India’s Independence.He
often recollected that I never forgot the day because everyone in Lahore to
Rawalpindi, Muslims move from India to Pakistan and Hindus from Pakistan to
India, migrants suffered with great grieve and sorrow due to loss of men and
material and a man was killed and through him on railway station nakedly with
wounds. I can’t forget that scene in my
life he said. Further, he added that
untold miseries happed on the day, all houses kept two kind of water pot with
religious mark on it in Punjab. When he
described to me, I don’t think that these were all the source material to write
history due to my ignorance. Even, hedon’t
keep his shooting medal, he melted it for anklet making for his sister’s
daughter. We never think the value of
the medals who won for his service. At
present, World War Medal and Independence Medal in the same cover that the
British officials send to his native address and preserve it as old article. On the day of declaration of India’s
Independence, he and truck driver alone went to Peshawar to brought back Indian
Army Official safely to India within a day.At
that juncture, when the truck enter into India – Pakistan Border, one young
Punjabi flat over Gelatins bombs hide underneath and saved his truck and army
official safely. Often, he remained this incident and said that
the
martyrdomPunjabi’s wife got only a medal and very meagre family pension, it’s
no way equal to his sacrifice.Today I am lived because of his
sacrifice, otherwise I was no more on the day itself. Punjabi are well known
for patriots and martyrdom. In such a
way many lakhs of Indians lost their life, happiness and think only about nation
and ready for sacrifice his soul for Nation building. Further researcher’s father narrated his
experience in army and His sister’s husband never turn back home. Ultimately, researcher’s aunty Mrs,
Shunmugathai Packiasamy Pandian of GurukkalPatti, accepted the reality that her
husband was a martyrdom for India and wore white saree as a symbol of widowhood
and other auspicious mark of removing tilak and flowers at the age of 16 years
old. Like her thousands of Indian
uneducated ladies lost their husband by sendingto INA. Now – a -days, the women who were lost their
husband in INA received meagre pension as recognized their service for the
nation.Here,
the sacrifice of a woman was not even respected by their own family and social taboo prevent them to access public
areas, which was see them as inauspicious symbols, throughout their life due to
widowhood, which is increasing their mental agony of the affected
woman. These pitiable women’s sacrifice their life and children lost their
father, sister lost their brother, parents lost their son and total devastation of their absence in the
family. So many of such women were not
inclusive in writing history of Tamil Nadu. Saraswathi Rajamani was a veteran
of the Indian National Army (INA). She is well known for her work in the
military intelligence wing of the army.
OBJECTIVES
This research
helps the historians to understand the role of women in freedom struggle in
India. To high light the contribution of
woman hailed from Tamil Nadu in India’s freedom struggle. To understand the sacrifice of women freedom
fighters to attain Independence. The readers enable to appreciate the role of
Saraswathi Rajamani who was worked as an efficient spy in INA. To enable the historians to appreciate women
who went through extraordinary struggles to make the dream of Independence a
reality. To stir the patriotic fervor among the public by highlighting the role
of women in Indian freedom struggle and made them as a courageous woman.Rajamani
was born in Rangoon, Burma (present day Myanmar) in 1927. Her forefathers were
belong to Thanjavur and settled in Burma.
Her father owned a gold mine and
was one of the richest Indians in Rangoon.Her
family was a staunch supporter of the Indian Freedom Movement and also financially
supported Indian National Movement.
SOURCES
This research was based on Primary Sources
gathered directly from Mr. J. Jesudoss
of Moovirundali Village, and Mr.
ChinnaDurai of Gurukkal Patti, Sankaranynarkoil Taluk, Tirunelveli district and
News Papers Special Correspondence Report, You Tube documentary acted by
Rajamani and available net sources.
HISTORIC
INCIDENT CHANGED RAJAMANI’S LIFE
Rajamani's life
changed when she was barely 10 years old. When, Mahatma Gandhi visited their
palatial home in Rangoon, the entire family played host to the Mahatma,while
Rajamani was practicing rifle shooting in their garden. Family members bought
her from Garder, Gandhiji asked her why
she needed a gun. "To shoot down the Britishers of course," replied
the young girl. Gandhiji told her that satyagraha was the only way to gain freedom. She said
no, I want to shoot them because the Britishers loot us so shot down them
to get freedom of India.
DONAR
OF INDIAN NATIONAL ARMY LIVES IN PENURY
At the age of 83,
SaraswathyRajamani lives in a one-room portion in a dilapidated house opposite
the Royapettah police station, where several photographs of Netaji Subhas
Chandra Bose adorn the cramped room's walls.
In one corner is an old sewing machine, which she used for stitching
cloth she collected from tailoring shop and used waste cloth, she stitched and
handed over to the needy or to the orphan homes. On a small narrow table is a
radio — her only companion — gifted to her by a friend in the early 1960s. It
is obvious, Ms. Rajamani is struggling to meet both ends meet. Not surprising,
as she lives off the freedom fighters pension given by the Government.
