Do And Die : The Chittagong Uprising 1930-34

by Manini Chatterjee

AS TAKEN FROM FLIPKART.COM

A forgotten chapter of Indian history come alive
On 18 April 1930 at around 10 p.m., a clutch of men, most of them still in their teens, challenged the might of the British Empire through a series of raids in Chittagong. Their actions stunned the colonial power and ignited the spark of rebellion throughout Bengal.
In this book, the first of its kind, journalist Manini Chatterjee gives a riveting account of the dramatic events that unfolded over three years. Drawing on police records and government files and interviews with revolutionaries, Chatterjee reconstructs the events of that fateful night when six ex-detenus, inspired by the famous Easter Uprising in Dublin (1916), attacked the armouries of the police and the Auxiliary Force in Chittagong. What followed were the battle of Jalalabad, the encounter at Dhalghat, the attack at Pahartali and the underground resistance, led by the mysterious Masterda, the irrepressible Kalpana Dutt and the brooding, tragic Pritilata Waddadar. This is a story of their zeal and fervour, love and loss.
Meticulously researched and skillfully narrated, the story of young idealists, heady with patriotism and ready to die, this is an important, and so far neglected, story of the freedom struggle in India.

About the Author
Manini Chatterjee was born on 4 November 1961 in Bombay and went to school in Cochin, Bombay and New Delhi. While still in school, she did a diploma course in journalism from the Dateline School of Journalism and started writing for Dateline Delhi . After completing school, she went to the Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific in Vancouver Island, Canada. On returning to India, she began a career in journalism with a stint in Surya magazine in 1982- 83, followed by a long spell at The Telegraph , where she currently heads the Delhi bureau. When it was first published, Do and Die received the Rabindra Puraskar (2000). It is the basis of the Hindi film, Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey (2010), directed by Ashutosh Gowariker.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, India, Politics

408 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Vaibhav Anand · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book after I came to know the movie version wasn't really an accurate adaptation of the actual history of the Chittagong uprising. Being a history buff, I really wanted to know what actually happened in Chittagong.

Chatterjee does justice to the subject and keeps you hooked even though you know the fate of the uprising already (from the movie and the one line you read about it in history books). After I read the book, I was sort of pissed off at our education system for passing off such an important and more importantly, almost successful revolution as a one liner in our NCERT books. The emphasis on Gandhi and Nehru in India's high school history can only be corrected by books like this.

Chatterjee is forensic, meticulous and produces a book that is an extremely entertaining read. An important book.

[Mohsin Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the first page will make you have a biased opinion of the complete novel. Either you like reading how revolutions take place or you don't.

I started it just a book which will help me know something about a chapter in Indian History that I never read in my text books. Although it just felt like a text book itself, but in the end I think Manini Chatterjee justified what she was doing. A very in-depth research and lots of days is what takes to write such a book, and she manages to give a very detailed account of what happened in those years apart from the Non-cooperation and Civil disobedience movements.

Though none of the events can be considered above the other, but the prologue and epilogue of the book is what will affect you most when you put it down.

[Philip Tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was in Bangladesh in October 2012 when I first learnt about a Bengali heroine called Pritilata Wadedar. She was involved in the resistance movement against British occupation of India in the 1930s. Of course, whilst the locals saw her as a freedom fighter, the British saw her as a terrorist. I was lucky enough to be working with a group of police officer friends from Bangladesh and we candidly discussed these diametrically opposed perspectives as a way of understanding the nature of terrorism, the fact that it is viewed differently not only by the two sides of a violent political struggle, but also with the passing of time.

But my friends did not know any detail about Pritilata, so I decided to research her and the movement she was involved in - The Chittagong Uprising of 1930-1934. Of course I discovered Manini Chatterjee's excellent book on the subject. (I also watched and thoroughly enjoyed the film that was inspired by the book - Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey, which I think means 'Let's Play With our Heart and Soul').

