The Story of Helen Lepcha

The Quest For Fundamental Development ISSN: 2394-8981 Vol: IV, No: 02 December 2018 Chief Editor Chandra Sekhar Pandit Fellow (Honorary), VINBNEDS Dilip Kumar Das Fellow (Honorary), VINBNEDS Mrinal Kanti Basak Fellow (Honorary), VINBNEDS Partha Das Fellow (Honorary), VINBNEDS Suman Das Fellow (Honorary), VINBNEDS Arka Acharjee Fellow (Honorary), VINBNEDS Executive Editors Associate Editor Santanu Mandal Fellow (Honorary), VINBNEDS Editorial Advisors Professor Ananda Gopal Ghosh(Retd.) Department of History, University of North Bengal Professor Dyutish Chakraborty Department of Political Science, University of North Bengal Professor Rajat Shubhra Mukhopadhyay Department of Sociology, University of North Bengal. Dr. K.N. Jehangir , Director(Retd.) Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR). MHRD, Government of India. Professor Ragunath Ghosh, Department of Philosophy, University of North Bengal Dr. Bimal Kumar Saha Director (Honorary), VINBNEDS All correspondences regarding publication should be directed towards the Chief Editor, THE QUEST FOR FUNDAMENTAL DEVELOPMENT, Vashistha Institute For North Bengal and North East Developmental Studies (VINBNEDS), Vashistha Nagar, Village: Chhotolaukuthi, Post Office :Bakshirhat, District : Cooch Behar,( West Bengal), India, Pin Code :736131,email: [email protected]. About the Institute VASHISTHA INSTITUTE FOR NORTH BENGAL AND NORTH EAST DEVELOPMENTAL STUDIES (VINBNEDS) Registered office H/o: Bidhu Bhusan Saha Viiiage: Chhotolaukuthi, Post office:Bakshirhat. District: Cooch Behar West Bengal, India Pin: 736131 Tel. No.03582-263402 Email: [email protected] Campus Vashistha Nagar Viiiage: Chhotolaukuthi, Post office:Bakshirhat. District: Cooch Behar West Bengal, India Pin: 736131 Tel. No.03582-263402 Vashistha Institute For North Bengal and North East Developmental Studies (VINBNEDS) is basically a Research Institute. Its aim is to conduct research activities upon the developmental problems relating to the various aspects of the life of the people of North Bengal and North East region of India in particular and Indian sub-continent as a whole in general. The date of birth of this institution is 21st April, 1997. It is registered under Society Registration Act, 1961, West Bengal, in the year 1999-2000. The registration number of it is S/94053 of 1999-2000, West Bengal. Since 2001 after its registration this has been performing various types of research activities basically upon its thrust area as noted earlier. These activities are for examples (i) (ii) (iii) : To organise seminar / Workshop/ Conference on the basis of self-funding manner and since 2003 with the partial financial assistance on the part of Indian Council of Social Science Research(ICSSR), Indian Council of Historical Research(ICHR), Indian Council of Philosophical Research (ICPR), the research funding organisations under Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, To publish seminar proceedings along with research papers selected from those presented there in book forms, To develop relevant library and so on. Again it has very recently been approved by the Higher Education Department (Social Education Branch), Government of West Bengal through the sanction of a grant for an institutional building. The construction of the institutional building is going on at its own campus. In such a pleasant and uprising situation, the Institute feels it meaningful to publish its proposed research journal “The Quest For Fundamental Development” for visualising more courage, enthusiasm and richness in the research culture of this region, the long-lying dream of the institute. C o n t e n t s Page Recent Agricultural Developmental Scenario of Manipur Chaya Rani Paul 1-16 Untold and Hidden Stories of India’s Freedom Struggle: The Story of Helen Lepcha Pemu Tshering Lepcha 17-23 Silk Industry in India: The Scopes of Sustainable Livelihood and Rural Development with Special Reference to Northeast States of Indian Hemen Biswas 24-29 Educating the hearts of the youth: The role of ‘Values’ in Education Shampa Dutta 30-33 A Sociological Enquiry into achieving Gender Equality through Women’s Right to Education Kritisudha Baraily 34-37 Political Empowerment of Women in India: A Study Sujoy Modak 38 -45 Voices of the Excluded Class: Evidence from Field Survey of Kinnars in Delhi Kunal Naskar 46- 62 The Quest For Fundamental Development Vol. IV, No. 02 ISSN: 2394-8981 UNTOLD AND HIDDEN STORIES OF INDIA’S FREEDOM STRUGGLE: THE STORY OF HELEN LEPCHA Pemu Tshering Lepcha* Abstract The project of history writing has always favoured the elite, male, upper class individuals, groups, and communities. History writing thus is essentially biased and patriarchal in its approach since contributions made by women from lower classes and tribal women in particular have hardly been acknowledged and given due recognition. History from below and minority history have been excluded and omitted from the mainstream narratives of the nation. This argument was vociferously highlighted in the early 1980s by the renowned Subaltern historian Ranajit Guha, in his critique of elitist histography. One of the proponents made by him was that in elite histography, indigenous elites alone claim to have inspired and led the people to freedom. People and communities from