The Communist Ghadar Party of India organized a school on the Ghadar of 1857 on 9 June in Delhi. Workers, peasants, intellectuals and youth from different parts of the country participated in this school. Recognising the importance of this school, correspondents of People's Voice interviewed participants on the following questions.

1. How did you feel while participating in the school on Ghadar of 1857?
2. Would you like to say something on the presentation made on Ghadar of 1857?
3. Which are the historic facts about the Ghadar of 1857 that the have been kept from the masses of Indians? Or have been presented in a distorted manner?
4. What is the relevance of the Ghadar of 1857 today?

These are some of the reactions that we received.

Prahlad, Political Activist, Mumbai, Maharashtra

It’s an honour for me to be approached for feedback on a school on a historic and topical subject like 1857.Through this school I got the opportunity to learn about the legacy (of 1857) in the true sense of the word. The already hot blood in my body due to the scorching Delhi heat further boiled after participating in the school.

While on the one hand the presentation on 1857 made public the history which has been buried for several decades, it also declared a historic struggle against the cultural decadence influencing the Indian people. This presentation would keep stinging those who are busy trumpeting India’s freedom and its constitution till people’s conscience awakens and their cultural glory is restored. This presentation would prove to be a lesson for those who have been propagating lies about the great Ghadar of 1857. Coming out strongly against the illusions being spread about freedom and by raising the levels of knowledge about our culture, this presentation has brought people face to face with their legacy and made them move toward a new society.

There can not be two opinions about the introductory speech of Com Lal Singh to this school which was so fantastically conducted. The role of working class was clearly explained in the introduction.

Based on the information available in the history books one knew of this uprising only as something which was related to Mangal Pandey and his religion but this school brought to light the fact that it was actually an uprising against the British rule and its oppression. Also it was a result of long preparation and not just a spontaneous reaction to a particular incident. It’s not even correct to say that this was the first Ghadar as many struggles spanning many years had taken place against the British rule. This struggle however brought the entire nation together. At least one crore people were killed in this Ghadar and Indian culture was totally destroyed by propagating how backward and insignificant it was. The youth today often say that India doesn’t have anything and this thinking is the result of many years of oppression which has completely killed our conscience. The school brought out this truth very clearly.

Our history has been one of class struggles. The consciousness coming out of this struggle between two classes is called the Ghadar. This Ghadar has not stopped and is definitely moving ahead in a modern way. The only golden learning from 1857 can be – we should rise against the oppression of the working class no matter which religion, caste, creed, gender or nationality we belong to. While newer and newer methods of oppressions are being practised the only answer to all this is Ghadar.

Satish Kumar, Student, University of Delhi

I learnt a lot in this school about the Ghadar of 1857 compared to what I learnt all these years in the school from teachers using NCERT books and from reading other books. Also I learnt about the feelings of people who were part of this Ghadar.

It’s very difficult to say which part of the presentation was more important. There were three parts to it – first one talked about pre 1857 period, second one covered 1857-1947 and the third one detailed out happenings after 1947 till today. All the three parts were chronologically presented in a very simple manner.

I feel even today we are fighting for the right to sovereignty which our forefathers fought for against the British in 1857. Only the faces have changed. We are facing the same atrocities, oppression and exploitation in the society even today. The colonial legacy has continued even after the so called independence and people have to fight for smallest of rights. The main problem is the history that is taught to us is based totally on Eurocentric thought. Our education system is based on Macaulay’s system.

It won’t be an exaggeration to say that Ghadar in on till today.

Sunil, Political Acitivist, Mumbai, Maharashtra

It was very good. Till we study the history of the exploitation of humans by humans we won’t be able to move forward in our struggle. If we don’t study India’s political, economic and social history we won’t be able to open the way for revolution. Britishers negated all aspects of our history – political, economic, social and technical – and imposed the Eurocentric thought on us. They also established the opinion that India doesn’t have a history that Indians can be proud of. This is what we see today.

All along we have been told, be it by the government, parliamentary parties or the history books approved by the government, that the Ghadar of 1857 was just a revolt by a bunch of people. While the truth actually is people from all walks of life – women, youth, peasants, princes, armed forces, craftsmen and others – sacrificed their lives to overthrow the colonialists.

The way the presentation was structured dividing the 150 years chronologically and bringing out the truth in a very simple manner, it was very obvious that it was a result of a great deal of research done over a period of time. It was a truly memorable experience to participate in the school where all this research was packaged beautifully and presented in one day. It was like watching a movie.

Ruling Indian capitalists are keeping alive the remains of the colonial legacy. Root of all the problems is the system which is based on Eurocentric philosophy with capitalism at its centre. It’s very important to bring this fact to light. The next Ghadar will completely uproot the colonial legacy and establish the rule of workers and peasants. This Ghadar will establish a new economic and political system by completely throwing out all the remains of colonial legacy and make the toiling masses of India masters of their future.