A
veteran of the Indian National Army (INA), Rajamani is too proud to admit that
she lives in penury. The tragedy is that she was born in a rich gold miner's
family that was a staunch supporter of the Indian freedom movement, in Rangoon
in Burma (now Myanmar) and it gave all their wealth for the freedom struggle.C.M.
Santhanam, another INA member, who even now calls on Rajamani regularly, says
that some of the members had petitioned successive governments to allot a small
flat for the old lady, but to no avail.
CONTRIBUTION
OF SARASWATHY IN INDIAN NATIONAL ARMY
Netaji's visit to Rangoon at the height of the
World War II to collect funds for the INA and recruit volunteers made a lasting
impact on her. As a 16-year-old young girl, inspired by Nethaji Subhash Chandra
Bose’s fiery speech at Rangoon, she donated all her gold and diamond jewelry to
the INA.Nethaji Realizing that the young girl might have donated the jewelry
innocently, Nethaji enquired about the
donor and visited her house to return it. However, Rajamani was adamant and
said that all jewels belongs to her and not to my father, so Rajamaniasked
Nethaji to uses it for the army. Nethaji
was highly impressed by her determination, he christened her Saraswathi. At this juncture,Sheexpressed
her desire to join the INA. Netaji said that Lakshmi [wealth] can comes but Saraswatithat need of an hour for INA
and recruited her in the
militaryintelligence wing and named her “Saraswathy.”
APPOINTED
AS SPY
In 1942, Rajamani was recruited to the
Rani of Jhansi regiment of the INA and was part of the army’s military
intelligence wing. Rajamani says that
she and four other girls in the unit masqueraded as men for almost two years to
gather intelligence on British agents.While posing as a boy, her name was Mani.As covert agents behind enemy
lines, they were responsible for intercepting government orders and military
intelligence from the British officers and handing these over to INA. Once, one of her colleagues was caught by the
British troops.
To rescue her, Rajamani infiltrated the
British camp dressed as a dancer. She drugged the British officers who were
in-charge and freed her colleague. Ms. Saraswathi, during her four-year stint
in the INA from 1942, played an active part in operations in the Indo-Burma
theatre of war. A member of the
intelligence wing, she was tasked with getting vital information from behind
enemy lines at great personal risk.
Recalling her experiences in the Eastern
sector with pride and patriotic fervor, Ms. SarawathiRajamani said among the
unforgettable episodes of those years was the successful rescue of a fellow INA
spy abducted by the British troops.
Along with some of her colleagues, they had secured their comrade's
release after tranquilising the British unit. However, while fleeing from the
enemy camp, she was shot and wounded. While they were escaping, Rajamani was shot
on the right leg by a British guard but she still managed to avoid
capture. Her work in the army ended when
Netaji disbanded the INA after World War II.For four years from 1942, when she
was recruited into the Rani of Jhansi regiment in Burma where she was born and
raised, Saraswathi was a member of the INA’s intelligence wing and joined
operations in the Indo-Burma theatre of war.
BULLET
WOUND
She recalls how one of the girls who
was caught by the British, she dressed herself as a dancing girl, drugged the
officers and rescued her colleague. She even suffered a bullet wound in her
right leg. Still bleeding as she ran, Rajamani and her friend climbed up a tree,
where theycamped for 3 days while the British carried out their search
operation. The bullet wound left her
with a permanent limp, but Rajamani was proud of it. She was given a medal by the Japanese Emperor
himself, along with the rank of Lieutenant in INA’s Rani of Jhansi
Brigade.
RETURNED
TO TAMIL NADU & SETTLED IN CHENNAI
When the INA was
disbanded after the British won the war, Saraswathy of Rani of Jhansi Regiment and the other INA members returned to India
on Netaji's instructions. After World War II, Rajamani’s family gave away all
their wealth, including the gold mine, and returned to India. In 2005, a
newspaper reported that Saraswathi Rajamani was living in Chennai and although
sustained by freedom fighters pension, she was struggling to make both ends
meet.
PRECIOUS
POSSESSIONS OF THE DONOR OF INA
Eighty-three-year-old Saraswathi proudly
carries a bullet wound ? a reminder of her time in the INA. The wound, a couple of certificates and at
least 10 portraits of Netaji that hang from the walls of a dingy tiled-roof
room that she calls home are among her most precious possessions. So are the INA khakis and cap that she donned
before limping to Jayalalithaa’s secretariat to receive a dole.
AN
APPEAL TO TAMIL NADU GOVERNMENT
About 60 years later, ailing, alone
and with no money, Saraswathi turned to the Tamil Nadu Government for help. Ms.
SarawathiRajamani has appealed to the Chief Minister to allot the flat in
Royapettah, an area familiar to her, instead of Anna Nagar. Further she stated
that “Four times, I have suffered heart attacks and I do not know how long I
can go on.” In a pre-election year,
Jayalalithaa was quick to respond. When Chief Minister Jayalalithaa invited
Indian National Army (INA) veteran SaraswathyRajamanito the Secretariat, she
wanted to give her financial assistance and a home to call her own.
