Leela Nag: A lone tigress who waged war against the status quo
In 1917, during the British colonial period at the prize-giving ceremony at Calcutta Bethune College, the wife of the British Viceroy was invited as the chief guest. Kneeling before British officials was a compulsory protocol for British colonial territories as a form of displaying submission towards British Royalty. At that ceremony, while every girl was prepared to kneel before the Viceroy's wife, a 17-year-old girl refused to do so. That 17-year-old girl, later recognised as Leela Nag, not only became an undeniable immortal figure of history but also brought a significant paradigm shift in the socio-cultural and political landscape, paving the path for generations of Bengali women.
Leela Nag, the first female student of Dhaka University, was one of the first female leaders who sparked and initiated women's participation during the anti-British movement. To comprehend the revolutionary spirit and defiant nature of Leela Nag, we need to look back to the formative years of her life.
Leela Nag was born on October 2, 1900, in Goayalpara in the Assam Province; her ancestral roots were in Moulvibazar District of Sylhet Division. Her father, Girish Chandra Nag was a highly educated government official, a man with unwavering integrity and undeviating sense of justice. During his lifetime, he navigated a diverse range of professional disciplines. Before joining the civil service as a deputy magistrate, he was a Philosophy professor at Ravenshaw College, Cuttack. Afterwards, he concluded his professional journey by settling his career in the judiciary sector.
Leela Nag's foundation of patriotism and resistance was initially laid by her parents. Her father, Girish Chandra Nag's indomitable personality and uncompromising spirit often caused them to stay in adversarial terms with the British authority. As a result, encountering confrontation from the British authorities and putting up with hostile conditions was not something unusual for them. During his posting in Manikganj as Sub-Divisional Magistrate, he issued a stern verdict against a British citizen despite immense pressure from the authorities, remaining steadfast in his decision and in his defiant stance against colonial tyranny and injustice.
His principled verdict and unsettling attitude caused discontent among the authorities, and as its repercussions, they halted his promotion. Yet, they were unsuccessful to flinch his dedication. During his post-retirement tenure, he was nominated for the MLA position of Delhi Legislative Assembly; however, he resigned immediately, relinquishing such a prestigious position as an act of protest against the salt laws. These actions have left a profound mark on Leela Nag’s young soul.
While her father, Girish Chandra Nag, was shaping Leela Nag's perspectives towards justice and injustice, mother Kunjalata Nag continued tutoring her from the domestic spheres by introducing her to the world of letters and books. From this backdrop, it is crystal clear that Leela Nag's upbringing had a strong and impactful influence to mould her patriot spirit. Her dedication towards her country was not merely a consequence of the ongoing turmoil in the country but also an inseparable part of her character. Patriotism was not simply a philosophy in her life, but a core characteristic she inherited from her bloodline.
Illustrating the ragged journey of a revolutionary leader like Leela Nag through the hostile premises of Bengal politics—largely devoid of female involvement—is a vast context to depict in a single article. Therefore, this article aims to highlight the significant events she encountered throughout her lifelong trajectory.
Having completed her elementary education in 1911, from a school of Brahma society located in Calcutta, she moved to Eden High School in Dhaka. Afterwards, in 1917 she passed the entrance exam securing a scholarship. Patriotism was deeply ingrained in her—whether in times of political turmoil or systemic oppression of the Bengali people—each injustice both agonised her tender heart and ignited her rebellious youthful spirit.
On the occasion of her 17th birthday, she wrote to her father about the ongoing political upheaval—a letter that vividly reflected the anguish and spirit of her youth as she watched her motherland in peril. An excerpt from that letter reads: “With my limited ability, if I could be useful to even a single person, I would consider myself blessed. Truly speaking — these are the words of my heart, not a mere speech.”
Amidst the chaotic environment of the ongoing Swaraj movement, she joined Bethune College of Calcutta. Initially her peers mocked her by calling “Dhakar meye” (Dhaka's girl). Howerver, soon she replaced that mockery with the exultant reverberation of her name through her radiant personality and extraordinary leadership skills.
Long before entering the landscape of formal politics, her tendency to challenge both the status quo and the British Empire became evident in every aspect of her life. Just after joining college, her refusal to bow down to British authority and abolishment of this long observed absurd tradition expresses much of her unsettling character.
To mourn the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the demise of Lokmanya Tilak, she demanded a day of observance from the college authorities. Upon being dismissed, she mobilised students, demonstrated against the British professor and eventually led Professor Mrs. Wright to yield to their rightful demands. Such an act of resistance from a Bengali female student was an unprecedented incident considering the socio-political circumstances of Bengal at that time. Therefore, this event baffled everyone.
Leela earned the title “Senior Student Leader” during her tenure at Bethune College, and the first reunion programme for female students was also initiated by her. She graduated from there, securing first position among female students; she also received the prestigious Padmabati Gold Medal and a scholarship for her extraordinary academic performance.