the margins and peripheries are thus rendered voiceless and have remained hidden in the pages of history. The paper seeks to highlight the contribution made by Helen Lepcha, alias Sabitri Devi, a lone Lepcha woman freedom fighter, who by dint of her courage, bravery and selfless dedication could make a mark in the national freedom movement. Born in 1902 in Namchi, South Sikkim and migrated to Kurseong along with her parents in search of better education and livelihood option, she became highly inspired by the Gandhian ideals of Khadi, Satyagraha, Swadeshi and Non- cooperation. Being a dropout from school at the age of 15, she joined the Khaddar and Charkha Movement in 1917, which became a turning point of her life and political career. The paper thus argues at length that minority histories should be explored and represented which has always remained in the shadows and the margins. The little contribution made by them in the freedom movement should be etched in golden letters in the pages of history. Key words: Subaltern Studies, Historiography, Tribal History, Lepcha History Introduction The writing of history has seldom been an unbiased affair. Historiography or the history of all histories has never been a scientific venture. It has never proceeded objectively and scientifically, preventing in the emergence of historical truth objectively. Carl Becker had in this respect expressed that “historiography provides us with manuals of information about histories and historians, a neat balance sheet of contributions made in the establishment of verified historical knowledge”. Unfortunately, the professed grand objectivity in the writings of history has led to the silencing of minority histories and ‘histories from below’; since history writing is enmeshed in its own brand of politics. A major challenge to this style of historiography came in the writings of the scholars of subaltern studies, particularly Ranajit Guha in the 1980s, whose forceful articulation 17 | P a g e The Quest For Fundamental Development Vol. IV, No. 02 ISSN: 2394-8981 about the experience of the lower-class people or people from the margins led to the emergence of subaltern studies. Discussion With the ascendancy of subaltern communities, reconstruction of history took place. According to them traditional history was elitist, politically motivated to maintain the hegemony of the elites, and to make invisible the voices and experiences of the ordinary people. The very first lines of his first volume on subaltern studies begins with the following lines, “the historiography of Indian nationalism has for a long time been dominated by elitism. The making of the Indian nation and the development of the consciousness of nationalism were exclusively or predominantly elite achievements” Elite historiography primarily privileges the indigenous elites in leading the people from subjugation to freedom, it fails to acknowledge the contributions made by people independent from the elite. Guha thus contends that elite historiography is unhistorical as it ignores the politics of the people. That is to say, people and communities from the margins are rendered voiceless and hidden from the pages of history. Feminist historiography in highlighting the alleged biases and manifestations of patriarchy hidden in history writing has advanced women as powerful agents in the making of history. They have questioned the invisibility of women and theorize the experiences of women. Feminist scholars are highly critical of the subalterns due to their inattentiveness to bring to the fore the questions of gender in historical analysis. Though Indian feminist have scholars sought to portray the experiences of women by making women more visible to redress the patriarchal biasness; they fall in the same trap of western feminism. That is, the achievements and activities of women belonging to the elite, educated, upper classes are privileged more. Whereas, activities and achievements of women from lower class, tribal or marginalised communities are hardly given attention. In this respect Amrita Basu, a political scientist has opined that Indian feminism has been largely derived from white western, largely middle-class feminism. Tribal woman’s resistance has largely occurred outside the domain of feminist movement. She uses the term ‘indigenous feminism’, to portray the struggles and experiences of tribal women. It thus becomes pertinent to highlight the role and activities of supreme sacrifice made by women from the tribal community. In multicultural societies, the writings of history have increasingly been associated with the politics of identity. The case of Helen Lepcha becomes more important, particularly at a time when Lepcha ethno-cultural revivalism is surging in the recent years. Since democratically minded historians have sought to exclude the minority histories or history from below from the mainstream narrative of the nation. The subjects of ‘history from below’ are derived from the marginalised and vulnerable communities, whose historical archives are very limited. Only by their inclusion into the mainstream the subject matter of history becomes more democratic and representative. For the building of the whole narrative of nationalist historiography, the parts should also be taken into account. Among one such ‘history