Jammu Jottings
Squadron Leader Anil Sehgal
How many of us know that Dhanwantari Mahey is the only Dogra externed to the dreaded Kala Pani, the Cellular Jail prison in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, during the British Raj, for taking part in the national freedom struggle of India ?
Why is it that we don’t speak of Dhanwantari in the same breath as we rattle out the names of other revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar, Shivram Rajguru and Chandra Shekhar Azad, just to name a few ?
Do Jammuites know that our fellow Dogra Dhanwantari was with Bhagat Singh on that fateful day of Saturday, the 17th December 1927, when Assistant Superintendent of Police James Saunders was killed in Lahore to avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai, the acknowledged Lion of Punjab ?
Do we know that Dhanwantari was a member of underground organizations like Nau Jawan Bharat Sabha and the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army ? These groups were formed by young revolutionary students whose cherished mission was to overthrow the British rule.
Do we realise that half of his adult life, Dhanwantari spent in various jails of the British India, including the Cellular Jail of Andaman, suffering torture at its worst levels ?
Well, true to our traditions, we the Dogras, don’t remember our heroes. We don’t value reading the history books in general, and, especially, our Dogra history. We don’t care for our rich cultural heritage. Most of our historical monuments have perished and the surviving ones are in utter ruins.
Do we know that Dhanwantari was a staunch ideologue of the revolutionaries and his thoughts and actions were always beyond any doubts ; so much so that they trusted him to check on the fellow revolutionary Yashpal who had come under the clouds of suspicion for his activities ?
Yashpal was accepted and his honour restored only after he was cleared by Dhanwantari. The world knows him as Hindi author Yashpal who later won a Sahitya Akademi Award. Yashpal, another Dogra from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, was decorated with a Padma Bhushan, in 1970.
We all have heard about Simon Commission. It was there in our text books to tell us that the British wanted to review the Government of India Act of 1919, which was a step forward towards self governance for the Indians. The Act envisaged a review after 10 years. But, thanks to the political turmoil in the United Kingdom, the review was advanced. In November 1927, a commision was constituted to review the Act.
The locals, the Indians, opposed the constitution of the Commission that had no Indian member on board. Strong protests were held all across the country. It echoed fervent nationalist sentiments when the Indian protestors shouted in unison the iconic slogan : Simon Go back, !
Sir James Simon headed the seven member Commission. The iconic slogan was coined by Yusuf Meherally who belonged to the City of Mumbai in the erstwhile Bombay State. Banners emblazoned with this slogan also became a striking visual symbol of the agitation.
At Lahore, this movement was going on under the leadership of Lala Lajpat Rai. During one of the protest marches, the police ordered a lathi charge. The protestors were mercilessly beaten up by the police.
Lala Lajpat Rai was in the forefront as the leader of the march. He was badly hurt and suffered severe head injuries. Later, Lala Ji suffered a heart attack, and died after 18 days.
Do we know that Dhanwantri too was alongside Lala Ji, in the forefront of this historic protest march ? He could not tolerate severe beating given to a great Indian like Lajpat Rai. He came and stood in front of Lala Ji and was also beaten up severely. Luckily, Dhanwantari survived his severe injuries. Unlike Lala Ji, he survived since he was young ; a youth in his 20s at that time.
Dhanwantri suggested to Bhagat Singh and other revolutionaries that they should avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai by murdering James Scott, the superintendent of police who had ordered the infamous lathicharge. Everyone agreed. A plan was hatched and executed too. But, unfortunately, and by mistake of identity, assistant superintendent of police, John Saunders was killed in place of James Scott.
Following the murder of Saunders, Dhanwantari was arrested on 11 December 1929. He was, however, released after month long interrogation and torture. Thereafter, he went underground on 4 December 1930.
Many activities were taking place in the country. The revolutionaries started a bomb making factory under the name of Himalayan Toilets. They threw bombs in Central Legislative Assembly, Delhi. A train carrying the viceroy, Lord Irwin, was bombed, though the viceroy escaped unhurt.
Sir Geoffrey de Montmorency, the then governor of Punjab, was torturing the Indians. Dhanwantri planned with fellow revolutionary Hari Kishan Talwar to kill Geoffrey. But, the bullets went haywire, on 23rd December 1930, at the convocation of Punjab University. Their target escaped. Talwar surrendered and was sentenced to death. It is a part of our folklore now that Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were hanged in Lahore Central Jail, on 23 March 1931. Dhanwantri blamed chief secretary of the Punjab government, Sir Henry Craik,a for the decision to hang them. Along with Sukhdev Raj and Jagdish Chander Roy, he attempted the killing of Henry Craik. But, once again, the plan fizzled out. Dhanwantari was arrested and sentenced to ten years imprisonment.
