INTRODUCTION

Swadeshi movement was one of the major significant events in the History of Freedom
Movement in India. It was started in 1905 as an agitation against the partition of Bengal. The
presidency of Bengal was the most populous province in British India. It included not only
the western and eastern parts, but also Bihar, Assam and most part of Orissa. In regarding to
population distribution of this huge administrative unit, the eastern part of Bengal was
dominated by the Muslim population whereas the western part was by the Hindus. In the
central part of Bengal the two communities balanced each other. As the Bengal presidency as
an administrative unit was increasing in size as a result of conquest and annexations, it was
thought difficult to administer. Therefore, the idea of reorganizing Bengal presidency had
been an issue that came for discussions among the British officials. The discussions of the
partition of Bengal had been carried out since the time of the Orissa famine of 1866. In this
direction, Assam was separated from Bengal in 1874. The proposal to transform Chittagong
division to Assam came out in 1892 and in 1896 again the proposal to transform the districts
of Dacca and Mymensingh, so that the Assam could become a Lieutenant Governor’s
province. But both these proposal did not materialize. Up to this point, the considerations of
the official regarding the partition of Bengal were only administrative. But things began to
change by the time of Lord Curzon. He planned a programme first in 1903, which proposed
to transfer the Chittagong division, Dacca, Mymensingh districts to Assam and Chota Nagpur
to the Central Provinces; Bengal would receive in return Sambalpur and the feudatory states
from Central Provinces etc. However, the final scheme of partition of Bengal was brought out
in July 19, 1905, with some modifications over the previous plan. As for this plan, a new
province of Eastern Bengal and Assam was constituted with all districts of Chittangong,
Dacca and Rajshahi divisions as well as Tippera, Malda and Assam. The motive behind this
plan of partition was beyond the administrative grounds. If it was on administrative grounds,
Curzon would have accepted several other logical ways of partition like linguistic division.
But, he was intended for further weakening the Congress which was little to show for its
existence in 1903 (John R. McLane, 1977) and dividing the articulated Bengali community
which had controlled the Congress so as to weaken the growing nationalism.
ORIGIN

The Swadeshi movement was multifaced, it could attract all sections of the society. The
movement could spell its charm to attract landlords, low-caste people, students, and women
at all. Though the Swadeshi movement was a mass movement, the fact remains that it
disappeared by 1908-by and large it were a „failure‟. Inspite of it being dubbed as a failure,
the movement, nevertheless failed to make its own contributions. It is, indeed, this
movement, which mooted the „idea of nationalism‟.

The Anti-partition movement, or the Swadeshi movement as it came to be called, was

remarkable, in many respects and most of all in the active programme which it placed before
the nation. The program was fourfold; a) Boycott of foreign goods, especially of British
goods; b)The exclusive use of Swadeshi goods and the promotion indigenous industries;
c)National education as different from the soulless education which was meant only to
mancifacture intelligent clerks and finally; d) Demand for Swaraj, or self-rule on the same
pattern as England itself.

Inspite of its disappearance, the impact of Swadeshi movement could be witnessed in every
stage of freedom movement like Non co-operation movement, Civil Disobedience movement
and Quit India movement.

The swadeshi movement had its origin in the anti-partition movement. During 1900, Bengal
had become the nerve centre for Indian nationalism. At that time it was the biggest province
of British India and included parts of Bihar and Orissa. To weaken it, Lord Curzon (1899–
1905) the Viceroy of India, proposed partition of Bengal. The official reason was stated as
administrative convenience due to the size of Bengal. But partition itself was based on a
religious and political agenda. Bengal was to be divided into two regions i.e. East Bengal and
Assam out of the rest of Bengal. Thus to reduce the nationalist movement in Bengal and
thereby in the entire country, Bengal partition was to take place on 16 October 1905. H. H.
Riseley, home secretary to the government of India, stated on 6 December 1904: "Bengal
united is a power; Bengal divided will pull in several different ways. That is what Congress
leaders feel; their apprehensions are perfectly correct and they form one of the great merits of
the scheme... in this scheme... one of our main objects is to split up and thereby weaken a
solid body of opponents to our rule".
So the British tried to curb Bengali influence on the nationalist movement and also
introduced a new form of division based on religion to create challenges for the Indian
National Congress, which was slowly becoming the main opponent to British rule. But the
Indian nationalists saw the design behind partition and condemned it unanimously, starting
the anti-partition and the swadeshi movements. The swadeshi movement was also known as
„Vande Mataram‟ movement.

