DID FREEDOM FIGHTERS GET THEIR DUE?
Hindustan Times catches up with the descendants of freedom fighters from Uttar Pradesh to share their cause and concerns. Some are doing their bit to keep the legacy alive, while a few struggle with apathy and financial problems.
BAREILLY: In the twilight years of his rule before independence, the last nawab of Rampur, Raza Ali Khan, gave “shoot to kill” orders to his security staff. The target was a humble ‘vaidya’ (doctor of traditional medicine) -- Mathura Prasad Sharma. Sharma considered the nawabs the biggest enemies of the people, and had led several peaceful protests against Khan. “My father hated the nawabs for siding with the British during 1857. He said the nawabs had sold people’s trust to get pension from Britishers,” said Yugal Kishore Sharma, 50, second of Sharma’s three sons. It was not easy for the ‘vaidya’ to fight the nawab. He abandoned his property in Rampur and migrated to Maswasi, a village in the north of the district, to live in hiding. “He hid in the forests and planned his protests,” said Yugal. Sharma’s dream came true when India won its independence on August 15, 1947. But his situation did not change. He continued to remain the “number one enemy” of the nawab, much after Rampur had acceded to the Indian state. “My father lost all his property in Rampur. People also forgot his contribution,” said Yugal. Despite being a pro in his field, Sharma’s application to work as an ‘ayurveda’ doctor was rejected by the administrators of independent India. Finally, in 1981, former PM Indira Gandhi invited him to Delhi and awarded him a certificate for his efforts. The government also fixed a pension, but it was not enough to take care of his family. Today, with Yugal taking care of farms, one of his brothers working as an ‘ayurveda’ doctor and the other as a junior advocate, the family still struggles. “Our situation worsened after father’s death last November. Mother is alive, but the govt has stopped the pension,” said Yugal.