from below’ is the story of Helen Lepcha, a lone Lepcha woman freedom fighter, who by her courage, dedication and self- sacrifice could make a mark in 18 | P a g e The Quest For Fundamental Development Vol. IV, No. 02 ISSN: 2394-8981 the Indian freedom struggle. But unfortunately, her activities and acts of bravery have remained unnoticed from the pages of history. Since our school days we are made to learn about the acts of heroism of women like Rani Lakshmi Bai, Rani Durgawati, Sarojini Naidu, Suchita Kripalini, Aruna Asaf Ali or Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, who came from educated elite upper or middle class or women with noble lineage. Women from marginalised communities or women from north east have been erased from the pages of history. It is only among the vernacular academic circles that their activities are duly recognized and popularised. But their stories of bravery and heroism have not received the attention of mainstream academia. Nor have they been made a part of history book syllabus. Here lies the problematics of history writing. Tribal people have a long history of heroic struggles against colonialism since the days of East India Company. In that sense they should be considered as precursors of the freedom struggle, as they had raised their bows and arrows long before the First War of Independence. But in the mainstream historical narratives their achievements are rarely acknowledged. This lopsided historical narrative needs to be amended in order to give historical ascendancy even to people belonging to the marginalised categories. Lepchas consider themselves to be the indigenous inhabitants of Darjeeling and Sikkim. Their claims to indigenous origin can be corroborated from the experiences that they have endured with colonialism since the thirteenth century. The Blood Brotherhood Treaty between the Bhutias and Lepchas in 13 century and the installation of Phuntsog Namgyal in 1642 led to colonisation of Lepchas under Bhutias. The second phase of Lepcha colonisation began with the coming of British and the policies pursued by them. The development of tea capitalism and policy of migration of the Nepalese people in order to work in the fledging tea gardens and infrastructure development led to marginalisation of the Lepchas. Feelings of marginalisation and also neglected by the state in terms of protecting their culture has led to the emergence of ethnic consciousness among them. In this process of ethnic activism Lepchas are trying to claim and highlight the sacrifices made by individuals from within the community. Among the historical women personalities that Lepchas take pride upon are Azem Rebeka Namchu, Helen Lepcha and Ruth Karthak. Very little historical documentation and archival records exists about them, which clearly establishes the fact that they are in the process of being erased from the pages of history. Lepchas in the process of cultural revivalism are trying to rewrite the histories of these forgotten personalities so that they are remembered by posterity. The paper is to highlight the acts of bravery of Helen Lepcha, as she is proudly proclaimed as one of the brave Lepcha daughters in Darjeeling Hills and Sikkim. She was the first and he only Lepcha lady from Darjeeling hills to take part in the Indian freedom movement. th It is a well-known fact that Indian freedom movement prior to the arrival of Gandhi was dominated by men particularly from western, educated, upper- or middle-class backgrounds. Entry of Gandhi changed the course of the Indian freedom movement. He converted the freedom movement into a broad-based mass movement by enlisting the support of Indians from the length and breadth of the nation. Even areas that remained outside the domain of nationalist politics (Darjeeling district was categorised as Excluded 19 | P a g e The Quest For Fundamental Development Vol. IV, No. 02 ISSN: 2394-8981 and Partially Excluded Areas) came under the influence of nationalist movement. Gandhian ideas of Swadeshi, Boycott and Non-cooperation reverberated even in the Darjeeling hills. It was at the height of the boycott and non- cooperation movement that Helen Lepcha made an important decision in her life. She left for Calcutta in 1918, stayed with her sister and joined a training centre to joined the art of making thread with charka. Owing to her expertise and efficiency in the art of weaving khadi, and impressed by her skills, she was appointed as the leader of the Bengal Board of Charkha. Under her leadership the Charkha Unit of Bengal participated in Khadi and Charkha Exhibition held at Muzaffarpur, Bihar. With this event, she emerged as a popular figure among the leaders of the Congress Party. She worn born in 1902 in Namchi, South Sikkim and migrated to Kurseong along with her parents in search of better education and livelihood option, as Sikkim under theocratic rule of the Namgyal Dynasty was feudal and backward in contrast to the Darjeeling, which had already reaped the benefits of modernity in industry, commerce and education. In Kurseong, her father admitted her in Scottish Mission for her studies. She got her name ‘Helen’ at the time of registration in the school since the head of the school was not able to pronounce and write her name. Her actual name was Assangthang Sailey, (which means the