Indian, 98, who fought British in freedom struggle, dies in Dubai
GRANDCHILDREN AIM TO CARRY FORWARD HIS LEGACY
Harichandrai Jasumal Sahityani, an Indian freedom fighter, who was believed to be 98, has passed away in Dubai, where he had been living with his grandchildren since 2008. The cremation of Harichandrai will be held in Jebel Ali today.
He was reportedly born in 1923 in Kumbleema village of Sindh in undivided India, two of his grandchildren Vinod and Vimal Sahityani told Gulf News.
The family possesses a certificate acknowledging Harichandrai as a freedom fighter by the government of Madhya Pradesh in 1997. They also have photos and videos of him being honoured by the villagers during India’s Independence Day celebrations. The brothers run Duke International in Jebel Ali Free Zone, which supplies structural steel and building material in the region.
Fond memories
Since their grandfather did not remember his exact date of birth, the family celebrated his birthday on every January 1, said the duo, who, along with their cousins Naresh, Prem and Bharat, grew up listening to how their grandfather had taken part in India’s freedom struggle.
Vinod, who documented the life of his grandfather as part of a project, compiling stories on India’s partition, said he learnt more details about his grandfather after doing his interviews for the project.
Harichandrai lost his father six months after being born as the youngest of five children.
Apparently, Harichandrai had lost sight in his right eye when he was six or seven years old after he was pushed into a well by a naughty child. The villagers rescued him. However, the pulley injured his head, due to which he lost sight in his right eye. He also remembered being bitten by a snake in his later years, but luckily escaped death.
He led activities in his school to promote the leaders of the freedom movement by organising speeches and events on their birthdays.
“Following his participation in revolutionary activities against the British regime, he was arrested by the British soldiers and jailed on several occasions,” Vinod added.
Post-Partition life
Amid the violence during the Partition, the Sahityani family managed to get out of Nawabshah by train to the Indian border and lived in different refugee camps.
Until his retirement in 1984, Harichandrai worked as a telephone engineer with the telecom department. “After his retirement, he used his savings to set up a couple of schools for tribal students in the border areas,” said Vinod. The grandchildren now aim to carry forward the legacy of their grandfather.