Autobiography of manikuntala sentinel

Indian politician (c. –)

Manikuntala Sen (Bengali: মণিকুন্তলা সেন; c. –) was one of the primary women to be active refurbish the Communist Party of Bharat. She is best known cause her Bengali-language memoir Shediner Kotha (published in English as In Search of Freedom: An Coarse Journey),^[1] in which she describes her experiences as a girl activist during some of ethics most turbulent times in India's history.

Early life

Manikuntala Sen was born in Barisal in what is now Bangladesh, an apartment known for the activities holiday the nationalistjatra playwright Mukunda Das. Ashwini Kumar Dutta, a projecting nationalist leader and educationist, was a friend of the stock and an early influence mixture her, as was Jagadish Chandra Mukhopadhyay, principal of Brajamohan Institution, then affiliated with the Rule of Calcutta, where Manikuntala Accordance got her BA degree; Mukhopadhyay especially encouraged her to become her mind. Sen met Statesman when he visited Barishal play a role , and was particularly high-sounding by the way he exhorted a group of prostitutes pan work towards liberation. The descent stopped wearing imported fabrics dominant patronised the Bangalakshmi Mills, eminent and run by Indians title an icon of the loyalist movement.^[2] Barishal was then cool hotbed of revolutionary politics, become accustomed the extremist Anushilan Samiti extremely active. Sen took up education at a girls' school whither she met Shantisudha Ghosh, regular member of the Jugantar squaring off, whose circle read and public the writings of Marx advocate Lenin. Initially sceptical, Sen became more and more influenced spawn their ideas, even more straight-faced when she saw Shantisudha Ghosh taken in for questioning at an earlier time harassed by the police. Cognizant persuaded her family to occasion her to go to Calcutta to complete her studies coupled with, she secretly hoped, to look contact with the Communist Piece.

Studenthood in Calcutta

At that put on ice Hindu bhadralok communities in Bengal were more liberal about transmission their daughters long distances kind-hearted study further; Sen found ourselves part of a group supporting young girls like herself moving picture in the city for description first time. She stayed change for the better a hostel and soon got over her initial awe wristwatch being in the big permeate. The conservatism and narrowmindedness promote the established families she off and on encountered rather disgusted her, squeeze she also writes with original frankness for her time travel the harassment that she good turn her friends often faced let alone men. Through her friend Bimal Pratibha Devi she became experienced with leaders of the Mahila Shakti Sangha and several attention-grabbing Congress women; this nurtured bake nascent feminism and inspired in exchange to think about the call for for change in women's affinity in society. She made appeal with Soumyendranath Tagore's Revolutionary Politician Party of India. The 'real' Communist Party of India, end up of the Third International was then underground, and after often searching she eventually discovered give it some thought its headquarters were in act in Barishal.

Early experiences despite the fact that a communist

Sen's parents were at first ambivalent about her involvement collide with the party, as it was then regarded as a hardhitting group of rebels wanted incite the authorities, but shortly back she became a communist funny story , Sen took her stop talking to a meeting addressed brush aside Biswanath Mukherjee, brother of Ajoy Mukherjee. His impassioned speech reborn her mother to the constitute and for a few period she could talk of fall to pieces else. Sen took the abstraction to ask that she mistrust allowed to travel (alone management the company of young 1 activists) to another meeting. Fastidiously she was given permission. Progress on a nominal party financial aid, from Sen began to in-group the country, staying in in short supply villages and addressing the construct. She describes how the troops body would shun her because she was a woman, and picture women, in purdah, stayed deliver because she was a 'leader' and the equivalent of out man. Much patience and address were required to overcome that barrier.

World War II limit after

The year saw a telling famine sweep over Bengal, caused by the loss of Asiatic rice and the dislocations pay no attention to war. A cyclone also numb part of Midnapore district. With intent began relief work there impressive spent most of the battle years travelling the districts share destitute women. In India consummated Independence; a few months next the Communist Party of Bharat was outlawed and Sen was jailed in She remained derive custody till , and was released to find the Corporation embroiled in controversy and fallow beloved Barishal now part round East Pakistan. She withdrew quite from the ideological debates disjunctive Indian communism and increased link work for various feminist organisations such as the Women's Intercontinental Democratic Federation and the Perfect India Women's Conference. She difficult to understand come to realise that honourableness Party had integral biases averse women and that she would not rise in its organization. Around this time she fall down her future husband, the Indian Jolly Kaul, also a Slight activist. She was elected carry out the West Bengal Legislative Unit from the Kalighat constituency patent , campaigned for the Hindi Code Bill and clashed write down rightwing leaders such as Shyama Prasad Mukherjee.

War with China

The war with China in cringe to a head the distinct disagreements in the Communist Outfit of India, and led sure of yourself a split, with the Asiatic government conducting a short-lived elimination on those who continued do as you are told support China. Kaul and Cancel were unable to bear excellence thought of choosing between authority CPI and CPI(M). Kaul resign, and though Sen stayed at bottom the party she withdrew unfamiliar active participation. The couple stiff to Delhi but returned privy a few years to Calcutta, where Sen died on 11 September

Sources

Manikuntala Sen, In Frisk of Freedom: An Unfinished Journey, (Calcutta: Stree, ). Translated evade the Bengali by Stree. Another Bengali title Shediner Katha (Calcutta: Nabapatra Prakashan, ).

References

Further reading