third daughter) as during those days name of the children were determined by their status among the siblings. At the age of 15 she was dropped out from school. After quitting her studies, she started focussing on social work. In 1916 when Surendranath Banerjee visited Kurseong to spread awareness about the ‘Charkha Abhiyaan’. She was highly captivated by his inspiring speech and immediately decided to join the Charkha School in Calcutta. Her involvement into the Khaddar and Charka movement was a significant event and a turning point in her life. She was recruited into the Congress Party by Dalbahadur Giri. After her induction into the party, her areas of activity included Jharia coalfields, Bankipur, Danapur, Patna and Uttar Pradesh. She lived in Anand Bhawan for some time and helped Netaji Subash Chandra Bose escape from imprisonment in Kurseong and migrate from Germany to Kabul. In 1920 when Bihar was submerged under devastating flood, she volunteered as a Congress worker and dedicated herself to work for the victims in the flood affected areas. Her dedication, diligence, bravery and her selfless work had already come under the notice of Mahatma Gandhi. Highly impressed by her selfless work, Mahatma Gandhi invited her to Sabarmati Ashram. She immediately accepted the invitation and proceeded to Sabarmati. Gandhi renamed her to Sabitri Devi, as her name Helen sounded very foreign to him. Henceforth, she became a popular figure in Bengal and Bihar with the name of Sabitri Devi. In 1921, when the non-cooperation movement was at its peak. She led a huge rally comprising thousands of labourers from Jharia coalfields at Mohammed Ali Park of Calcutta, which had the presence of eminent freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi, Chittaranjan Das, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and many others. This not only established her as a mass leader, but also brought her closer to prominent leaders of the freedom struggle and was assigned with further responsibilities. Her rising popularity and anti- British activities in the regions of Bengal and Bihar was taken due note by the government, which subsequently led to issue of her arrest warrant. To escape arrest, she 20 | P a g e The Quest For Fundamental Development Vol. IV, No. 02 ISSN: 2394-8981 also lived at Anand Bhawan, Allahabad (residence of Nehru). During her brief stay, she got opportunity to work with the Nehru family and some prominent Congress leaders. Owing to her closeness with the Nehru family, Indira Gandhi, during her visit to Darjeeling would address her as Sailee Didi. Due to her mother’s deteriorating health condition, Helen Lepcha had to return to Kurseong. Even during her stay at Kurseong taking charge of her family responsibilities she did not remain immune from the national freedom struggle. She kept herself abreast with the latest developments in the nationalist movement. She started door-to-door boycott and Swadeshi movements in Kurseong and even among the tea garden workers in Darjeeling hills. This hampered the British colonial interests in Darjeeling as they had wanted the tea garden workers not to come under the swell of nationalism. She came under the notice of the government, who was already keeping an eye upon each and every step she took. But all these measures did not stop her from pursuing her nationalistic zeal. She was a valiant fighter, brave and courageous at her heart, her undaunting spirit of selfless love for the nation always became a motivating factor. The fire of non-cooperation movement had reached Siliguri in 1921. With her nationalistic zeal she gathered a few Gorkha volunteers and campaigned against foreign goods. Huge born fires were made for the purpose of burning foreign goods. The government alarmed by the outburst of nationalistic feelings of the people, section 144 was imposed throughout Siliguri. Adamant in her move to go ahead in the face of state atrocities, she and her supporters endured all hardships including police lathi charge. In 1922 she was convicted for delivering a fiery speech, arrested along with her group of volunteers and was confined to rigorous imprisonment at Darjeeling Sadar Jail and subsequently put under house arrest in Darjeeling for 3 months. D.T. Tamlong, a prominent Lepcha leader makes reference in his writings on Some Lepcha Heroes, about Helen Lepcha’s experience of grinding corn as part of her jail activities. This act of the government still did not deter her from participating in the freedom movement. She remained an undisputed leader of the Congress Party and freedom fighter of hill district of Darjeeling. In 1924 when Gandhi came to Darjeeling to visit an ailing Chittaranjan Das, it is told that when Sabitri Devi met Gandhi she was adorned with jewellery and gold ornaments, which was disliked by Gandhi, as it conflicted with the Gandhian idea of simple living. She was immediately asked to donate her jewellery and ornaments for the Swaraj Fund, which she instantly agreed and acted upon. Henceforth, she was never seen in any ornaments and became an ardent follower of the Mahatma by living a simple and dedicated life of a freedom fighter. Apart from her involvement in the Swadeshi and Boycott movement, she was also instrumental for helping Netaji Subash Chandra Bose escape from India to Germany during Bose