The proposal of partition of Bengal became publicly known in 1903, followed by immediate
and spontaneous protests all over Bengal. 500 meetings were held in East Bengal alone.
50,000 copies of a pamphlet with a detailed critique of partition were distributed. This phase
is marked by moderate techniques of protest such as petitions, public meetings, press
campaign, etc. to turn public opinion in India as well as in Britain against partition. This
movement also involved the boycott of British products. Western clothes were thrown onto
bonfires. To let the British know how unhappy the Indians were at the partition of Bengal,
leaders of the anti-partition movement decided to use only Indian goods and to boycott
British goods. People gathered at the cross roads and burnt the imported clothes that they had.
People picketed the shops selling foreign goods, and imported sugar was boycotted. People
also resolved to use things made only in India and this was called the Swadeshi movement.
Trends in Begal’s Swadeshi Movement

The Swadeshi movement in Bengal had two trends. First trend was the ‘constructive
Swadeshi’. The movement during this phase was not political. It gave more emphasis to
constructive programme which were taken as self-strengthening movement and therefore
prepared the ground for the subsequent political agitation. In their way of self-strengthening
programme, the importance was given to Hindu religion revivalism as it was thought a
ground for imagining India as a nation. As a part of constructive programme, national schools
as well as the indigenous industries were established. The other trend of Swadeshi movement
in Bengal was political extremism. This trend was led by political extremists like Aurobindo
Ghosh and Bepin Chandra Pal. They were critical of the non- political constructive
programme and argued that the political freedom of India could be the pre-condition for the
regeneration of national life. Therefore achieving complete independence or Swaraj became
their goal. The programme at this stage was passive resistance. This programme needed the
mass to be mobilized for the movement. For the same purpose the religion was used as a tool.
The organization of samitis was another way which was used for the mass mobilization.
Through samitis the programs like physical training, propagation of the Swadeshi message
were carried out. The bureaucracy was determined to suppress the Swadeshi, boycott
movement in Bengal. The Barisal conference showed the coercive techniques in the utter
ruthlessness. The conference was held on April 14, 1906, where the procession led by
Surendranath Banerjee, Motilal Ghose, and Bhupendranath Babu was attacked by the police
for the cry of the ‘Vande Matram’. Kesari the Marathi newspaper welcomed the move of the
Bengal leaders who had agitated for obtaining the rights and shouted the slogan of ‘Vande
Matram’ (Kesari, May 15, 1906).1

Moderates Agitation (1903-05):

In the words of Sumit Sarkar the moderates all share an ‘attachment to the British
connection’ and consider colonial self-government to be the ultimate goal, but they include
subgroups of loyalist aristrocrats, very cautious politicians of the Mehta- Gokale brand, and
the Bengal variety. The last name have no longer faith in the British, but still desire the

http://zenithresearch.org.in/images/stories/pdf/2012/JUNE/ZIJMR/14_ZIJMR_VOL2_ISSUE6_JUNE2012.pdf
continuance of british rule purely on grounds of expediency , they are supposed to stand for a
most active and persistently policy of ‘passive resistance’.2

During the period, the leadership was provided by men like Surendranath Benerjea, K.K.
Mitra and Prithwishchandra Ray. The methods adopted were petitions to the Government,
public meetings, adopted were petitions to the Government, public meetings, memoranda,
and propaganda through pamphlets and newspapers such as Hitabadi, Sanjibani and
Bengalee.

