While people of all ages, castes, classes and genders were engaged in India’s freedom struggle, there are a few names that dominate. Among the women, one such name is Usha Mehta, a young Gujarati freedom fighter who played a crucial role in the Quit India Movement by running a clandestine radio station to spread the message of independence, while eluding the British authorities. As India enters its 70th year of independence, here is her story.
Usha Mehta was a young 22 year old when she was found out by the British authorities, and held in solitary confinement while she was interrogated for six months. Her crime? She, along with her allies, was running the Congress Radio, which disseminated messages from prominent freedom fighters. The radio station’s location had to move almost every day to keep the authorities from catching them.
However, get caught, they did, betrayed by one of their own. And all of them were imprisoned as well. In prison, she refused to either buckle under any attempts at getting bribed through promises of foreign education or pressure to speak during her trials. She chose to remain silent, and was eventually sentenced to four years imprisonment.
Even though India won its independence not long after Usha Mehta’s imprisonment in 1942, it would be a mistake to think that she played a small role in the freedom movement. She was only 5 years old, when she first attended a camp near her village, Saras, in Gujarat that Gandhi had arranged. She was just 8 when she first vocally protested against the imperialist forces, saying “Simon Go Back”. And she protested loudly more than once at that tender age. By the time she was 12, Usha’s family moved to Bombay, where she continued her participation in the freedom movement. She engaged in distributing secret publications, visiting relatives in prisoners and carrying messages to them at the time.
By the time Quit India Movement was initiated in August 1942, Usha was already an active freedom fighter. A rally from Gowalia Tank grounds in Mumbai, now known as ‘August Kranti Maidan’, was to mark the start of the movement in the city. Usha was among the persons who hoisted the Indian flag that day. However, she was unable to see the hoisting of the tricolour on the day of India’s independence, since her health had suffered on account her jail time.
Nevertheless, her role in India’s development was far from over. She had given up on her law studies during the freedom struggle, but continued her education after India’s independence. She earned her PhD from University of Bombay, based on her dissertation on Gandhi’s political and social thought. She eventually taught there, and retired in 1980 as the Head of Department for Civics and Politics. She continued to remain socially active through her life as well, writing prolifically in both English and Gujarati. She received the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award in India, in 1998 for all her work.She passed on in 2000. While she chose to remain single, she is survived by her brother and his family.
The post has been curated from various internet sources. Please let us know in case if you see any contradictions.
Usha Mehta was a young 22 year old when she was found out by the British authorities, and held in solitary confinement while she was interrogated for six months. Her crime? She, along with her allies, was running the Congress Radio, which disseminated messages from prominent freedom fighters. The radio station’s location had to move almost every day to keep the authorities from catching them.
However, get caught, they did, betrayed by one of their own. And all of them were imprisoned as well. In prison, she refused to either buckle under any attempts at getting bribed through promises of foreign education or pressure to speak during her trials. She chose to remain silent, and was eventually sentenced to four years imprisonment.
Even though India won its independence not long after Usha Mehta’s imprisonment in 1942, it would be a mistake to think that she played a small role in the freedom movement. She was only 5 years old, when she first attended a camp near her village, Saras, in Gujarat that Gandhi had arranged. She was just 8 when she first vocally protested against the imperialist forces, saying “Simon Go Back”. And she protested loudly more than once at that tender age. By the time she was 12, Usha’s family moved to Bombay, where she continued her participation in the freedom movement. She engaged in distributing secret publications, visiting relatives in prisoners and carrying messages to them at the time.By the time Quit India Movement was initiated in August 1942, Usha was already an active freedom fighter. A rally from Gowalia Tank grounds in Mumbai, now known as ‘August Kranti Maidan’, was to mark the start of the movement in the city. Usha was among the persons who hoisted the Indian flag that day. However, she was unable to see the hoisting of the tricolour on the day of India’s independence, since her health had suffered on account her jail time.
Nevertheless, her role in India’s development was far from over. She had given up on her law studies during the freedom struggle, but continued her education after India’s independence. She earned her PhD from University of Bombay, based on her dissertation on Gandhi’s political and social thought. She eventually taught there, and retired in 1980 as the Head of Department for Civics and Politics. She continued to remain socially active through her life as well, writing prolifically in both English and Gujarati. She received the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award in India, in 1998 for all her work.She passed on in 2000. While she chose to remain single, she is survived by her brother and his family.
The post has been curated from various internet sources. Please let us know in case if you see any contradictions.
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