Pritilata Waddedar

Pritilata Waddedar (5 May 1911 – 24 September 1932) was a Bengali revolutionary nationalist from Chittagong (now Bangladesh) who was influential in the Indian independence movement. She is often praised as "Bengal's first woman martyr".

After completing her education from Dr. Khastagir Government Girls' High School in Chittagong and Eden Mohila College in Dhaka, Pritilata graduated in philosophy from the Bethune College in Calcutta. She worked as a school teacher for sometime before becoming part of the Indian Independence movement. In 1932, she joined a revolutionary group headed by Surya Sen. In September 1932, she led a group of revolutionaries in an armed attack on the Pahartali European Club. The revolutionaries torched the club and shot at it later, and one person was killed and eleven people were injured in the attack. After being cornered by the colonial police, Pritilata committed suicide by consuming potassium cyanide as planned earlier.

Early life

Pritilata Waddedar was born in a middle-class Bengali family on 5 May 1911 in Dhalghat village in Patiya upazila of Chittagong (in present day Bangladesh). The family originally held the surname Dasgupta; Waddedar was a title conferred to an ancestor of the family. Her father Jagabandhu Waddedar was a clerk in the Chittagong municipality, and her mother Pratibhamayi Devi was a housewife. Pritilata was the second of six children, and had an elder brother Madhusduan, and four younger siblings–Kanaklata, Shantilata, Ashalata and Santosh. She was nicknamed Rani. and arts and literature were her favourite subjects. A teacher in the school, whom students affectionately used to call Usha Di, used stories of Rani Lakshmibai to inspire nationalism in her students. Kalpana Datta, a classmate of Pritilata, wrote in the biography Chittagong Armoury Raiders– "We had no clear idea in our school days about our future. Then the Rani of Jhansi fired our imagination with her example. Sometimes we used to think of ourselves as fearless...". She passed out of school in 1928 and got admitted to the Eden College in Dhaka in 1929. In the Intermediate examinations, she stood first among all students who appeared in that year's examination from the Dhaka Board. As a student in Eden College, she participated in various social activities. She joined the group Sree Sangha, headed by Leela Nag, under the banner Deepali Sangha (Dipali Sangha).

Pritilata graduated in philosophy with a distinction from the Bethune College in Calcutta. However, her degree was withheld by the administration of the Calcutta University. In 2012, she (and Bina Das) were conferred their certificates posthumously. After completing her education in Calcutta, Pritilata returned to Chittagong. In Chittagong, she took up the job of headmistress at a local English medium secondary school called Nandankanan Aparnacharan School.

Revolutionary activities Joining Surya Sen's group "Pritilata was young and courageous. She would work with a lot of zeal and was determined to drive the British away." — Binod Bihari Chowdhury, a contemporary revolutionary On 13 June 1932, Pritilata met Surya Sen and Nirmal Sen in their Dhalghat camp. Biswas was ordered to be hanged and Chakravarty was exiled to the Cellular Jail in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The family and friends lacked the amount of money for travel from Chittagong to Alipore Jail in Calcutta. Since at that time Pritilata was staying in Calcutta, she was asked to go to Alipore Jail and meet Biswas before his punishment was carried out.

Pahartali European Club attack (1932) The Pahartali European Club (shown here in 2010) was torched by the group of revolutionaries.

In 1932, Surya Sen planned an attack on the Pahartali European Club which had a signboard that read "Dogs and Indians not allowed". Sen decided to appoint a woman leader for the mission. As Kalpana Datta was arrested prior to the planned attack, Pritilata was assigned the leadership of the group. Pritilata went to Kotowali sea side for arms training and the plan of their attack was finalised there.

Influence and legacy Bangladeshi writer Selina Hossain calls Pritilata an ideal for every woman. The Birkannya Pritilata Trust (Brave lady Pritilata Trust) was established to promote the life and achievements of her, and commemorates her birthday annually. In an interview, the British journalist and activist, Ash Sarkar, claimed to be Waddedar's great-grandniece.

In 2012, a bronze sculpture of Pritilata Waddedar was erected in front of the Pahartali Railway School, adjacent to the Pahartali European Club. The last section of the Sahid Abdus Sabur Road leading to Mukunda Ram Hat of Boalkhali upazila in Chattogram has been named as Pritilata Waddedar Road. Educational institutions named after her include Pritilata Waddedar Mahavidyalaya in Panikhali, Pritilata Waddedar Primary School in Chattogram, and Khantura Pritilata Shiksha Niketan schools in Gobardanga. There are halls and buildings named after her at Jahangirnagar University, Kalyani Government Engineering College, National Institute of Technology, Durgapur, and University of Chittagong.

In popular media The 2010 Hindi film Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey was based on the Chittagong Uprising, in which Vishakha Singh played the character of Pritilata. In the 2012 Hindi film Chittagong, Vega Tamotia played the role of Pritilata. In 2018, Kiran Sonia Sawar delivered a monologue, written by Tanika Gupta, in Pritilata, a short film in the BBC series Snatches: Moment's From Women's Lives to mark the hundredth anniversary of women's suffrage. A Bangladeshi film titled Pritilata starring Pori Moni and based on the life of Pritilata is under production.