Their objective was to exert sufficient pressure on the Government through an educated
public opinion in India and England to prevent the unjust partition of Bengal from being
implemented. Ignoring a loud public opinion against the partition proposal, the Government
announced partition of Bengal in July 1905. Within days, protest meetings were held in small
towns all over Bengal.

It was in these meetings that the pledge to boycott foreign goods was first taken. On August
7, 1905, with the passage of Boycott Resolution in a massive meeting held in the Calcutta
Town hall, the formal proclamation of Swadeshi Movement was made. After this, the leaders
dispersed to other parts of Bengal to propagate the message of boycott of Manchester cloth
and Liverpool salt.

October 16, 1905, the day the partition formally came into force, was observed as a day of
mourning throughout Bengal. People fasted, bathed in the Ganga and walked barefoot in
processions singing Bande Mataram (which almost spontaneously became the theme song of
the movement).

People tied rakhis on each other’s hands as a symbol of unity of the two halves of Bengal.
Later in the day, Surendranath Benerjea and Ananda Mohan Bose addressed huge gatherings
(perhaps the largest till then under the nationalist banner). Within a few hours of the meeting,
Rs 50,000 were raised for the movement.

Soon, the movement spread to other parts of the country—in Poona and Bombay under Tilak,
in Punjab under Lala Lajpat Rai and Ajit Singh, in Delhi under Syed Haider Raza, and the
Madras under Chidambaram Pillai.

2
Swadeshi movement in Bengal, Sumit Sarkar,26-27
The Indian National Congress, meeting in 1905 under the presidentship of Gokhale, resolved
to:

(i) condemn the partition of Bengal and the reactionary policies of Curzon and

(ii) support the anti- partition and Swadeshi Movement of Bengal.

The militant nationalists led by Tilak, Lajput Rai, Bipin Chandra Pal and Aurobindo Ghosh
wanted the movement to be taken outside Bengal to other parts of the country and go beyond
a boycott of foreign goods to become a full-fledged political mass struggle with the goal of
attaining swaraj. But the Moderates, dominating the Congress at that time, were not willing to
go that far.

However, a big step forward was taken at the Congress session held at Calcutta (1906) under
presidentship of Dadabhai Naoroji, where it was declared that the goal of the Indian National
Congress was ‘self-government or swaraj like the United Kingdom or the colonies’.

The Moderate-Extremist dispute over the pace of the movement and techniques of struggle
reached a deadlock at the Surat session of the Indian National Congress (1907) where the
party split with serious consequences for the Swadeshi Movement.

Militant Movement:

After 1905, the Extremists acquired a dominant influence over the Swadeshi Movement in
Bengal. There were three reasons for this:

1. The Moderate-led movement had failed to yield results.

2. The divisive tactics of the Governments of both the Bengals had embittered the
nationalists; and

3. The Government had resorted to suppressive measures, which included atrocities on

students— many of whom were given corporal punishment; ban on public singing of Bande
Mataram; restriction on public meetings; prosecution and long imprisonment of swadeshi
workers; clashes between the police and the people in many towns; arrests and deportation of
leaders; and suppression of freedom of the press.

Emboldened by Dadabhia Naoroji’s declaration at the Calcutta session (1906) the self-
government or swaraj was to be the goal of the Congress, the Extremists gave a call for
passive resistance in addition to swadeshi and boycott which would include a boycott of
government schools and colleges, Government service, courts, legislative councils,
municipalities, Government titles, etc. so as to, as Aurbindo put it, “make the administration
under present conditions impossible by an orgnised refusal to do anything which will help
either the British commerce in the exploitation of it.”

The militant nationalists put forward several fresh ideas at the theoretical, propaganda and
programme levels. Among the several forms of struggle thrown up by the movement were:

Boycott of foreign good:

This included boycott and public burning of foreign cloth, boycott of foreign-made salt or
sugar, refusal by priests to ritualize marriages involving exchange of foreign goods, refusal
by wahermen to wash foreign clothes. This form of protest met with great success at the
practical and popular level.

Public meeting and procession:

These emerged as major methods of mass mobilisation and simultaneously as forms of

popular expression.