Afterwards, she decided to pursue her Master’s in English from Dhaka University. Before Leela Nag, no other female student in the history of Dhaka University had displayed the audacity to move freely on its premises and study in its male-dominated classrooms. Although no act of Dhaka University explicitly forbade women’s participation in higher studies, rigid societal and cultural norms barely supported those who sought to break free from the long-held belief that “women should remain confined within four walls.”
During the establishment of Dhaka University, the total number of students was 877; among them only two were women. Imagining female movement in a completely male-dominated sphere was perceived as complete social degradation in contemporary Dhaka. Therefore, it certainly triggered concerns and debates in every household of Dhaka. None of the controversies could sway Leela’s indomitable spirit; rather, it profoundly impressed VC P. J. Harts. To make her movement comfortable, he convinced his wife to accompany Leela Nag to the classroom during the initial days.
Ironically, the British government that advocated the idea of having equal rights for both genders at home followed distinct rules for their colonial territories; neither did they allow nor promote women's spontaneous participation in political spheres in these regions. Leela Nag reckoned it was a strategic move by the British government to keep half of the population of their colonies ignorant and stagnant, so that the marginalised faction could never make efforts to come out of their subjugated state. Thus, they never emphasised women's voting rights or intellectual enlightenment. Under the leadership of Kumuduni Basu, Leela Nag joined “Shara Bangla Bhotadhikar Somiti” as a sub-editor. By this time, she was convinced that only by ensuring women's active participation in nation-building would their political and social emancipation be plausible.
From 1921 to 1922, under the joint leadership of the principal of Eden School Sharnalata Debi and aspiring student leader Leela Nag, a seminar was arranged in Dhaka, especially for women, where they discussed comprehensively women’s right to vote. Simultaneously, alongside Shubhash Chandra Bose, she led relief work to assist the flood-afflicted people of North Bengal. To boost Bose’s relief campaign, she established the “Dhaka Women’s Committee” to collect money and donations by moving door to door.
Gradually, with efficient engagement in political activities and social reforms, Leela was setting her sail towards two distinct categories of monumental social movements: one was the anti-British movement, and the other was to safeguard the social and political emancipation of women. These two movements were about to determine the fate of Bengal by laying a fresh groundwork for social restructuring, dismantling generations of deeply rooted and rotten prejudices. Officially completing her academic life in 1923 with a second division, she concentrated on improving the state of the trodden and marginalised women of society. She appeared as a beaming lantern for the most devalued faction of our society, fuelling the spark of education in every heart. Her indomitable thrust to enlighten the utterly unacknowledged sector of Bengali society served as the prominent driving factor behind establishing “Deepali Sangha”. A group begun merely with twelve members was about to create a landmark in the region of Bengal.
To accelerate the activities of women’s empowerment, she established several organisations in Dhaka, among them notable are New High School, Narishiksha Mandir, Shiksha Bhaban, Dipali School, Shiksha Niketan, and so on. Dipali School was the first school she established; later its name was changed to Qamrunnesa Government Girls' High School. Apart from that, she established twelve free primary schools in Dhaka as well. She arranged several vocational and educational programmes for women and the elderly.
Eliminating the pangs of illiteracy and poverty, making women self-sufficient and conscious, was the fundamental agenda of Deepali Sangha. In every neighbourhood, they expanded their sub-groups, arranged exhibitions each year, and encouraged study circles so that women could recognise the curse of subservience. Living a subservient life both within the family and in the national landscape could never emancipate them from the ceaseless shackles of ignorance.
The way Deepali Sangha was thriving and gaining immense popularity among the Bengali populace, it was high time for Leela Nag to expand the horizon of Deepali Sangha’s activities into diverse facets of society. From 1924 onwards, each year Deepali Sangha held exhibitions of women's handmade products, along with arranging different types of entertainment for women, ensuring their participation regardless of their caste and creed.
Leela Nag had tremendous respect for Mahatma Gandhi; nonetheless, she could not completely concur with the ideals of his Non-Cooperation Movement, and therefore she fell into a dilemma about joining any political party. At this point, Anil Roy, a batchmate and loyal companion of Leela Nag throughout her prolonged political struggle, brought a solution and introduced her to the Subhasist ideology of fervent nationalism. Eventually, in 1924, she joined Anil Roy's “Social Welfare League.” This organisation later evolved into “Shree Sangha,” a revolutionary group led only by men. Leela Nag was the first woman to officially join such a dauntless and socially stigmatised revolutionary group—a group that the British government later labelled as a “miscreants' group.”
Distinguished by her irreplaceable charismatic presence, agile leadership qualities and revolutionary consciousness, her name was getting echoed in every corner of the city. In no time, a Bengali woman rising as a prominent figure in the political sphere with her tireless efforts and steadfast resolve—that too by surmounting mountain-like social obstructions—was a phenomenon that attracted public interest rapidly, and soon, to everyone's astonishment, Leela Nag became a familiar name in Bengali households. Thus, the establishment of “Dipali Chatra Sangha” in 1926 was the concrete embodiment of her expanded activities. Amidst turbulent situations, while communal riots between Dhaka and Calcutta were seemingly intractable, women's safety was on the verge due to life-threatening attacks on them; she initiated self-defence training for women and established the “Self-Defence Committee for Women.” Women were trained for combat here. In this initiative of hers, Nobel laureate Tagore’s grandniece, Ena Roy, remained a constant companion. Within eight years of Dipali Sangha's establishment, from a women’s emancipatory organisation it evolved into one of the country’s prominent groups of firebrand revolutionaries.
