This is a story of an unacknowledged heroine few Indians know about- Durga Devi Vohra alias Durga Bhabhi who wielded tremendous influence on men such as Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Chandrashekhar Azad. She was brought up by her aunt, and was married to Bhagwati Charan Vohra at the early age of 11. Her husband, deeply impacted by the brutal atrocities of Britishers joined Satyagraha movements and scrutinized the revolutionary movements around the world with Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Yashpal at Lahore's National College.
After the formation of Naujawan Bharat Sabha aiming to encourage youth to join the freedom struggle and ending social evil, all the revolutionaries became frequent visitors to Bhagwati Charan's home in Lahore. This is how she came into contact with these legends while she was a teacher at a girl's college. Joining HSRA, she became a meticulous planner in revolutionary activities thereafter going underground knowing that their radical political activities had brought them to the attention of police.
This didn't affect her spirit. She then helped Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev after they assassinated ASP John Saunders by giving them the sum of money she had, knowing how important their leadership was. Leaving behind the social conventions, she posed as Bhagat Singh's wife helping him escape the British intelligence.
Due to the arrest of many leaders, she began leading all the activities herself including a daring assassination attempt on Lord Hailey. After the death of her husband, while testing a bomb, heartbroken Durga Devi dealt with the grief by plunging into revolutionary work. She was awarded three years of imprisonment for shooting a British policeman and his wife-'The first instance in which a woman figured prominently in a terrorist outrage'.
Opening her own school, after she was released, widened her contribution to the country.
History never acknowledged her salient role and the name of our unsung protagonist is left unseen but time takes note of her courage and patriotism. Durga Devi Vohra's exceptional bravery and intelligence deserve a salute from every Indian who enjoys freedom. This Martyr's day, we pay our salutations to every freedom fighter who struggled for an "Independent India".
By Anchal Jain
BA(H) Economics
Sri Venkateswara College
What a women ❤ Amazingly written 💫💫