Crops of volunteers of ‘Samitis’:

Samitis such as the Swadesh Bandhab Samiti of Ashwini Kumar Dutta (in Barisal) emerged
as a very popular and powerful method of mass mobilization. These samitis generated
political consciousness among the masses through magic lantern lectures, swadeshi songs,
physical and moral training to their members, social work during famines and epidemics,
organization of schools, training in swadeshi crafts and arbitration courts.

Imaginative use of traditional popular festivals and meals:

The idea was to use such occasions as a means of reaching out to the masses and spreading
political massages. For instance, Tilak’s Ganapatii and Shivaji festivals became a medium of
swadeshi propaganda not only in western India, but also in Bengal. In Bengal also, the
traditional folk theatre forms were used for the propose.

Emphasis given to self-reliance or ‘atma shakti’:

This implied re-assertion of national dignity, honour and confidence and social and economic
regeneration of the villages. In practical terms, it included social reforms and campaigns
against caste oppression, early marriage, dowry system, consumption of alcohol, etc.

Programme of swadeshi or national education. Bengal National Collage, inspired by Tagore’s

Shantiniketan, was set with Aurobindo Ghosh as its principal. Soon national school and
colleges sprang up in various parts of the country. On August 15, 1906, the National Council
of Education was set up to organize a system of education—literary, scientific and
technical—on national lines and under national control.

Education was to be imparted through the medium of vernaculars. A Bengal Institute of

Technology was set up for technical education and funds were raised to send students to
Japan for advanced learning.
Swadeshi or indigenous enterprises:

The swadeshi spirit also found expression in the establishment of swadeshi textile mills, soap
and match factories, tanneries, banks, insurance companies, shops etc. These enterprises were
based more on patriotic zeal than on business acumen.

Impact in the cultural sphere:

The nationalists of all hues took inspiration from songs written by Rabindranath Tagore,
Rajnikant Sen, Dwijendralal Ray, Mukunda Das, Syed Abu Mohammad and others. Togore’s
Amar Sonar Bangla written on this occasion was later to inspire the liberation struggle of
Bangladesh and was adopted by it as its national anthem.

In painting, Abanindranath Tagore broke the domination of Victorian naturalism over Indian
art and took inspiration of Victorian naturalism over Indian art and took inspiration from
Muhgal, Ajanta and Rajput paintings. Nandlal Bose, who left a major imprint on Indian art,
was the first recipient of a scholarship offered by the Indian Society of Oriental Art, founded
in 1907.

In science, Jagdish Chandra Bose, Prafullachandra Roy and others pioneered original
research which was praised the world over.

Mass Participation:

Students came out in large numbers to propagate and practise swadeshi, and to take a lead in
organizing picketing of shops selling foreign goods. Police adopted a repressive attitude
towards the students. Schools and colleges whose students participated in the agitation were
to be penalized by disaffiliating them or stopping of grants and privileges to them.

Students who were found guilty of participation were to be disqualified for government jobs
or for government scholarships, and disciplinary action—fine, expulsion, arrest, scholarships,
etc. was to be taken against them.

Women, who were traditionally home-centred, especially those of the urban middle classes,
took active part in processions and picketing. From now onwards, they were to play a
significant role in the national movement.

Some of the Muslims participated—Barrister Abdul Rasul, Liaqat Hussain, Guzanvi,

Maulana Azad (who joined one of the revolutionary terrorist groups)—but most of the upper
and middle class Muslims-stayed away or, led by Nawab Salimullah of Dacca, supported the
partition on the plea that it would give them a Muslim-majority East Bengal.

