Thus died unsung war hero Bari Maa

January 26 Tuesday Ranchi

Picture by Sanjeev Samir

For whom did you fight? Why did you do it? Who do you think you are?

Lily Chakraborty fondly called Bari Maa; probably could not get answers to '3 Ws' till her life. So was her death at the age of 96 on January 3 this year ­— a single column news, no more.

January 8 when the newly elected House of the State Assembly was paying tributes to the veterans; Bari Maa was nowhere in the list. Nevertheless, she fought against the British empire and served jail terms along with her husband; late Hemendranath Chakraborty, a freedom fighter himself.

"Politicians and administrators are not historians and often they suffer memory lapse and they are not expected to remember the contributions of those who sacrificed their lives for the post 1947 generations," said Vinod Viswakarma, a theatre artist of Koderma.
So why they forgot that Lily was a great freedom fighter, accused in Chitegaon Armoury Loot case for which she was arrested for supporting freedom fighters and also served jail terms in the Dhaka and Barisal jails between 1949 and 1953.

Ironically she remained confined in jail in Eastern Pakistan (now Bangladesh) for another six years after India became independent. She became free only after personal intervention of the then President of India Dr. Rajendra Prasad.

People tried to contact Koderma MP Babulal Marandi requesting him to ensure state honour for her. It was the time when state politicians were engaged in the make and break politics of the government formation. Nor the office of the Chief Minister responded to this when they contacted.

She shared same fate of her husband who was even not accorded state honour in undivided Bihar, nevertheless, the West Bengal Government had announced three days mourning when he had died in 1987 after a prolonged illness in Jhumri Tilaiya.

Lily was cremated in Jhumri Tilaiya and the Koderma district administration sent an officer of the rank of the executive magistrate Purnachand Kunkal to place a wreath and finishing off the formality.

Life was not an equal opportunity employer for her and she knew this fact. It was probably the reason she preferred a life in recluse with bronze memento awarded to her husband by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1972.

Not blessed with any child from the past 11 years she had been living with her foster son Suvash Yadav and the memory of her association with Anushilan Samiti and the cause for which the couple relinquished their pleasure of domestic life seven days after their marriage in 1931.

At the ripe age when one's shoulders start dropping and sinking and even refuse to support owns reduced burden, Lily never approached the state or district administration for any support.

Only once she ever wished anything from the district administration. It was her desire to put the name of her husband on the plaque erected on the campus of the block office of Koderma commemorating the names of the freedom fighters of the district. Wish was never granted.

Bari Maa is no more to tell the next Gen the story of the second longest 'fast unto death' of the history of the world; 45 days long, that her husband has pioneered at the dreaded Cellular Jail in the Andamans.

There were only two occasions in a year; Independent Day and Republic Day; when the district administration remembered her to make her sit in the antique box of living freedom fighter at the flag hoisting ground to show its respect.

On this Republic Day Lily will not be available.