Rahul Kanavi, Software Engineer, Mumai

It was a very brilliantly oragnized program with a very definite purpose and it managed to achieve its purpose by enthusing all those who came to the school with the spirit of revolution It helped rediscover and rekindle the fire of 1857 in all the young people by bringing to fore the tasks of the 1857 revolution and showed ample evidence of the Indian spirit that had awakened to consciousness from centuries of oppression.

The presentation had a very beautiful flow to it. The realisation of the transfer of power from the British to the Indian rulers was so premeditated; it clearly showed how the country got hijacked by the new ruling classes who were involved in the treachery of betraying the freedom fighters of 1857. 

The facts about the genesis of today's ruling classes from the treacherous role they played in 1857; the fact that the Ghadar was not just against the British but also against the brahmanical order and all retrogressive forces existing in India; the fact that the Ghadar involved the masses of people and not just the sepoys; the fact that the Ghadar was widespread and planned.

The ghadar is a wave that recedes and comes back with an even larger force when the class antagonisms intensify. The knowledge of the Ghadar is an inspiration for the freedom loving masses. The class antagonisms have increased and lakhs are deprived of housing and food on a daily basis. The realisation that only a victorious Ghadar of the working class can take society towards a balanced and brilliant future for mankind is important to understand. We studied all the revolutions in the world in the earlier communist school and it is a revelation that can help us defeat the retrogressive forces of today, learning from the mistakes that were made by the Ghadarites internationally earlier.

The importance of speaking in Indian languages instead of in English is a very important observation made by Comrade Lal Singh, in his speech, and needs to be understood very seriously. The manner in which most of the comrades think in English is a roadblock at this point for us to communicate to the masses of Indian people and a roadblock to bringing the masses of people to the party. The speech also pointed to the need to review and study the erudite works of our past which were written by the Brahmans rather than denouncing them and always looking at India in the manner in which the Europeans did.

Surkhraj, History graduate, Delhi University

I really felt that the communist school on 1857 brought out many new facets of the Ghadar. It was a refreshing new look at the Ghadar and a much broader time span was touched upon. Ideologically the school raised a lot of new questions; that we are otherwise encouraged to ignore.

The entire presentation took into account the various battles, small and big throughout the country even before and after 1857 in British India. I thought that was a great example to all people who have been researching the topic, as it gave importance to wide scale 'struggle'. It didn't simply concentrate on one hero or one king. The presentation was beautifully supplemented with images as well as with a huge amount of information that I had not paid attention to earlier.

As a history graduate I can say that whether it be the Ghadar or any other part of our past, facts have always been hidden or distorted. The simple fact here being that it is most convenient for the powers that be, to distort and even come up with events which may not have even occurred so as to waver the common masses. They do this through education, religion, and other tools of propaganda.

It is said that history repeats itself, the history of 1857 and numerous struggles of the people before and after till date only go to show that people will always fight for their rights. Skeptics and propagandists can come up with many theories on failures, but the people of any region will stand up and fight. Where there is oppression in any form, there is the will to struggle and fight, and this is a scientific and historical fact. Today we have people throughout the country who believe in change, change which is for the good of all who struggle against an oppressive system. Clearly, if we don't learn from the past then we remain unprepared for the future.

I liked the entire speech. The presentation brought forward new and exciting information about our past and com Lal Singh explained the significance of 1857 and our role in the world today. Like he pointed out, our role and responsibilities today are the most important. I also liked that he touched upon the topic of propaganda and how we must not get carried away by false information. We must find our own answers as a collective and build a future together.

Gopal, Student of Information Technology, New Delhi

The achievement of the School was that it presented and provided evidence of a history that has been sought to be obliterated, in such simple words.

The entire presentation was very good, and it is very difficult to say which aspect of the presentation was better than the others.

The way the 1857 Ghadar is presented to students of history is that the sepoys revolted against some greased cartridges or that some selfish kings instigated the rebellion for personal gain. It certainly was not. On the other hand, it was a revolt in which masses of people from various corners of the country came together to kick the British out of our country. The peasants and artisans came forward, inspired by the revolt of the sepoys. 1857 was a well-organised political movement. It had a clear political vision. The aim of this Ghadar was to uproot the colonialists and establish a new foundation.

Comrade Lal Singh said in his speech that “we can say with pride that Ghadar is in every moment of our life, in every breath. We will not let anyone divert us from our heritage, and from revolt.” This touched me, and I can see that this revolutionary spirit is very much alive today.

Sanjay Gautam, Activist, Transit Camp Bachao Sangarsh Samiti

I felt very good after participating in this school. I got the opportunity to learn a lot, like why the Ghadar of 1857 was called the First War of Independence and why it failed.

Much of the misinformation and misconceptions about 1857 has been eliminated through this school. The presentation talked about the countless patriots who sacrificed their lives, I was not aware of that. We also got to know about the traitors, who are ruling today.

The Ghadar was country-wide and everyone took part, from the young to the old. If on the one hand Mangal Pandey revolted against the greased cartridges, on the other, people of all faiths – Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, united to pick up the sword against the British in defence of their culture and way of life.

Even today, we have not realized our independence. This has to be fully realised.