Thus, the social base of the movement expanded to include certain sections of the zamindari,
the students, the women and the lower middle classes in cities and towns. An attempt was
also made to give political expression to economic grievances of the working class by
organizing strikes in British- owned concerns such as Eastern Indian Railways.
But the movement was not able to garner support of the Muslims, especially the Muslim
peasantry, because of a conscious government policy of divide and rule helped by overlap of
class and community at places. To further government interests, the All India Muslim League
was propped up in 1907 as an anti-Congress front and reactionary elements like Nawab
Salimullah of Dacca were encouraged.
BOYCOTT OF GOODS

The Indian national movement was a revolutionary movement in the initial stage. Even so,
the two years from 1905 to 1907 were a period of only passive resistance, the nationalists
carrying on a vigorous anti- British propaganda and indulging in free use of tongue and pen.
They did it with great sacrifice and their protest found full expression in the celebrated
swadeshi movement – the first Indian National Movement – as Jawaharlal Nehru rightly
termed it. There were twin agitations, namely swadeshi and boycott of British goods. The
weapon of boycott was turned not against an individual but against British goods. To the
advocacy of swadeshi, which aimed at using goods produced in India, the advocacy of
swadeshi, which aimed at refusing British goods, was added. These activities marked the first
stage of the “coalescence” of the Indian people into a united nation. The watchword of the
new movement was “India for the Indians” which, after all, advocated the boycotting of all
goods not made by Indian labour. Commenting on boycott nearly a decade after the
launching of the Swadeshi movement, Annie Besant said that it “had one admirable effect".
The Bengali youths addicted to the wearing of ugly British coats and trousers, appeared in the
graceful dhoti, shirt and shawl of Bengal. The year 1906 was declared as the Swadeshi year.
The slogan “Be Indian and buy Indian” was chanted everywhere. The nationalists knew that
India‟s one sure means of drawing England‟s attention to partition and other wrongs of the
British Indian administration was the boycott of British goods.

The cry to Bande Mataram was raised as a political slogan, for the first time at the historic
Town Hall Meeting held on 7 August 1905 for passing a resolution of boycott and for taking
the vow of Swadeshi. Since then, a multitude of voices throughout the country rent the sky
with these words and made it the battle cry of a subject nation. 3On Aug. 7, 1905 the leaders
of Bengal assembled in a publicmeeting at the Calcutta Town Hall under the presidentship of
Maharaja Mahinder Chandra Nandy. It was resolved to declare a"general boycott of British
goods as a practical protest against theproposed partition," after the manner in which the
Chinese boycott of American goods had been done.4 "We" wrote Surendranath Banerjee in
1906, "must be Swadeshi in all things, Swadeshi in our thoughts and ideas and aspirations-
Swadeshi in our educational methods and development."

3
Women participation 67-68
4
Swadeshi Ideology and the Working of Gandhian Politics in Andhra,96-97
This movement also involved the boycott of British products. Western clothes were thrown
onto bonfires. To let the British know how unhappy the Indians were at the partition of
Bengal, leaders of the anti-partition movement decided to use only Indian goods and to
boycott British goods. People gathered at the cross roads and burnt the imported clothes that
they had. People picketed the shops selling foreign goods, and imported sugar was boycotted.
People also resolved to use things made only in India and this was called the Swadeshi
movement. The two main features of the anti- partition agitation were the swadeshi
movement and the boycott. In the word Swadeshi “swa” means own and “desh” means
country, the letter “i” being the usual adjectival termination; Swadesh therefore means “one‟s
own country”, and Swadeshi, “pertaining to one‟s own country”. The Swadeshi movement
accordingly consisted, economically, of using goods produced in the country in preference to
those imported from abroad, and politically of making the administration as far as possible
Indian.The boycott was mainly the boycott of all kinds of foreign goods, particularly those of
English manufacture; and the Hindu agitators expressed it. Swadesh and boycott were
positive and negative aspects of the same thing. Swadeshi, however, had a political side
which went much further; Swadeshi, however, had a political side which went much further;
it aimed at a change in the Government of the country with which the use of foreign goods
had little or nothing to do, namely, self – Government or Swaraj. Hence Swaraj means self
Government, and the official translation of “local self–Government” is “Sthanik Swarajya”. It
was, however, new to Bengal when it was introduced to the local leaders of Indian National
Congress in Calcutta, in 1906, by Dadabhai Naoroji, the celebrated Parsi leader from
Bombay. Through these two movements, then, Swadeshi and boycott, it was hoped to force
the reversal of the partition by bringing pressure to bear on the Government and on the
British elector, the assumption being that the former was very sensitive to agitation, and the
latter to anything that touched his pocket.12Swadeshi became a political weapon after the
partition of Bengal and was followed by its counterpart, boycott of foreign goods. This
created a rift in the Congress leaders. Not that the moderates did not appreciate the efficacy
of this weapon but perhaps they were not prepared to displease the rulers to that extent. But
the Bengali moderates, it appears, differed from them slightly. At Surat Surendranath had
declared that " Swadeshi was boycott and boycott was Swadeshi", thus assuring that the
principle of boycott was acceptable to them as a political weapon.

