“We were attracted to the Freedom movement through the towering personality and charisma of Mahatma Gandhi. It was a time for us to resolve to sacrifice our lives for a dear cause of the nation, and we were all too eager to follow the footsteps of Gandhi. He had such a great appeal among the youths in those days.” This was how veteran freedom fighter and nonagenarian Gandharba Chaudhury of Sanara Chaudhury village in Jagatsinghpur district explained how he got attracted to the Freedom movement. Gandharba Chaudhury was one of the four freedom fighters from Orissa who were felicitated by President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhawan on the occasion of Kranti Divas. He leads a quiet life. He lost his wife 23 years ago and spends precious time with the families of his two sons and four daughters. Back home after his Delhi trip, Chaudhury fondly remembered the days when patriotism was the flavour of the season. “All of us youngsters were in a mood to sacrifice our lives for the sake of the motherland,” said he in a chat with Orissa POST. Excerpts from the interview he had with correspondent Pramod Kumar Nayak.
Q: How do you feel after being honoured in Delhi?
A: It was unexpected. The call came and I went to the capital by flight. President Ram Nath Kovind felicitated me along with several other freedom fighters from around the country. I was in high spirits starting from the time I got the news of being chosen for the felicitation to the time I returned back home. This was a rare experience for me. It gave me immense pleasure.
Q: What was your role in the Freedom movement?
A: It was a time I was studying at the Ganaile upper primary school. Two activists of the Freedom movement, Biswambar Parida and Pranakrushna Padhiary, prevailed on me to be part of the movement. I was already in a mood to join the fight. Without giving a second thought, I plunged into the mainstream of the nationalist struggle. I used to spread the message of Mahatma Gandhi, going from village to village, that too by foot. I had to work secretly for fear the police would catch me. Policemen were in the habit of framing false charges and arresting Freedom fighters.
Q:Any memorable moment
of your time?
A: We came to know Gandhiji was coming to Delanga. We were greatly thrilled. We walked all the way to Delanga to have a glimpse of the Mahatma. There I got a rare opportunity of my life. I could personally meet Gandhiji and have a few words with him. Bapu gave me copies of a booklet carrying a message that the people of lower castes should not be looked down upon by the rest of the society. I went about distributing this booklet in villages.
Q: How do you remember the incident of August 9, 1942?
A: I still remember the day August 9, when the national executive of the Congress was held in Bombay. The British government was trying its best to abort the plan. The government even tried to arrest leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel. This move triggered a ‘do or die’ situation for the sangramis. The freedom fighters offered themselves to be arrested first before the arrest of their leaders. The British rulers had a tough time. It was a turning point in the Freedom movemen
