Patriots Bleed & Politicians Enrich

Henry James (1843-1916) was a renowned American-British novelist who quoted in his famous novel, The Portrait of a Lady, that “I think patriotism is like charity — it begins at home.” On the eve of the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence, it is more important to remember those patriots who not only sacrificed their lives but also never craved for family interests to give our countrymen freedom from British rule.

On 15th August morning, many forward ‘Happy Independence Day’ posts via WhatsApp in a routine manner as they forward ‘Happy New Year’ or ‘Happy Diwali’ or ‘Happy Christmas’ or ‘Happy Ramadan’ in celebration. This habitual intextication of ‘Happy Independence Day’ has become more mechanical without a second thought before reconciling whether we are aware of its true meaning. In my case, on this day, I remember those great souls who made many sacrifices, which is the real reason to mark this day as a very important day for Indians. It is more than a religious festival, it is a day to remember people who made Himalayan sacrifices. It is inspiring to be aware of the profound spirit with which those freedom fighters have fought, giving least importance to their personal and family interests.

My grandfather, Pothina Ganapathi Rao, was a leading activist in the freedom struggle from Vijayawada, right from his teenage years. Along with his elder brother, he started a printing press by name PS Press in the year 1917, publishing a small local daily by the name Swatantra where he wrote inspiring articles narrating the sacrifices made by leaders from all corners of the country for the country’s freedom. Unfortunately, his wife died of cancer within eight years of their marriage, leaving their three children motherless. They were just seven, five and three years old. My father was the eldest and seven years old at that time. Ganapathi Rao sternly refused his elders’ proposal of a second marriage. He left the children in the custody of a lady caretaker and started off to Nagpur to fulfil his ambition of participating in the freedom struggle from the forefront and not remotely from Vijayawada. He spent almost his entire life receiving blows from the British, enduring their torture in jails, organising rallies, etc., highly charged and motivated with the guidance of iconic leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel and many others, for almost 25 years. But his children grew up in the custody of a caretaker without any love and affection.

Pothina Ganapathi Rao was one of the main participants who followed Mahatma Gandhi in the non-cooperation movement, in 1921. Further, on 13 April 1923, at Nagpur, under the leadership of Gandhiji while commemorating the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Ganapathi Rao was one of the volunteers who led the procession at the forefront. That particular day, the Swaraj flag with the spinning wheel, designed by Pingali Venkayya as suggested by Gandhiji, was also hoisted. This protest and the hoisting of the Swaraj flag resulted in a violent lathi charge by the police, after which Ganapathi Rao and a few others were imprisoned. Over a hundred other protesters continued the flag procession after a meeting. Subsequently, on the 1st of May, Jamnalal Bajaj, the secretary of the Nagpur Congress Committee, started the Flag Satyagraha, gaining national attention and marking a significant point in the flag movement. While the flag agitation got its impetus from Gandhi’s writings and discourses, the movement received political acceptance following the Nagpur incident. Soon, the concept of preserving the honour of the national flag became an integral component of the independence struggle. Pothina Ganapathi Rao, who was imprisoned in Nagpur jail on 13th April 1923, was released only after six months. Thereafter, he participated in the Salt Satyagraha and was fined ₹50/-, apart from being imprisoned at Rajahmundry Central Prison, Tiruchirappalli, Alipore Jail — Ganapathi Rao was frequently shifted from one jail to another for he was educating the other prisoners on the importance of participating in the freedom movement. For participating and spreading the word about Gandhiji’s Satyagraha movement, Ganapathi Rao was fined ₹700 and imprisoned on 6th January 1941 for forty five days, after which he was once again detained from 17th May 1941 to 22nd December 1941 at Rajahmundry and Nellore jails, and it continued for his participation in the Quit India movement.

Soon after India attained freedom on 15th of August, 1947, he retired from all activities. India celebrated freedom from British rule, so did many of the freedom fighters by donning political roles, except for a few like Ganapathi Rao. He turned down many offers from his senior leaders and contemporaries to take up a post in the government, refusing all incentives extended to him, including a large 5-acre chunk of agricultural land at Machilipatnam and the pension from the government. He refused the political posts offered by the then governments, including a cabinet rank, citing that he had no such ambition and never thought of it at any point during the freedom struggle. It was only after immense pressure and to the satisfaction of the then Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, and Shri Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy, the first Chief Minister after the formation of the state of Andhra Pradesh, that he accepted to be the Chairman of the Vijayawada Municipality from 1955-56. He never even recommended any of his family members for any free benefits extended by the Indian government, nor suggested that they participate in politics or build a career on his reputation. He avoided visiting the Congress party office in Vijayawada, nor did he participate in any of the party activities after independence.

As Chairman of the Vijayawada Municipality from 18th August 1955 to 27th August 1956, Pothina Ganapathi Rao earned applause from all sections of society. Ganapathi Rao died of tuberculosis in the year 1958 and at the time of his death, he declared to his friends and family that he has no wealth other than the ‘pride of fighting for the freedom of his country’ which was a sensational declaration that shocked those who surrounded his deathbed. Struggling for freedom of the country also meant ‘freedom’ from all political and personal greed. Freedom from the British has not ‘freed’ us Indians from greedy politicians who still continue to feast upon the public resources as if they belong to them.

Today, we should be proud of all those past selfless freedom fighters and also the numerous unsung heroes at the border who sacrificed their lives to preserve and protect our free nation. The freedom fighters have left us nothing but their legacy of sacrifice and selflessness, showing us that despite having many opportunities, one should not look forward to personal benefits from the fruits of collective work. India is today celebrating its 75th Day of Independence from the 300-year-old British rule but ironically, even after several decades the country is struggling to become a developed country. We all know that the main reason for poverty, crime and corruption, nepotism, etc., which the greedy politicians are possessed with. Today, the right to vote in the hands of the common man is acquired for a price by politicians for their personal enrichment. Real ‘freedom’ can be celebrated on the day when our politicians serve the country without an agenda for personal enrichment. In short, those past selfless freedom fighters were stoics and the present politicians are nothing but epicureans.

(The author wishes to acknowledge that he has relied on the information of Ms Sunita Mudaliyar of Nagpur with regard to the freedom movement and the facts behind the Swaraj flag designed by Pingali Venkayya; and he also thanks writer poet Mr Bayana Sekar Babu of Vijayawada who had provided him the facts related to the involvement of Pothina Ganapathi Rao during the freedom movement and his detention at various prisons during the freedom movement. Further, the author thanks the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation for their cooperation and, most important of all, the author thanks his 86-year-old mother who had preserved the photographs of her father-in-law in her family album that are now used in this blog)