Odisha(India),(Asia) Freedom Fighter Veer Surendra Sai against British (UK)

 

   Odisha(India),(Asia) Freedom Fighter Veer Surendra Sai against British (UK)

 

        Surendra Sai, the great freedom fighter in the first Indian struggle for independence in the 19th century, is the least knowna and yet one of the bravest and most valiant martyrs for the cause of independence of the country. It is a pity that his name has been omitted in many annals of this first war of independence of India.

                         

                                                               ( Postal stamp of Veer Surendra Sai)

           Sai was born on 23 January 1809 in a village called Khinda about 40 km to the north of Sambalpur, Odisha. He was one of the seven children of Dharma Singh. Surendra Sai was born in his ancestral home at Sambalpur District in 1809. He was a direct descendant of Madhukar Sai, Maharaja of Sambalpur of the Chauhan dynasty in the 16^th century. His father was sixth in line to the throne of Sambalpur.

                       

                                                (Veer Surendra Sai Statue)

        In 1827 ruler of Sambalpur , Raja Maharaja Sai died without a Son. The British Government installed his widow Rani Mohan Kumari as the ruler of the state.This was against the established norms where only the male rulers were acceptable to the population.As a result of which disturbance broke out and conflict increased between the recognised ruler and other claimants for the throne of Sambalpur.^[6] Surendra Sai being one of the descendants of the ruling clan , had the most prominent claim. In time Rani Mohan Kumari became unpopular. Her land revenue policy did not satisfy the Gond and Binjhal tribal zamindars and subjects who suspected loss of power to the British.^[7] The British authorities removed Rani Mohan Kumari from power and put Narayan Singh, a descendant of royal family but born of a low caste, as the king of Sambalpur. The British Government ignored the claim of Surendra Sai for succession. Rebellion broke out in the regime of Narayan Singh.

                

                      (Lingaraj Tample, Bhubaneswar)

 Surendra Sai and his close associates, the Gond zamindars, created many disturbances.^[6] In an encounter with the British troops Surendra Sai, his brother Udyanta Sai and his uncle Balaram Singh were captured and sent to the Hazaribagh Jail where Balaram Singh died. King Narayan Singh died in 1849. By virtue of the Doctrine of Lapse, Lord Dalhousie annexed Sambalpur in 1849, as Narayan Singh had no male successor to succeed him. During the uprising of 1857 the sepoys set Surendra Sai and his brother Udyant Sai free. The resistance to British continued in Sambalpur under the leadership of Surendra Sai. He was supported by his brothers, sons, relatives and some Zamindars.

                 

                                        (Odisha Map)

      Sai espoused the cause of the downtrodden tribal people in Sambalpur by promoting their language and culture in response to the higher castes and the British colonial authorities trying to exploit them to establish their political power in Sambalpur region. He began protesting against the British at the age of 18 in 1827. First time he was arrested in 1840 and sent to Hazaribagh Jail.^[8] He was broken out of Hazaribagh prison by the fighters during 1857 rebellion.^[9] He moved his operations to the hilly tracts of Odisha and continued his resistance until his surrender in 1862 . Before his surrender he spent 17 years in prison at Hazaribagh and after his final arrest served a term of 20 years including his detention of 19 years in the remote Asirgarh hill fort until he died.  

                                      

                             (Present 2022 Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Pattnaik)

         Surendra Sai started his revolt against the British rule long before 1857 and continued his guerrilla war against the British authority from 1857 till 1864 long after the struggle led by the Rani of Jhansi, Tantia Tope, Kunwar Singh and others had subsided. Surendra Sai was a prisoner in British jail from 1840 to 1857 and then again from 1864 to 1884 being lodged in the final couple of decades of his life in Asirgarh jail, far away from the place of his birth. He was blind at the time of his death. Not merely he alone, but practically his whole family were valiant freedom fighters. His uncle Balram died in Hazaribagh jail after 16 years of jail life. His brother Chhabila was killed in an encounter with the British army. Another brother Ujjal was sent to the Raja Patnagarh to seek the latter’s help in the fight against the British, but the Raja betrayed Ujjal and surrendered him to the British and Ujjal was executed. His other brothers Udaut, Dhruba and Medini and his son Mitrabhanu were also among the freedom fighters .