was kept under house arrest in Giddhae Pahar, situated at Kurseong. She was assigned with the task of supplying bread for Netaji from her husband Ishan Ahmed’s bakery. It is said that she used to supply secret letters, information and messages concealed inside the bread. When Subash Chandra wanted to escape to Kabul, it was she who arranged his disguise. It is also said that the Pathan dress, moustache and the beard, 21 | P a g e The Quest For Fundamental Development Vol. IV, No. 02 ISSN: 2394-8981 that Netaji used to hide his identity during his escape was made by Helen. In 1942 she also actively participated in the Quit India Movement. She was elected as the first woman Commissioner of Kurseong Municipality. She was a freedom fighter as well as a social worker. Even after independence she continued with her social work by offering help to the poor and orphaned children at her own residence. At a felicitation ceremony, the Tribal Welfare Department, Government of West Bengal recognized her contribution in the Indian freedom struggle. On the occasion of silver jubilee celebration of Indian independence, she was honoured with Tamrapatra, an award for freedom fighters along with pension rights. She was also made Chairperson of the Freedom Fighter Award Committee of Darjeeling district. Helen was radical in her views that the downfall and marginalization of the Lepchas were due to policy of British colonial rule. To bring an end to British colonialism, she joined hands with the Congress Party and at the same time made an invaluable contribution for the freedom of the country. It is owing to her selfless work, dedication, courage and acts of bravery, that she is known as ‘daughter of the soil’ by the people of Sikkim and Darjeeling Hills. She held the Presidentship of Lepcha Association. Besides this she also worked as President of Sherpa Association, Anjuman Islamia of Kurseong and President of District Congress Party. It was due to her leadership quality; she was able to hold important position in different associations. Her secular character is highlighted by the fact that she became acceptable to people of all religious faith. She died in 1980 in Planter’s Club, Darjeeling. When she died, her death rituals were performed by people of all religious faith. This proved the fact that she was secular from the core of her heart. Conclusion The story of Helen Lepcha should be taken as a source of inspiration for all of us. At a time when the domain of politics privileged men and upper caste, elite, educated women, she emerged as a role model for women belonging to low class, underprivileged, tribal community, who had so far been confined into the margins and peripheries. With a humble background, coming from Lepcha tribal community, she broke all barriers and made a place for herself as well as the whole Lepcha community and the people of Darjeeling and Sikkim Hills throughout the nation. She was the first ever Lepcha lady and the only one till date who stood up against the British empire, particularly at a time when British were not in good terms with the Lepchas. Her acts of bravery and courage has not received much attention in the mainstream national historiography. ‘The sad fact that we experience today is that not a single road is named after Helen Lepcha in Darjeeling or Sikkim. As a mark of remembrance for her revolutionary zeal, her statue was installed in Guwahati very recently, but not a single road named nor a single statue commemorated in her memory in the land of her origin.’ The statement speaks a lot about minority history or history from below, that still remains in the shadows and the margins of the nation. They need to be acknowledged, represented and documented in mainstream history writing in order to usher in what Anne Philips has termed as ‘Politics of Presence’, which is the very essence of democracy. 22 | P a g e The Quest For Fundamental Development Vol. IV, No. 02 ISSN: 2394-8981 References 1. Guha Ranajit, Subaltern Studies: Volume 1: Writings on South Asian History and Society, Oxford Paperbacks. 2. Becker Carl, What is Historiography? The American Historical Review, Oct., 1938, Vol. 44, No. 1 3. Barla, Alma Garcia, Indigenous Heroines: A Saga of Tribal Women of India, Published by International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA), Copenhagen, 2015. 4. Chakraborty, Dipesh, Minority Histories, Subaltern Pasts, Economic and Political Weekly, Feb. 28- Mar. 6, 1998, Vol. 33, No. 9 5. Basu, Amrita, Indigenous Feminism, Tribal Radicalism and Grassroot Mobilization in India, Dialectical Anthropology, 1990, Vol.15, No. 2/3 (1990) 6. Roy, D.C., Status of Women Among the Lepchas, Akansha Publishing House, New Delhi 7. Sinha, Gokul, The Role of Gorkhas in the Making of Modern India, Bharatia Gorkha Parisangh,2006 8. Tamlong, D.T., Some Lepcha Heroes, Mayel Lyang and the Lepchas: About Sikkim and Darjeeling, Mani Printing House 9. Roy, D.C., Prominent Personalities Among the Lepchas, Published by Mayel Lyang Lepcha Development Board, Kalimpong 10. The Sikkim Express, dated 18 August, 2021 th 11. Employment News, Issue No. 24, 11-17 September 2021 12. Amrita Bazar Patrika, 31 January 1922 st *Pemu Tshering Lepcha, Assistant Professor of Political Gorubathan Government College, Kalimpong, West Bengal, India. 23 | P a g e Science,