আমার আত্মকথা

by Barindra Kumar Ghosh

অগ্নিযুগের বিপ্লবী বারীন্দ্রকুমার ঘোষের আত্মজীবনী

Genres: Nonfiction

188 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1922

Reviews

[Shamik Lahiri · Rating 4 out of 5]

"About the torture in Cellular jail in Andaman "--- Barindra Ghose, Sri Aurobindo's younger brother, was sentenced to death in 1909 in the Alipore Bomb Case, a sentence later commuted to transportation for life in the Cellular Jail at Port Blair in the Andamans. He was released from there in January 1920 as part of a general amnesty. Told with honesty and humour, this book is the story of his imprisonment with some of his fellow revolutionaries, from the Alipore Jail to the hold of the SS Maharaja to the Cellular Jail and a hard life of deprivation, forced labour, and humiliation by the prison authorities.

[Manini dhar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially, I was a bit reluctant to start off with this book since non-fiction is not my genre. The introduction by Sachidananda Mohanty gives an insight as to who the author (Barindra Kumar Ghose) was since we all know his brother (Aurobindo Ghose) but very little is known about him. "The Tale of My Exile" describes his prison experience as a revolutionary. The tale begins at Alipore Jail and later moves to Andaman Cellular Jail. The author portrays a haunting perspective of corruption, lack of lawlessness and the cruel, violent practices upon the prisoners. Such was the torture that many committed suicide, some went insane and the rest continued to tolerate. Along with that, we get a vivid description of the Andamans in the early 1900s. It is a must read for all those who not only like to learn about colonial past but also who could look at life from a different perspective.

[Ashish Iyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Tale of My Exile by Barindra Kumar Ghosh was first published in 1922 and then for almost a century wasn't available until 2011 when it was published by Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust. Barindra Ghosh, younger brother of Sri Aurobindo and a great revolutionary, was arrested by the British along with Sri Aurobindo and several others for the Alipore Bomb case.

This book is document of his imprisonment at the Cellular Jail at Andamans. It is both a memoir and a chronicle of Ghosh's experiences, blending his trauma with the broader socio-political landscape of colonial India. The book offers insights into the mindset of the youth who were part of various organisations. It also provides mental states of his and his inmates in cellular jail. The memoir traces his life from the early days of his revolutionary activities to his subsequent arrest, trial, and exile. I was expecting more details in this book like I got from Transportation for life by Savarkar. It's a small book though. The Upendra-Barin-Ullaskar triumvirate formed an inseparable group & have left behind an invaluable narrative of that dark phase. All three of them wrote books on Kalapani experience and their life.

A compelling and moving read. The book, originally written in Bengali and later translated into English. Now available in Hindi and Tamil.

If you are interested in knowing the life of inmates in Andaman. Do read the following books.

1. Transportation for life by Savarkar

2. The Story of My Life by Bhai Parmanand

3. Bandi Jeevan by Sachindra Nath Sanyal

4. Twelve Years of Prison Life by Ullaskar Dutt

5. Upendra Nath Banerjee: Memoirs Of A Revolutionary.

[Yashovardhan Sinha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had heard of Barindra Ghose, younger brother of Sri Aurobindo, while studying history in college. So when I learnt that he had recorded an account of his years in the Cellular Jail in the form of a book, I quickly got it. Sadly, the book was a let-down.

I had read the gory details of life in kalapani from Vikram Sampath's 2-volume biography of Veer Savarkar. But compared to what Savarkar went through, Barin seems to have had almost a walk in the park even though he was convicted in the Alipore Bomb case and had been awarded death penalty by the trial court which was reduced to life imprisonment by the High Court in 1909.

Probably owing to delicate health, Barin was always given light duty, was provided milk daily, and the horrible and dreaded jailer Barry often stopped to exchange pleasantries with him and even introduced him to his wife and daughter!

Although Barin also, like his brother, was already involved in spiritualism, I noticed streaks of casteism and provincialism in his observations.

Not more than two stars from me.