The bonfire of foreign cloth was a more powerful and also aggressive aspect of this agitation.
It is note-worthy to find that a bonfire of English clothes was made at Ahmednagar as early
as 1896. Shri S. K. Jog, pleader, had taken lead in organising this. They had organised public
meeting to protest against cotton duty. They advocated boycott of English goods and on the
Holi day they burnt their English clothes in the fire. This bonfire must be among the earliest
of its kind in the country. Poona organised a bonfire of cloth and other articles of foreign
make (October 1905) and the initiative, it apears, was taken by Shri V. D. Savarkar and his
friends. Such bonfires were organised at Nasik, Belgaum and other places also. The
constructive part of this movement is found in the text of the vow of Swadeshi which
includes propagation of " The meaning of Swaraj ". They had opened an Industrial school at
Dharwar. A cap factory for preparing fur caps for muslims who had taken the vow of
Swadeshi, was started in Poona. The newspaper extracts show with what unanimity all of
them had accepted this weapon
WOMEN PARTICIPATION IN SWADESHI MOVEMENT

The swadeshi movement, part of the Indian independence movement and the developing
Indian nationalism, was an economic strategy aimed at removing the British Empire from
power and improving economic conditions in India by following the principles of swadeshi
(self-sufficiency), which had some success. Strategies of the Swadeshi movement involved
boycotting British products and the revival of domestic products and production processes. It
was strongest in Bengal and was also called „Vande Mataram Movement‟. “The women of
India should have as much share in winning Swaraj as men. Probably in this peaceful struggle
woman can outdistance man by many a mile. We know that a woman is any day superior to
man in her religious devotion. Silent and dignified suffering is the badge of her sex. And now
that the government have dragged the woman into the line of fire, I hope that the woman all
over India will take up the challenge and organize themselves,”Mahatma Gandhi appealed in
to the Indian women to enter the struggle for India‟s freedom. “If nonviolence is the law of
our being, the future is with woman”. “If Indian women arose, he said, “no one cloud
prevents the country‟s march to independence”.

Swadeshi movement was a seedling for the entire freedom movement and had spread to
different parts of the country. The women though staying at home insisted that there should
be prohibition of foreign goods into their house. The other shape of swadeshi movement,
which is a starting point for freedom, is heartedness towards foreign goods (in a small way
against foreign rule). Along with foreign clothes and goods, people also prohibited foreign
medicine in this swadeshi movement.

Swadeshi movement also marked the formation of several women‟s organizations. Mahila
Shilpa Samithi (1906 -1918) was inspired by the Swadeshi Movement. Earlier in 1910, Sarala
Devi Chaudharani had formed the „Bharat Stri Maha Mandal‟, after serious differences with
the male leadership of the National Social conference. As the secretary of this organization,
she worked tirelessly and successfully and instituted branches of the Stri Maha Mandal in
Allahabad and Calcutta.In the Madras Presidency a women‟s magazine was started by
Kamala, wife of Indian Christian social reformer Stalinthan. A Brahmin widow‟s home was
founded in 1913 by Subbalakshmi Ammal and a Mahila Seva Samaj in Mysore in 1913.28

„Swaraj‟, Swadeshi‟ and National Education‟ became the slogans of the nationalists.
Women who had begun to participate in the deliberations of the Indian National Congress
now further took up the responsibility to share the national efforts through the press and the
platform. There was no mass awakening amongst the women at this time but there was some
sort of movement spreading slowly in them.

