There are thousands of stories from the Indian national movement that are not known to the masses. India's freedom is a result of such a display of unity where faces didn't meet each other but hearts beat together. While Britishers ruled with guns and atrocities, Indians countered them with strategy, planning, art and literature. Freedom is not a one-day feat. Among numerous makers of India's independence, some belonged to the world of literature. They imagined, they saw, they witnessed, they heard stories and told some. They penned them and the letters were sharper than swords fuelling the national movement, calling old, young, men and women together to finish it for once and all.
'The pen is mightier than the sword, the English saying saw the reality when revolutionary writings inspired people to fight for the motherland. No list, no piece can accommodate the names of these fiery writers and poets. Yet, we bring here some of them whose writings etched history.
Kazi Nazrul Islam: One of the lesser-known poets who took part in the freedom struggle, Kazi Nazrul Islam was a Bengali poet. His writings focused on intense rebel against oppression, human suffering
Kazi Nazrul Islam may be one of the lesser-known poets who were involved in the struggle, but his works deserve mention all the same. He was born into a poor Muslim family. He went on to learn theatre, literature, and poetry. Islam spent three years in the British army before revolting against them and preaching rebellion through his words. While in prison, he wrote against imperialism. He was against Muslim religious fundamentalism. His work includes Bidrohi (The Rebel) and Bhangar Gaan (The Song of Destruction), as well as Dhumketu (The Comet). Today, he is the national poet of Bangladesh.
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay: A renowned Bengali poet, known as Emperor of Literature and the man who wrote verses of the national song of India - Vande Mataram. Bankim Chandra Chatterjee also referred to as Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, was a writer and journalist. He was born in 1838 in the present Indian state of West Bengal (then-Bengal presidency). His writings focused on social evils and empowered people to take a stand against it. His most popular work is 'Anandmath', the novel which features the hymn 'Vande Mataram'. His other works include 'Durgeshnandini' (1865), 'Kapalkundala' (1866), 'Krishnakanter Will' (1878), and 'Devi Chaudhurani' (1884).
Rabindranath Tagore: The first Indian to win a Nobel prize and that too in literature. A writer, poet, painter, singer - a man with many talents, Tagore was one of the exponents of the Bengal Renaissance. Ahead of his time, Tagore was a nationalist. What he wrote decades ago became a habit of every Indian so deep that today also, it is part of India's national symbols. He is the creator of 'Jan Gan Man', the national anthem of India, and 'Amar Shonar Bangla', Bangladesh's national anthem. His popular work includes 'Where The Mind Is Without Fear' and poetry collection 'Gitanjali'.
Sarojini Naidu: A timeless poet, best known as the Nightingale of India, Sarojini Naidu was an active member of the Indian National Congres. She played a pivotal role in the Civil Disobedience movement with Mahatma Gandhi. A versatile poet, Naidu wrote for children, and romance and her imagination skills were lauded by all. Her work on patriotism was fuelled by her association with the leaders of the Indian National movement. She was also the first woman Governor to hold office in the Dominion of India. Some of her well-known poems include: 'The Golden Threshold', 'The Bird of Time', 'The Feather of the Dawn' among others.
Shyamlal Gupta: He was born in the Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh in September 1896. His pen name was 'Parshad'. He was a revolutionary, not just in writing but in practice too. He launched a monthly magazine 'Sachiv' with write-ups to instill a willingness of freedom among fellow countrymen. His writings were so attacking that only one book of his songs was published, but yet it become immortal. The title of the book was 'Jhanda Uuncha Rahe Hamara', a song that still comes to mind as soon as one thinks of India. The song was later adopted as 'Flag Song' by Congress.
Hasrat Mohani: Slogans have been a source of inspiration in such a way that even today people refer to some of them to show their anger and revolt against the system. One of the most profound and stimulating slogans was 'Inquilab Zindabad'. These two words drew a force that compelled Britisher to leave Gorund on many occasions. It was penned by Syed Fazal-ul-Hasan, popularly known as Hasrah Mohani. He studied at Aligarh Muslim University and after graduation, published a magazine in the name of 'Urdu-e-Mualla'. He wrote against oppression, the wrong policies of imperialists and wrote to make people aware of the freedom struggle.
Sri Aurobindo: Born in Calcutta and educated in England, Sri Aurobindo was a man of values and devotion. He promulgated the idea of Bande Mataram, complete independence and was jailed twice on sedition charges. He led many movements against British rule and left for Puducherry after having encountered fundamental spiritual realisations.
Chinnaswami Subramania Bharati: Another lesser-known name on the list is Chinnaswami Subramania Bharati. Born in Tamil Nadu, Bharati went on to become a journalist, activist, social reformer and writer against social evil. He was given the title of 'Mahakavi Bharati'. He wrote on women, against child marriage and many other issues. He had escaped to Puducherry to aver arrest under British rule and published the weekly journal India and Vijaya, which the Britishers banned to suppress his nationalist voice.
Ram Prasad Bismil: He believed in taking back freedom by force, he was never of the view to negotiate or beg for it. Ram Prasad Bismil was India's one of the most revered freedom fighters. He wrote in Hindi and Urdu under the pen names 'Agyat', 'Ram', and 'Bismil' (meaning ‘wounded’, ‘restless’). His fight for freedom began when he heard about the death sentence that was handed out to Arya Samaj missionary Bhai Parmanand. His anger came out through his poem 'Mera Janm'. He was just 18 then.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak: A journalist by profession, the Lokmanya used to write about independence movements in a Marathi newspaper called Kesari. He was the founder of the paper 'Punjab Kesari' and the one to give the idea of 'Swaraj'. His famous declaration "Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it," became a motivation for future freedom movements.
Maithili Sharam Gupt: Born in August 1886 in Uttar Pradeh's Jhansi, Maithin Sharam Gupt was one of India's modern Hindi poets. According to Amar Chitra Khatha's website, he wrote in plain dialect (Khari Boli) and his poems were based on patriotic, religious themes taking inspiration from Ramayana and Mahabharata. His most famous work is 'Bharat-Bharati' where he wrote about the freedom struggle.
Notably, Mahatma Gandhi was so much inspired by his work that he honoured him with the title Rashtra Kavi. His other works include Saket, Jayadrath Vadh, Kirano Ka Khel, and Yashodhara.
Mahadevi Verma: She was a Hindi poet, an educationist, and a freedom fighter. She wrote poems in secret and went to be known as the modern Mirabai. She was born in Agra and studied college in Allahabad (now Prayagraj). While she wrote in secret, it was after meeting Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, who was her roommate, that her talent came forth. Both girls decided to do poetry together. She wrote about girls being considered as a burden on the family, she inspired women to lead and take part in the freedom struggle.
Subhadra Kumari Chauhan: As mentioned above, a friend of Mahadevi Verma, Subhadra Kumari Chauhan was a ferocious writer. Her style of poetry was 'Veer Ras', which meant her poems had an image of bravery and fighting spirit. One of her most famous poems is 'Jhansi K Rani'. She is also called 'Kavya Senani' for her writing against British rule. She was also arrested twice for protesting aginst the English regime.