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Kalpana Datta: The Fearless Revolutionary of Chittagong

When we study the massive history of the Indian Independence Movement, the textbooks heavily focus on the non-violent leaders. However, there was a massively fierce, underground armed struggle led by young teenagers who picked up bombs and guns against the British Empire. Kalpana Datta was one of the bravest female revolutionaries of this explosive era.

Question (Click to Flip)

Did Kalpana Datta write a book?

Answer

Yes. She wrote a highly famous, massive biographical book in Bengali titled 'Chittagong Armoury Raiders: Reminiscences', which provides a deeply emotional, first-hand account of the massive rebellion.

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Key Facts

Kalpana Datta was highly close friends with Pritilata Waddedar, another legendary female revolutionary who famously consumed cyanide poison to physically avoid being captured alive by the British police.

After independence, Kalpana married P.C. Joshi, the massive General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI).

1. Early Life and Inspiration

  • Kalpana Datta was born in 1913 in the massive Chittagong district of undivided Bengal (now entirely in Bangladesh).
  • While studying science at Bethune College in Calcutta, she was heavily inspired by the massive patriotic sacrifices of martyrs like Khudiram Bose and Bhagat Singh. She secretly joined the 'Chhatri Sangha', a massively underground semi-military organization for female students.

2. Joining Master Da Surya Sen

  • She left college and returned to Chittagong to join the highly secretive Indian Republican Army, a massive revolutionary group led by the legendary school teacher, Surya Sen (affectionately called Master Da).
  • Master Da was planning something completely unbelievable: An armed, military-style raid to physically capture the massive British weapons armoury in Chittagong.

3. The Chittagong Armoury Raid and Bomb Making

  • Kalpana Datta's job was incredibly dangerous. Because the British police rarely suspected young girls, she secretly transported explosive chemicals, heavy guns, and messages hidden under her dress.
  • She physically learned how to manufacture deadly gun-cotton bombs in secret hideouts.
  • In 1930, Surya Sen's team successfully raided the massive Chittagong Armoury, terrifying the British Empire. After the raid, when the revolutionaries hid in the deep forests, Kalpana actively fought gun battles against the British military forces.

4. Arrest and Trial

  • In 1933, the massive British army finally cornered Master Da and his team. While Master Da was brutally tortured and hanged, Kalpana Datta was arrested.
  • At her massive trial, the British judges originally wanted to sentence her to death because she was so incredibly dangerous, but considering her young age, she was sentenced to 'Life Imprisonment' in the massive Cellular Jail (Kala Pani) and later released in 1939.

Questions and Answers

Did Kalpana Datta write a book?+

Yes. She wrote a highly famous, massive biographical book in Bengali titled **'Chittagong Armoury Raiders: Reminiscences'**, which provides a deeply emotional, first-hand account of the massive rebellion.

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