AMRIT FESTIVAL OF INDEPENDENCE "A Tribute to Heroes of Indian Freedom Struggle"

                           India's Forgotten ...? Freedom Fighter

                          Durgavati Devi (Durga Bhabhi)….?

                 A great woman revolutionary.. (Sacrifice and her bravery)

Durga Bhabhi: A great female revolutionary who lost even her husband for the sake of India's independence. India got independence after a long struggle. But today we are forgetting the freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives to get this freedom. Especially, those women freedom fighters, who played an important role in the independence of the country shoulder to shoulder with the men.

One such forgotten story is that of Durga Devi Vohra, Durgavati Devi popularly known as 'Durga Bhabhi, Durga Bhabhi was born on 7 October 1902 to Pandit Banke Bihari in Shahzadpur village now Kaushambi district. She was an Indian revolutionary and freedom fighter. He not only carried out important activities during the freedom struggle but also had a deep influence on the lives of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev. She is best known for going on a train journey with Bhagat Singh, in which she took part in disguise after Saunders was murdered.

Durgavati Devi was married at the age of eleven to Bhagwati Charan Vohra. She was the wife of Bhagwati Charan Vohra, a member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA), so other members of the HSRA referred to her as Bhabhi and became popular in Indian revolutionary circles as "Durga Bhabhi". Durga Bhabhi went into oblivion. Even after living the life of the British, to get freedom for the country, brick by brick was played by the British.

Durgavati Devi's father-in-law Shivcharan ji was posted in a high position in the railways. The British government gave him the title of Rai Saheb. Despite being the son of Bhagwati Charan Bohra Rai Sahib, he wanted to free the country from the slavery of the British. He was the propaganda secretary of the revolutionary organization. After the death of father in the year 1920, Bhagwati Charan Vohra came openly in the revolution and his wife Durga Bhabhi also fully supported. She was one of the few women revolutionaries who actively participated in the armed revolution against the ruling British Raj.

Bhagwati, who grew up seeing the atrocities of the British since childhood, became involved in the movement of Satyagraha in the 1920s. As a student of the National College of Lahore, he started a study circle with Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Yashpal, which became the world's largest student. It was created to know and understand about the revolutionary movements taking place across the country.

At that time Durga Devi used to teach in a college in Lahore. She first came into contact with the revolutionaries who had come to her home, and joined the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA). The goal of HSRA was to free India from the shackles of British rule. By the late 1920s, HSRA members had increased their revolutionary activities and Durga Devi became an integral part of the HSRA as an important planner.

In 1928, three years after giving birth to her son, Durga Devi had to stop her activities. Because the British soldiers had launched a brutally repressive campaign against the HSRA members. Bhagwati Charan rented a room in Lahore to make bombs at that time.

 Husband's Death

After throwing a bomb in the Central Assembly. When Bhagat Singh was arrested, bombs were made to save him. On 28 May 1930, Durga Devi's husband Bhagwati Charan Vohra, along with his companions, was conducting tests after making a bomb on the banks of the Ravi river, due to which he died. Durga Devi remained active even after the death of her husband. To overcome the death of her husband, Durga Devi had intensified her revolutionary activities. In July 1929, he led a procession in Lahore with a picture of Bhagat Singh and demanded his release. A few weeks later, Jatindra Nath Das, who went on hunger strike for 63 days, was martyred in the prison itself! It was Durga Devi who got him cremated in Lahore.

On 8 October 1929, he attacked a British police officer standing on Lamington Road in South Bombay. This was the first time a woman was found 'involved in such revolutionary activities'. For this, he was arrested and imprisoned for three years.

On 9 October 1930, Durga Bhabhi opened fire on Governor Halley, in which Governor Halley survived but military officer Taylor was injured. The police commissioner of Mumbai was also shot by Durga Bhabhi, as a result of which the British police fell behind them. Durga Bhabhi and partner Yashpal were arrested from a flat in Mumbai. Durga Bhabhi's job was to bring and carry pistols from Rajasthan for fellow revolutionaries. The pistol with which Chandrashekhar Azad shot himself while fighting the British was brought to him by Durga Bhabhi. At that time also Durga Bhabhi was with him.

Bhagat Singh saved

When Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev came after shooting British police officer John Saunders, they stayed at Durga Devi's house. Durga Bhabhi also did the work of transporting him to Kolkata. To save him from the police, Durga Devi changed the look of Bhagat Singh and took him to Kolkata, pretending to be his wife.

In the years after independence, Durga Devi lived a life of oblivion in Lucknow. On October 15, 1999, at the age of 92, she said goodbye to this world.

This is what has happened often… our history is the sacrifice of women and His bravery is often forgotten. Many such heroines always remain hidden. Durga Devi Vohra is also one of those heroines!

Many salutes to such brave women who died for the freedom of the country!