MUCH
GIVER AS A RECIPIENT
At the Secretariat, the 83-year-old Ms. Saraswathy had something to
present to the Chief Minister: a memento with a portrait of Netaji Subhas
Chandra Bose inscribed on it. Clad in
INA khaki, Ms. Saraswathi greeted the Chief Minister with a salute and a
"Jai Hind!" Hon’ble Chief
Minister of Tamil Nadu Ms. Jayalalithaa
handed over a cheque for Rs 5 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Public Relief
Fund and the Keys of a Tamil Nadu Housing Board flat where she can live free of
rent. The money will be deposited with
the Tamil Nadu Power Finance and Infrastructure Development Corporation, out of
which Saraswathi can draw a monthly interest of Rs 2,917 all her life.During
the devastation tsunami of 2006, she also donated her meagre monthly pensionas a freedom fighter to relief fund to Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
Rajamani answer to press people
that “I am not able to speak much these days,” said Saraswathi alias Rajamani,
whose parents belonged to Thanjavur. But she recalled with pride the rescue of
a “fellow INA spy” abducted by British troops. It was “after tranquillising
that British unit, we secured our comrade’s release,” she says. She was shot at
and wounded as she fled the enemy camp.
Overwhelmed with joy, the INA
veteran thanked Ms. Jayalalithaa: "I am immensely pleased as the Chief
Minister has quickly responded to my appeal for assistance. I wish her a long
life so that she will continue to extend a helping hand to the poor and the
needy." Saraswathi, who was one of
about 60 INA veterans in the city, only three of whom are women. “The
chief minister told me she would also arrange for medical assistance for me,
but I politely replied that it may not be necessary.”
CONTRIBUION
TO NATIONAL MUSEUM
She has donated
insignia to the INA gallery of the Netaji Subhash Birthplace National Museum in
Cuttack, Odisha.Netaji Subhash Birthplace National Museum (NSBNM) in Cuttack
would have an exclusive gallery to display the Indian National Army (INA)
memorabilia, including photos, portraits and regalia of its soldiers.The
gallery is expected to be completed and opened to public on the 112th Birth Anniversary
of Netaji on January 23, 2008."We are going to add three new galleries to
the existing eight of the double-storied museum
which would be inaugurated on the birth anniversary of the legendary
leader. Of these, one gallery would be exclusively dedicated to INA
memorabilia," museum Director Chandrabhanu Patel said.Further he stated
that, steps have already been taken to collect information and artefacts
relating to INA soldiers and persons associated with it- both dead and
alive."We hope we would have enough materials of interest to display in
the gallery," he added.Meanwhile, a beginning has already been made in
this direction when a Delhi-based artist Md Aanwar donated a portrait of
Captain Laxmi Panda which would adore the gallery, sources said. IndiaLaxmi was
the youngest woman soldier of INA and died at the age of 83.The museum now
houses several INA insignia which have been obtained from INA secretary S.Yadav
of Delhi.Efforts are on to contact the living INA associates to collect some
more artefacts from them to be displayed in the museum, the sources said.Among
the main displays is an INA regalia sword which was handed over to Captain D
Dasan of Chennai by Netaji himself in 1944.Dasan, now president of
Chennai-based Netaji Subash Chandra Bose Memorial National Welfare Foundation,
during his visit to the state in 2004 had donated the four-feet long sword to
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for display at the museum.Besides, a pair of INA
uniforms donated by Lt R Laxmidevi Naidu and other insignia donated by INA
associates Capt C. M Santnam of Tokyo regiment and Capt R SaraswatiRajamani of
Burma regiment are at the museum.
The researcher
conclude that remember unsung heroines of each village should bring in the lime
light of writing real history of Tamil Nadu.
India finally got its hard-wonindependence; the courage and
contributions of many little-known freedom fighters have faded away from public
memory. Many heroines, who walked
shoulder to shoulder with the men during trying times, still remain in the
shadows, their faces forgotten and their bravery unsung. One such unacknowledged heroine is a woman
few Indians know about, a woman who live a life of intrigue and danger to help
her nation fight colonial rule. Saraswathi
Rajamani was not interested in Gandhiji’s thought of Ahimsa. Whereas she was
deeply impressed with Subhash Chandra Bose’s fiery speech and removed all her
expensive gold and diamond jewelry and donated it to the Indian National
Movement and both inspired each other.
Ultimately INA got a Saraswathi, a bold spy with four of her friends as
spies in INA’s intelligence wing. However,
the researcher can’t find the names of her friends joined in INA. Further, this research concentrate to
identify unsung heroines of Tamil Nadu,
woman whose exceptional bravery and intelligence deserves to be
recognized and respected by everyone and documented to fill the gap in
rewriting history of Tamil Nadu.
