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Freedom Struggle in East
Punjab States THE book is a compendium of letters from freedom fighters of Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU) who rose to a position of eminence during and after freedom struggle. They include Justice Harbans Lal and Rana Jang Bahadur Singh, Editor of The Tribune when the ‘struggle’ was at its peak. Interestingly, all the letters are laudatory, eulogising the efforts of the author attempting to bring out this book. Notably, some letters bear the date as back as the year 1961. It is, therefore, readily appreciable that Chander Shekhar Azad who himself actively participated in the Praja Mandal Movement since he was in his teens, doggedly pursued his goal in writing this book for over four decades. The compendium also includes small life sketches of various freedom fighters. The main focus, however, is on the Faridkot State and the Jaito satyagrah where Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru participated and was interned. Incidentally, the author was the youngest (the lone teenager) who was helped by other satyagrahis to climb the tree where the Tricolour flag of the Congress was unfurled. The atrocities and barbarity of the princely states police which the freedom fighters had to undergo, has been earlier chronicled by historians, however, the accounts by Chander Shekhar Azad are different as he himself was a sufferer and witnessed others suffering. The book includes a letter/petition from a High Court Judge of Faridkot State to the Viceroy , Government of India against the Raja who had got the judge dismissed from service and got him ousted from the state territory through the police. The only fault of the judge (with 15 years service) was that his relatives were suspected to have sympathies with Praja Mandal, a party formed to liberate the people from the cruel rule of Rajas and Maharajas of princely states. Similarly, Sant Ram Vakil of Nabha, a saintly figure called "Gandhi", was externed from the state territory due to his being an activist of Praja Mandal. He was suffering from bad health at that time. He went to the Patiala State, and had hardly stayed there for two days, when he was ordered to leave. He was not allowed to enter Ferozepur, then a British controlled area. Such was the plight of freedom fighters. It would show that Rajas ‘word’ was the law to which there was no appeal, no daleel. It is well established fact that the Akalis are brave fighters. An incident described by Chander Shekhar Azad has highlighted this trait. Interestingly, once the Akali prisoners complained to Master Tara Singh the Akali Dal President, when he visited them in jail in Jaito that Praja Mandal was a party of Hindus. Masterji advised his followers there and then to join Praja Mandal. It brought immense sense of unity among the satyagrahi prisoners and Masterji’s step was widely applauded. Akalis thus not simply participated but were in the vanguard of freedom struggles of the country. The book so dedicatedly brought out by Chander Shekhar Azad has its infirmities also. It abounds in spellings and language mistakes. Horrifying and pathetic conditions in jail and the atrocities the freedom fighters had to undergo lack a powerful description. Important events of Patiala State, the biggest unit among the princely states of East Punjab finds much less mention. To quote one example the martradom of Sewa Singh Thikriwala, who was made to die inch by inch by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, should have been highlighted with details. Only Faridkot State has caught the attention of the author in a big way. A freedom fighter like Giani Zail Singh, who rose to the highest office of the country and is known to have been dragged tied with a jeep by Faridkot police does not find any mention except a passing reference, "Zail Singh Sandhwan" among the prisoners at jaito. The author does not appear to have sought any assistance from any established historian or a good editor. All the same the effort imbued in dedication in bringing out this book is laudable.
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