                     

                                    (Lord Jai Jagannath, Puri)

        Surendra with his brothers and uncle raided Rampur in 1840 and in the clash Durjoy Singh and his sons were killed. Surendra Sai then openly marched to Sambalpur where Major Osley faced the attack of Surendra Sai who with crude weapons of his force could not face the artillery barrage of the British troops. Surendra, his uncle Balaram, his brothers Udent, Ujjal and Chhabila were taken prisoners. They were charged with the murder of Durjoy Singh of Rampur and others and were sentenced to imprisonment for life and sent to Hazaribagh Jail. Surendra languished in jail from 1840 till 1857. His uncle Balaram died in the prison. In the meantime Raja Narayan Singh died issueless. The East India Company applying the doctrine of lapse annexed Sambalpur in 1849. During a short period, the land rent had been increased five times and free Jagirs had been aboli. He had no hesitation to declare that Surendra Sai was never defeated and would never be defeated. This remark of the Deputy Commissioner of Sambalpur shows the strength and greatness of Surendra Sai. In fact his glorious struggle after the supression of the Indian Revolution of 1857-58 against a vastly superior power for long four years is a unique achievement. The British not only seized the entire food-stock of the rebels but also stopped all resources of the supply of food and other necessaries of life for them. But that could not damp the fighting spirit of Surendra Sai.

               

                       (Jagannath tample Puri, Odisha)

Major Impey abandoned the idea of violent war and cautiously followed the policy of peace and good-will with the approval of the Government of India. Surendra Sai, one of the greatest revolution aries in history, and a warrior who knew no defeat in his life surrendered with full faith in the honesty and integrity of the British Government. But after the death of Impey situations took a sudden change and the British administrators revived their inimical attitude towards the great hero. Sambalpur was brought under the jurisdiction of the newly created Central Provinces on the 30th April, 1862, Surendra Sai decided to surrender soon after that. But he was very soon disillusiioned and the new set-up indulged in reversal of the old libeal policy. The administrators found that the lion did not cease to be a lion even after his Surrender.

               

                             (Puri Sea Beach)

     Surendra was sent to Asirgarh fort jail along with Lokanath Gartia and others. There he languished for a long period of twenty years. He lost his eye-sight. He breathed his last on February 28, 1884.

                

   Citizens of Western region of Odisha feels veer Surendra Sai, should have been recorded with greater importance in the history of India's struggle for independence. According to them, he is yet to get the right place because of the state administration's ignorance and carelessness. Even historians and research scholars also have been blamed. Many important documents and papers relating to Sundar Sai are said to be still existing at different archives in Bhopal, Nagpur and Raipur. The Government of Odisha is said to have done nothing in this regard.

·        In 2009, The Government of Orissa changed the name of University College of Engineering the oldest engineering college of the state to Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, Burla in honour of this great leader.

·        In 2005, Government of India decided to put a statue of Veer Surendra Sai at the premises of Parliament of India.

·        One of the oldest colleges in Odisha has been named after him as Veer Surendra Sai Medical College, located in Burla, Sambalpur, it is operating since 1959.

·        Government of India has released a postal stamp in his honour.

·        On 23 January 2009 people of Odisha as well as India celebrated the 2nd Birth Centenary of Veer Surendra Sai. On the occasion, 'Paschim Odisha Agrani Sangathan' of Bhubaneswar brought out a book titled Veer Surendra Sai edited by Dr. Chitrasen Pasayat and Dr. Prabhas Kumar Singh. Also, another book titled Veer Surendra Sai: The Great Revolutionary edited by Dr. Chitrasen Pasayat and Sri Sasanka Sekhar Panda has been published by Anusheelan, Sambalpur.

·        Veer Surendra Sai Stadium in Sambalpur, Odisha is named after him.

·        In September 2018 Jharsuguda became the second city in Odisha to have an airport, which was named in honour of Sai.

·        VSS (Veer Surendra Sai) Market Complex has been made in his honour at Chhend Colony of Rourkela, Odisha.

 

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Suvendu Singha, (India,Odisha,Balasore, Jaleswar)