Revisiting Bagha Jatin: The Unsung Champion of Revolutionary Maneuvers in Colonial Bengal

Abstract

Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and Swami Vivekananda became the role model for the unsung revolutionaries and thus rationalization of a Hindu identity was in the making. Jatindranath Mukherjee better known as Bagha Jatin took the reins of the revolution in Bengal after the stalwarts were put behind the bars following Alipore Bomb Conspiracy. He was a man of vision and accelerated the momentum of the revolutionary enterprise throughout India. A pan-Indian upheaval was masterminded by him and he maintained close proximity with Aurobindo Ghosh and Rasbehari Bose for chalking the blueprint of the nationwide revolution with foreign logistical aid. He was a man of action and the youths enthusiastically performed clandestine activities under his esteemed leadership. But unfortunately the contribution of Bagha Jatin, the lionhearted commander who thought much ahead of his time was always undermined by the historians of repute. This paper is a tribute to the unsung hero whose initiatives motivated thousands of youth to sacrifice their lives in the holy fire of Deshbhakti (love for motherland).