Chachaji

My father became a staunch Arya Samajist. When I was about ten, he made up his mind to send me to DAV High School, Lahore, after I had passed my primary, naturally in Urdu. This High School was probably the only school in the whole of the country, which had Hindi as the medium of instruction. As I did not know even a word of Hindi, I was put in a special class — in quarantine for one year in which the students were separated from the main stream of the graded students and they studied Hindi only up to Vth class. Then the following year, I could join VIth class. I joined DAV College, Lahore in 1919 and I had to take Sanskrit because there was no option for me.

Martial Law and Political Upsurge

In 1919, there was an inhuman and oppressive Martial Law in Lahore. Martial Law posters were pasted all round our High School compound and in our boarding-house. In our hostel a noticeboard was put up, on which one or two Martial Law posters were pasted daily. We were not allowed to go out because the school was closed during Martial Law. But, I was anxious to know what was happening. Every day I used to go on to the terrace of the hostel and find that at every few steps gora (white) military men with bayonets were posted on duty in the main streets. Whenever I could get an opportunity, I would tear off the Martial Law posters from the school notice-board. So, an enquiry was made and I was caught and beaten severely by gora sergeants, and the Punjab policemen were also with them. Of course, I was too young then to know and understand the details. I still remember very well some of the orders in those posters. “All the cars are to be deposited at such and such a place.” The next day, it ordered, “All the cycles are to be deposited at such and such a place.” Some other day, it would say “All wheat above 20 seers or one maund should be deposited at a particular place.” This was so harassing, insulting and humiliating, that it created a deep resentment against the arbitrary rule of the British Government. I felt that the British must leave the country. They were so brutal that they had no right to stay in our country. Even at that tender age, I felt very strongly about that.

There were three papers on Martial Law, Rules and Regulations. It was notified that if we did not succeed in that examination we would not be allowed to appear for the matriculation examinations. I remember that I got 80 percent marks in that examination.

There was the Congress Session in Amritsar (1919) which was presided over by Pt. Motilal Nehru. I was too young to attend the session as a delegate and I did not have enough money. We were not allowed to leave the hostel. But somehow or the other I slipped out of the hostel and went to Amritsar. I joined the procession led by Pt. Motilal Nehru through the main streets and attended the Congress Session also. Afterwards, I went back to my hostel in Lahore. Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlu, the popular leader, used to give lectures in Golbagh — a famous garden in the heart of Lahore. About two hundred students would come to hear him daily. I did not miss even one lecture. Probably, I was the first person to reach the venue. Whenever any such national activity took place, I used to slip out of my hostel for attending the same. In 1920, Mahatma Gandhi came to Lahore and explained the programme of the Non-cooperation Movement: lawyers should leave the courts and students should leave colleges. There were about one lakh people in this mammoth meeting, which was addressed by Gandhiji. I stood up and asked some questions. Everyone was surprised, because I was too young at that time.

In response to Mahatmaji’s clarion call to join the Non-cooperation Movement, I was probably the first or second student, who left the college. We organised a National College at the residence of Pandit Rambhuj Dutt. Our professors were leaders of eminence like Pandit Rambhuj Dutt, Smt. Sarala Devi Chaudhurani, Swami Satyadev, Prof. Purushottam Lal Sondhi and Pandit K. Santhanam, who was Managing Director of Lakshmi Insurance Company.

Even though my family was full of loyalists, I jumped into the Nationalist Movement. Probably, I was destined. In fact, there was a fire in me that guided and drove me. Wherever there was something strong to be done, I would jump into it. I left my studies because there was an intense fire in me which was stronger than the need to study and impelled me to plunge into the Non-cooperation Movement.

In the meantime, my father went on deputation to the Land Settlement Department of Alwar State. Learning about my leaving DAV College, he came to Lahore and asked me to accompany him. Sardar Hari Singh, the Chief of our family (Mukhia), was a member of the Governor’s Council. He called me and my father and threatened us by saying, “All the members of our family are highly placed in Government services and we are the Chiefs of Punjab. If anyone in our family takes part in the Congress Movement or National Movement, it will naturally be a great slur on our family and we will suffer.” But even at that young age I was so angry and blunt that I told him, “I am not prepared under any circumstances to agree with you, whatever you may say.”

When there was some chance for him to rise to the position of Naib Tehsildar, my father requested Sardar Hari Singh to put in a word to the concerned authority. He said, “How can I say? How can I tell the authorities that you are my cousin and you are only a Girdawar Kanungo?” He refused to recommend. Probably that was one of the reasons which made me so angry and blunt to retort to Sardar Hari Singh.

But in any case my father coerced and brought me to Tehsil Ramgarh in Alwar state where he was working. But I did not know what to do. So I used to go to the Primary School which was adjacent to our residence and teach the students without any remuneration.