He learnt to spell protest early in life – as a college student leading the protest against the Principal’s order mandating students to wear blazers made from imported British cloth and getting expelled, to being fired from his first job for insubordination.
It was Madan Lal Dhingra who, while studying in England, assassinated William Hutt Curzon Wyllie, a retired British Indian army and administrative officer, on July 1, 1909.
He was born in the wealthy family of Dr. Ditta Mal Dhingra, a civil surgeon in Amritsar, on February 18, 1883.
Dhingra also worked as a labourer in a factory, where he attempted to organise a union but was sacked for making the effort.
He then worked in Bombay briefly, before his elder brother convinced him to move to England to finish his studies.
Dr. Chaman Lal, retired JNU Professor, an expert on Bhagat Singh and adviser to Bhagat Singh Archives and Resource Centre in the capital, tells IANS: “He was initially influenced by the ‘Pagdi Sambhal Jatta’ movement of Lala Lajpat Rai and Ajit Singh. In England, he took admission in an engineering course and came in contact with Shyamji Krishna Varma and Veer Savarkar.
“Both Dhingra and Savarkar were of the same age group. The latter came to England on a scholarship established by Varma, but was inclined towards Hindutva ideology. Varma was more liberal and rational in his views, but he had to leave for Paris when the British government started harassing him.
“Madan Lal was now under the spell of Savarkar and it was he who inspired him to shoot Curzon Wyllie, who was notorious for using Indians as informers for the British government. In fact, even the pistol for this purpose was provided by Savarkar.”
Also, several weeks before assassinating Curzon Wyllie, Dhingra had tried to kill George Nathaniel Curzon, Viceroy of India. He had also planned to assassinate the ex-Governor of Bengal, Bampfylde Fuller.
The revolutionary, who shot Wyllie multiple times in the face was arrested on the spot immediately. During his trial, he represented himself and did not recognise the legitimacy of the court. After the judge pronounced him guilty, he said: “I am proud to have the honour of laying down my life for my country. But remember, we shall have our time in the days to come.” He was hanged on August 17, 1909.
“We can say that a major trigger for Mahatma Gandhi to write ‘Hind Swaraj’ was Madan Lal Dhingra,” Dr. Lal says.
On account of several revolutionaries not given their due by successive governments, Dr. Lal says that every political party has its own agenda and acts on how history textbooks suit their narrative.
“Essentially, it is about people — whether they choose to remember or forget. And what can you do if they choose the latter?” says Dr. Lal.
The expert emphasies that major steps need to be taken to make history more interesting for school children. He signs off by adding: “Believe me, even I never liked it as a child. I have been writing extensively about the need to overhaul the education system. Things can improve.”
—IANS
Comments are closed.