The book is a must read for anyone who wants to understand terrorism. Take this as an example: "Arrests, killings, executions and widespread repression failed to dampen the enthusiasm and support for the movement among the people of Chittagong. On the contrary, more and more young people were keen to directly participate." These are the author's words, not a contemporary quote, but does this not sound as if she's referring to modern day terrorism, rather than something that occurred prior to World War II? For this reason, if no other, I found the book utterly fascinating. We can learn so much from political violence of the past, like the events of Chittagong, yet seem to have learnt so little.

I had not yet finished writing An Englishman in Terror at the point that I read Do and Die, yet the seeds were now sown for my second novel, that would become The Jasmine Sari. Chatterjee's work seemed to resonate with books such as Orwell's Burmese Days and Greene's The Heart of the Matter, in which British colonialism revolved around the European Club. It was the European club, the symbol of British rule, that was Pritilata's chosen target.

So why not 5 stars, for a book that was so influential for me? Manini Chatterjee's young freedom fighters are portrayed as purely good, and this made them seem a little one dimensional at times, making me question the author's objectivity. This in turn had the effect of undermining my belief in her portrayal of the personalities and character traits of the protagonists, and this spoilt my full enjoyment.

But if she wanted to inform me of the events of Chiitagong beween 1930 and 1934 and to help me undersatnd what it feels like to have a foreigner occupying your beloved country - full marks on both counts! A great book and I thoroughly recommend it.

[Yash Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do and Die, The Chittagong Uprising 1930-34, is a thoroughly researched book about the most audacious attack on the British Raj by the brave revolutionaries of India.

Do or die, This is the creed of Mahatma Gandhi. Do and Die, This is the philosophy of brave Indian Revolutionaries.

For the detailed article you can also visit my website - https://dontbignorant.in/the-chittago...

[Ramit Chennithala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not many might know that India’s revolutionary nationalistic struggle was largely inspired from the Irish Republican Army (IRA, which inspired the Indian Republican Army) that fought the same enemy – the British. From Bhagat Singh to Chandrasekhar Azad to Surjya Sen, and the thousands of their followers, they all chose the path of violence out of a conviction that physical force alone makes an appeal to the British. It was out of self-respect for their brethren, to be role models through not only propaganda by word but propaganda by deed as well.

The best form of requiem for the revolutionary uprisings can be if India as a nation, as an indomitable society could fight for better social capital, lesser economic inequality and wider political participation. As we move ahead, we must respect both the charkha and the gun that played its part in discovering our India. In memory of those who bled for us, in Mazzini’s words –

“Actions are the book of the masses. Ideas ripen quickly when nourished by the blood of martyrs. “

Ramit Chennithala
Trivandrum

[ThirTeenTh TurTle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was doubtful about do and die first. The book came under the tag history. I thought the book will be boring and time consuming. I prefer historical fiction than hard-core history. But this book broke all my superstition.
Do and die is in fact a page turner. The story of chittagong uprising is an inspiration and tribute. We knowingly forgot their stand against the British imperialism. I remembered how the chittagong uprising was similar to the Cuban revolution. I know that they were a failure. But I purely admire them.

[Supriya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed in it as a work of narrative history. I expected justice, not justification. The story itself is heartbreaking and bitter. I'm not sure why we set such store in judging loss as sacrifice.

[Sucharita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched book bringing some recognition to the contribution of the armed revolution in the war of independence. Very interesting, very well written.

[Abhishek · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The might of British Empire was eroded and whittled down through a long process of attrition in which both the charkha and the gun played their part." This was one of the most influential lines I found in this gem of a book. The Chittagong Uprising is seldom discussed among the populous and along with that, it fails to grab the attention of textbooks. On one hand, the non-violence and satyagraha movement come forward as the torch-bearers of the Indian freedom struggle, the sacrifices of 'Masterda', Ganesh Ghosh, Pritilata and numerous others are buried deep inside the archives of the Raj.
This book does justice to the 'armoury raiders' by acquainting people with their struggles, determination and most importantly, their heavy blow to the British Raj.

[H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing account of young Indians fired by patriotism sacrifice everything.... for the country. No military training no strategic training, yet they got so far!

Worst part is, no textbooks carry this account, not even a cursory mention.
Our kids must know abt such stories n it’s our duty to make our kids read,

[Sandip Sengupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written. Very well researched and inspiring one. Must read for every Indian.