He was considered a dangerous terrorist and was sent to District Jail, Delhi. Later, on 12 October, 1934, Dhanwantri and another revolutionary, Harbandhu Jamadar, were deported to Cellular Jail, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar, popularly known as the dreaded Kala Pani.
Do we know that when he was lodged in the Cellular Jail of the Andamans, Dhanwantri led a successful Hunger Strike for 61 days to protest against the lodging of political prisoners in the Cellular Jail, which was meant for hardened criminals ?
Jail authorities’ efforts to break the hunger strike bore no fruits for two months. To force him to break his hunger strike, Dhanwantari was subjected to forced feeding several times. Because of this forced feeding, his food pipe deep down upto his chest became disfigured and disjointed. Finally, the British government was compelled to yield and all political prisoners were repatriated to the main land, along with Dhanwantari.
Soon after his release from the Andamans, in 1939, he returned to Lahore where he was made the President of the Lahore District Congress Committee by unanimous popular acclaim. He was a man loved and respected by fellow revolutionaries and adversaries alike.
In the early 40s, Dhanwantri came to Jammu. Here, he founded and guided movements of farmers, youth, students and writers. His arrival brought about a qualitative change in the social, political, economic and even literary scenario of the State.
He established a unit of the Communist Party and organised its first ever public meeting at Purani Mandi. It attracted huge crowds. His close interactions with the new leadership of National Conference of Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah became integral parts of the policies laid down to enforce the vision of Naya Kashmir. He was the fountain head of guidance for political activists in the state during the crucial period after the partition.
Dhanwantri spent the last six years of his life in his home state of Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan had already sent its army in the garb of the tribals to seize power in the state and annex it ; migration was under progress and the refugees were all around seeking relief, attention and rehabilitation.
It is interesting to note that Dhanwantri was the first to foresee the oncoming communal riots as a result of the partition. He had published a booklet titled Bleeding Punjab Warns, in 1946, that gave a detailed account of his observations and first hand information. He warned the government, the political parties and the public at large of the grave situation that was precipitating on the eve of the partition. Sadly, none of them paid heed. As a result, the partitioned landscape witnessed a horrendous bloodbath.
Much later, after the communal riots had taken place and nearly 10, 00, 000 ( ten lakh ) lives were lost, noted writer, film maker and communist Khwaja Ahmed Abbas admonished the Indian Government for not heeding the timely warning given by Dhanwantri and adopting some of the measures suggested by him to mitigate the suffering of the people.
The only tribute his homeland has paid him is by naming the Jammu University library after him and putting up a statue of his at a public park in Trikuta Nagar, Jammu, executed by renowned sculptor Ravinder Jamwal.
Born at Military Hospital Jammu, to Colonel Durga Dutt Mahey of the Indian Army, Dhanwantari was a thorough Jammuite, a true Dogra. He lived just across the lane from my maternal grandparents’ house in Kali Janni area of the old Jammu city.
His was a family we considered our own. His nieces Uma, Usha, Shashi and Rama were respected aunts to us. They were friends of my mother and the two families enjoyed a close bonding. He had three brothers : Bhim Sain, Vidyanand and Vishwamitter, who were well placed in their chosen professions.
Dhanwantri has earned for the Dogras a permanent place of pride in the roll of honor of the legendary Indian revolutionaries and freedom fighters. The Dogras need to ensure that the torch of love for our motherland and salf-sacrifice, which he handed over to us, is always kept aloft and burning. This immortal Dogra breathed his last on 13 July 1953, at the age of 51, in his hometown Jammu. My paternal uncle Murari Lal Sehgal, the eldest sibling of my father, was an accomplice of Dhanwantari. After the demise of his close friend, he lost interest in the worldly affairs and all his life he lived like a recluse. I was lucky to hear him speak about his late friend a few times. This tale I shall narate some other time.
Before I close, please allow me to put this question to my fellow compatriots, the valiant Dogras : should we ask for a Bharat Ratna for Dhanwantari Mahey ? Or is there a Dogra who deserves it better than him ?
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