Report on the Talk by Prof Amit Bhattacharya on 17th July 2025 Kara Smriti Swadheenta-Purva o Swadheenta-Uttar Bharatbarsho (Memory of the incarcerated India before and after Independence)

Name of the Activity: The Department of History in collaboration with the Department of Bengali and Pashchimbanga Itihas Samsad conducted the Prof Ashin Dasgupta Memorial Lecture on 17^th July 2025.
Type of Activity: The activity was a talk organised to raise students awareness about historical researches conducted by eminent historians while also providing an opportunity to interact with history enthusiasts, lecturers, peers from across the city who share an interest in history.
Date/Duration of the activity: The event was held on Thursday, 17^th July 2025 from 3 to 5.30 pm.
Time: 3 – 5.30 pm
Details of Resource persons: Prof Amit Bhattacharya, former Professor of History, Jadavpur University was invited to deliver a talk on ‘Kara Smriti: Swadheenta-Purva o Swadheenta-Uttar Bharatbarsho (Memory of the incarcerated: India before and after Independence). Prof Arun Bandopadhyay, former Prof, Calcutta University presided the session.
No. of Participants: The talk was attended by 65 participants

Objective of the event: The Annual Student Seminar was organized with an intent to develop critical thinking faculties of the students to encourage them to undertake research. They are encouraged to traverse social, cultural, political and economic dimensions of a historical process and explore the interdisciplinary nature of historical studies.

Brief Description of the event: The event was an engaging talk that explored prison narratives in Indian history and literature. It began with an introductory address by Prof Arun Bandopadhyay. He spoke about the contributions of Prof Ashin Dasgupta to historical research. The talk commenced with an address by Prof. Debjani Ganguly, Vice Principal of the Arts Department, Bhawanipur College. The Paschim Banga Itihas Samsad committee members expressed their joy and appreciation for the opportunity to conduct a lecture at Bhawanipur College and conveyed their enthusiasm for organizing similar talks in the future. The main lecture by Prof Amit Bhattacharya delved into six notable works written on the theme of incarceration:

1. 1. Jagori by Satinath Bhaduri
   2. Upendranath Kishore
   3. Trailokyanath Chakraborty’s Thirty Years in Prison: Sensational confessions of a Revolutionary
   4. Mary Tyler’s ‘My years in Indian Prison’
   5. Captive Imagination: Letters from Prison by Varavara Rao
   6. Amit Bhattacharya’s experiences in jail

In his lecture, Prof. Amit Bhattacharya began with Jagori by Satinath Bhaduri (1945), written against the backdrop of the Quit India Movement and based on Bhaduri’s experiences in Bhagalpur Jail. Through this work, literature becomes a lens to understand historical realities. Bhattacharya also highlighted writings by Upendranath Kishore and Trailokyanath Chakraborty, which depict life in the Andaman Jail and the brutal treatment of prisoners under English officer David Barry. Mary Tyler’s My Years in an Indian Prison provided another perspective, recounting her incarceration in Hazaribagh and Jamshedpur Jails. Finally, he examined the experiences of poet and Marxist critic Varavara Rao, who faced relentless state persecution from 1973 and endured nearly 1,000 days of solitary confinement between 1985 and 1989 in Secunderabad Jail—experiences chronicled in a series of 13 essays written during his imprisonment.

The discussion highlighted the intersection of history, literature and personal experiences of political prisoners, providing students with a deeper understanding of the socio-political climate during colonial and post colonial periods.

Objectives of the event:

1. To familiarise students with historical and literary narratives centred on imprisonment and resistance.
2. To understand the lived experiences of political activists and revolutionaries through primary and literary sources.
3. To encourage critical engagement with historical conditions reflected in literature of memoirs.
4. To provide a platform for intellectual exchange among students, lecturers, history enthusiasts.

Outcome of the event:

1. Students gained insight into the role of prison narratives in understanding socio-political struggles in India
2. Participants were introduced to key texts that document the experiences of activists, revolutionaries, and writers under incarceration

The talk fostered discussions on how literature serves as a historical source, bridging the gap between history and creative expressions.