Many secret revolutionary societies were formed at the beginning of the revolutionary movement in Bengal. Among them, the first to be established was the Anushilan Samiti. Anushilan Samiti was founded by Satish Chandra Basu on March 24, 1902, at 12 Madan Mitra Lane. Later it was relocated to 49 Cornwallis Street (current name Bidhan Sarani, 1905). However, the person who was closely associated with this organization was Barrister Pramathanath Mitra, the president and commander of this organization.
The first vice-presidents of Anushilan Samiti were Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das and Aurobindo Ghosh. Satish Chandra Basu first formed the Kashinath Sahitya Samiti at the gymnasium of General Assembly Institution (current Scottish Church College). During the management of this organization, inspired by Swami Vivekananda and Sister Nivedita, he established the Anushilan Samiti. Inspired by the activities of this organization, branches of Anushilan Samiti were established in various places in Bengal.
Background of Anushilan Samiti
- The secret societies were the cradle of revolutionary terrorism. The first seed of the revolutionary movement in India germinated in Maharashtra. Although the revolutionary or terrorist movement originated in Maharashtra, it reached its full potential in Bengal. The first notable revolutionary organization in twentieth-century Bengal was the Anushilan Samiti. This association was formed against the backdrop of armed revolution centered on the partition of Bengal and the Swadeshi movement.
- Through the Swadeshi Movement in colonial India’s politics, every Indian realized the great truth that it is impossible to achieve independence without endless suffering and self-sacrifice. From the time of the Swadeshi and Boycott movements, three distinct and contradictory trends were observed in Indian politics: Moderates, Extremists, and Revolutionaries. When the petition policy of the moderate Congress leaders and even the extremist leaders gradually began to lose popularity, the Indian youth chose the path of armed revolution against British rule and exploitation.
- The extremist leaders had inspired the youth of the country with the ideal of direct confrontation, but they had not thought about how to implement these ideals. They could not build a strong organization. The failure of the boycott and Swadeshi movements exposed their limitations. Thus, it can be said that due to the failure of both moderate and extremist leaders, when the youth of Bengal were somewhat directionless and distracted in the anarchic environment created all around, they embraced terrorist activities through the establishment of secret societies in various places, having no other alternative.
- Before the establishment of the Anushilan Samiti, Gyanendranath Bose, with the help of Hemchandra Kanungo and his brother Satyendranath Bose, had founded the first secret society of Bengal in Medinipur. The armed struggle tradition of the Indian peasants also served as the backdrop for the formation of this society. At the same time, various contemporary magazines such as ‘Bande Mataram’, ‘Shivshakti’, ‘Jugantar’, etc., showed the youth a new path. The notable secret society in Bengal before Anushilan Samiti was the ‘Sanjivani Sabha’ established in Calcutta in 1867 by Jyotirindranath Tagore. This organization provided the main inspiration behind the formation of Anushilan Samiti.
You can also read about Surat Split of 1907: Causes, Moderates and Extremists, Impact.
Activities of Anushilan Samiti
- The members of this organization increased their physical capabilities through stick fighting, exercise, swimming, horse riding, boxing, and parade, etc. Initially, this organization was not involved in any revolutionary activities. But later, it participated in revolutionary activities through passive resistance movements. Additionally, revolutionaries secretly learned techniques for procuring weapons at home or abroad and making bombs. Members had to follow 22 rules here. From a methodological perspective, the Anushilan Samiti movement had two streams, one was passive resistance and the other was spreading terror through armed movement.
Leaders of Anushilan Samiti
Notable members of Anushilan Samiti included Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das, Surendranath Tagore, Jatindranath Banerjee, Aurobindo Ghosh, Barindra Kumar Ghosh, Sister Nivedita, Rash Behari Bose, Rabindranath Tagore, Bipin Chandra Pal, Gurudas Bandyopadhyay, and others.
Anushilan Samiti Revolutionary Activities
- In the early days, revolutionary activities conducted by this organization were not particularly noticeable. Even until 1905, there was no novelty in the activities of Anushilan Samiti. But the Partition of Bengal and Russia’s defeat by Japan seemed to infuse new life into the organization’s activities. Branches of Anushilan Samiti were established in Calcutta and surrounding areas such as Darjipara, Pataldenga, Khidirpur, Howrah, Shibpur, Bali, Uttarpara, Srirampur, and Tarakeshwar, but the Dhaka Anushilan Samiti under the leadership of Pulin Bihari Das was the most influential.
- The Dhaka Anushilan Samiti had about 580 branches. Apart from Pulin Bihari Das, other famous individuals associated with this organization included Trailokyanath Chakraborty (Maharaj), Makhanlal Ghosh, and Nalinikanta Ghosh. After 1905-06, the influence of secret societies grew so much that in December 1906, revolutionaries of Bengal gathered in a grand conference. Pramathanath Mitra was the president of this meeting.
- However, Chittaranjan Das believed in the ideal of passive resistance rather than armed struggle. On the other hand, revolutionary Barindra Kumar Ghosh favored armed movement and secret assassinations, causing his distance from the mainstream of Anushilan Samiti to increase. To propagate revolutionary ideals, ‘Jugantar Patrika‘ was published on 18 March 1906 by Barindra Kumar Ghosh and Bhupendranath Dutta, with the advice of Aurobindo Ghosh and the direct assistance of his sister Nivedita. Since Jugantar Patrika was the mouthpiece of the secret society founded by Barindra Kumar and Bhupendranath in 1906, the organization came to be known as ‘Jugantar Dal’.
- The Jugantar Patrika had 7 thousand subscribers. In 1908, the government banned the publication of this newspaper. At that time, its circulation was 25 thousand. In 1905, through the initiative of Barindra Kumar Ghosh, a revolutionary book named “Bhavani Mandir” was published. In 1907, a revolutionary action center of the Jugantar group was established at a garden house at 32 Muraripukur, Manicktala, Calcutta. The Jugantar group was the first to openly advocate the use of deadly weapons like bombs against foreign rulers.
- Following Barindra’s instructions, the first instance of secret assassination in Bengal occurred in December 1907 through an attempt to kill Bampfylde Fuller of East Bengal and Assam at Naihati station. Although the attempt failed. Then in 1909, attempts to kill Andrew Fraser in Narayangad, Medinipur, attempts to kill the President Magistrate Kingsford in Calcutta, and one armed movement after another continued. Although some of these ended in failure, every Indian citizen learned from these movements that achieving independence through sacrifice is much more glorious than being an exile in one’s own country.
Significance of Anushilan Samiti
- The contribution of Anushilan Samiti to Bengal’s revolutionary movement is undeniable. This organization was the pioneer of Bengal’s revolutionary movement. Although India’s independence was not achieved through armed revolutionary movements, this movement played an important role in India’s national movement. The courage and patriotism of these secret societies inspired common people with a sense of nationalism. Their examples of self-sacrifice created enthusiasm and inspiration in the minds of the entire nation. Alongside India’s non-violent mass movements, the armed revolutionary movement made India’s independence movement more dynamic and powerful. At the same time, the movements conducted by this organization intensified the Indians’ desire for independence.
Anushilan Samiti FAQs
Who founded the Anushilan Samiti?
Anushilan Samiti was founded by Satish Chandra Basu on March 24, 1902.