Some five hundred women met Jenokand village in the district of Murshidabad to protest
against Government‟s decision and to urge the need of using the country – made goods.
Meetings were arranged by the ladies in their streets and spinning wheels were introduced in
the zenana. Women contributed their bangles, nose rings, and bracelets to the national fund.
In villages they had started putting away a handful of grain daily for such purpose. During the
Provincial Conference of 1906 Smt. Sarojini Bose, wife of Tara Prasanna Bose, pledged that
she would not wear gold bangles till the “Bande Matram” circular prohibiting the use of this
slogan was cancelled. Mrs. J.k. Gangauli gave her bracelet as a contribution towards paying
off the fine of Shri Durga Mohan Sen, who was convicted for seditious activities. Women
outside India also did whatever they could to further the national cause. Prosecutions and
convictions became widespread.

When Bhupendra Nath was convicted on July 24, 1907, some two hundred women presented
an address of appreciation to his mother.

Kumudini Mitter, daughter of Kristo Mitter, a renowned national was very active during this
period. She organized a group of educated Brahmin ladies for maintaining an illegal liaison
between the different revolutionary leaders who were watched by the police. This
organization also helped in the circulation of revolutionary leaflets and literature. She
preached the cause of the extremists through Suprabhat, a Bengali Magazine. It propagated
the cult of revolution.

Another lady, Smt. Bhag Bati of Noakhali (Eastern Bengal), who wrote a song describing the
wretched state of Indian people. She concluded with the following sinister prayer; “Kali! If
you are under the influence of an evil planet, please save us we will sacrifice white goats in
Ganges if Bengal prospers.” While the women in Bengal were busy promoting the cause of
freedom, women in Punjab also stepped into the political arena. Smt. Sushila Devi of Sialkot
delivered a series of lectures in which she attacked the government and exhorted women to
rise to the occasion.
Har Devi, wife or Roshan Lal, a Barrister of Lahore, who was a great social reformer and
editor of a Hindi magazine, The Bharat Bhagni, also joined the ranks of the political workers.
During this period she arranged meetings and collected funds for the purpose of assisting
anarchists under trial. The women workers of the Arya Samaj were also responsible for
arousing national spirit among the people. Smt. Purani, who was working for the Arya Samaj
at Hissar, was a prominent worker of the time. She toured the various districts of the Punjab
and advocated the cause of swadeshi. Speaking to the women at Hissar, Smt. Purani criticised
the caste restrictions, undue observance of which, she said, “prevented women from bringing
up their sons as was done by the women of old, to be warriors and greatmen. “She exhorted
them “to bring up their sons not with a view to joining government service, but to an
independent participation in trade especially the manufacture and sale of swadeshi.”
Agyavati in Delhi was another person who took interest in the movement. She addressed both
men and women and described the part played by the women in the management of the
affairs of their own country in former times and she urged that until women were educated
and took interest in the welfare of the country there was little chance of Indian making any
real progress. She was reported to be a “very bold woman”, Agyavati started a Vidhawa
Ashram where widows and other women, without distinction of caste or creed, received
political training and were taught to spread the same.

Simple and unsophisticated rural women participated in the Borsad (1923-24) and Bardoli
(1928) Satyagrahas in Gujurat. To popularize the boycott of foreign clothes in 1930-31, the
Videsh Kapda Bahiskar Samiti (Association for the boycott of foreign cloth) was formed in
Ahmedabad with Sarla Devi as its president. It organised processions in which women
wearing saffron-coloured Khadi saris, sang patriotic songs and marched through the streets of
Ahmedabad. Mridula Sarabhai on the other hand organized the Vanar Sena of children and
also prabhat pheris which moved around the city at dawn to the accompaniment of drums,
bugles and „manjiras‟ 5

5
68