Independence Day 2022: As India is celebrating the 75th year of its independence, here’s the story of Gaur Hari Das, a 91-year-old freedom fighter from Mumbai, who worked closely with Mahatma Gandhi and Acharya Vinoba Bhave in the freedom movement. However, even after India attained Independence, Das had to struggle for 32 years to prove himself as a "freedom fighter".
32 years of struggle
Gaur Hari Das, originally from Odisha, lives in Mumbai with his family over the past five decades.
Das said, “The fight to prove myself as a freedom fighter started when my son did not get admission in an engineering college on the former freedom fighter quota. At the same time that year, I had decided that I would now prove myself as a freedom fighter.”
“Since I am originally from Odisha, I took part in the freedom movement in the state. That's why I got to hear several times from the Maharashtra government that it does not help the former freedom fighters of other states. I had to run from pillar to post for 32 years and finally after a long legal battle, in the year 2008, I got the certificate of being a former freedom fighter.”
Meeting Mahatma Gandhi
Recalling his first and last meeting with Mahatma Gandhi, Gaur Hari Das said, “When I met Bapu, I must have been only 14 years old. Bapu praised my work. The country became independent when I was 16. But I decided that I will live my life based on the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi.”
Work of the ‘Vanar Sena’
Asked about the ‘Vanar Sena’, Das said, “We used to work as "Vanar Sena". Our job was to deliver the letters of the freedom fighters to their families and to return the letters received from the family back to them. We also used to send the letter of one freedom fighter to another.”
Jail visit
“I was kept in jail for a total of 46 days for hoisting the Tricolour. We were lodged separately from the common inmates as we were political prisoners,” Das said.
The journey from Odisha to Bihar
“After working in Odisha for several years, I felt that if I want to work for the country, I should work outside the state. That's why I went to Bihar. There I met Acharya Vinoba Bhave. I worked for almost a year in Bihar by participating in the Bhoodan movement (Bloodless Revolution) of Acharya Vinoba Bhave.
Talking about how he got the news of the Independence, he said, “I went to take a bath when I heard the sound of drums from afar. When I asked, I was told that the country has got its freedom and people are celebrating the independence.”