On February 7, 1926, on the occasion of Dhaka University, an unprecedented mass gathering of women cordially welcomed Rabindranath Tagore on his arrival. Encountering such a well-organised crowd of women under the banner of Dipali Sangha, Rabindranath was left in utter awe. In this regard he stated, “In entire Asia, I have never witnessed such large-scale, spontaneous participation of women” (Sen 24). Recognising her potential and promising future, Rabindranath proposed that she take responsibility for Shantiniketan. Leela, rather than accepting the golden opportunity, preferred the prolonged battle of unfettering the motherland. Meanwhile, in 1928, Bengali revolutionary groups were becoming involved with Subhash Chandra Bose, and Leela and Anil found the opportunity to work closely with him. During the meeting of “Nikhil Bharat Mahila Shammelan”, Leela Nag had a comprehensive discussion highlighting the noteworthy contributions of Bengali women in historically significant uprisings.
Afterwards, following Leela Nag’s joining Shree Sangha in 1929, Anil Roy contemplated that her staunch association with the group and her aptness could be utilised in many ways to bring exemplary transition in society. He came up with the “Dual Leadership Theory.” Never before had Bengal imagined a female leader guiding the path of a revolutionary group. As a consequence, they introduced a dual-enrolment arrangement where, at first, women would be general members of Dipali Sangha and, after further training, selected female members would get the opportunity to be a part of Shree Sangha. Anil, who wanted to build a society where gender equality would be a norm, not an exception, implemented this idea by sharing his designation of leadership with Leela Nag. Such an unprecedented decision intensified controversies, mistrust and conflict among the group members, which led to the split of Shree Sangha in 1929.
At a time when “rebel” was a title suited only to men, and women’s participation in such a risky arena was believed to derail them from their sworn pledges for the motherland—this was the notion of the majority. None of the male revolutionaries conceded to the notion of being directed by a female leader. Thus questions arose: “So, now, are we going to be led by a woman?” Instead of acknowledging Leela Nag’s competency and skilfulness, they demeaned and mocked her by highlighting her gender. Leela Nag received her peers' disregarding attitude as a challenge and single-handedly managed an entire rebel group by preparing revolutionaries like Pritilata Waddedar, Shanti Ghosh and Shuniti Chowdhury. In crucial moments when Anil Roy was absent, an influx of young women joined the group; she held discussions on bomb-making compositions and trained them in the use of weaponry. She turned the alleys of Dhaka into secret fortresses, as women living in these lanes and neighbourhoods were the custodians of arms. Azimpur, Tikatuli, Wari, Bangla Bazar, Bakshi Bazar, Gendaria, Laxmibazar, Tati Bazar, Chandighat and Siddheshwari—these were armoury-stock preserving places of East Bengal. Across the country, revolutionaries used to reach Leela Nag to collect equipment such as firearms for both frontal combat and guerrilla warfare.
On September 13, 1929, Yatin Das, the prime convict of the Lahore Conspiracy Case, died on the 64th day of his hunger strike while in police custody. In reaction to that, Subhash called for a mourning procession involving large-scale mass participation. After taking to the streets to register protest condemning the British authorities’ oppressive actions, their peaceful procession was violently attacked by the police. As per the direction, the police violently charged batons against the unarmed civilians participating in the protest. They even dared to charge batons at Subhash Chandra Bose until he fainted under the Calcutta Monument in an attempt to curb the spirit of the masses.
As an answer to this, regardless of being a female leader, Leela Nag displayed the courage to mobilise a vast multitude of people at the centre of Dhaka and delivered a thundering speech against British tyranny.
Meanwhile, the Chittagong Armoury Raid by the insurgents in 1930, led by prominent figures like Surya Sen and Pritilata Waddedar, instigated terror and safety concerns among the British authorities, which eventually led to the arbitrary arrest of revolutionary group members. Anil Roy was arrested after that incident, and the responsibility of leading the entire revolutionary group and training the novice members fell solely onto the shoulders of Leela Nag. In 1930, during Gandhi's Non-Cooperation Movement, Leela Nag, collaborating with Asha Lata Sen, together established the “Mahila Satyagraha Committee” to express solidarity with Gandhi.
After undergoing a long path of political upheaval, in May 1931 Leela Nag finally established “Jayasree,” the very first female-led magazine of Bengal. Rabindranath himself applauded her initiative and blessed her by naming the magazine “Jayasree.” This magazine was solely dedicated to publishing the works of women, edited and led by women as well. With that, Leela Nag advanced her cultural and political battle to a distinct dimension that one could barely imagine in the darkness-immersed region of Bengal at that time.
In April 1931, revolutionary activities were spreading rapidly. Three highly ranked government officials, including Alipore district judge Garlick and Comilla district magistrate Stevens, were assassinated. Two members of Shree Sangha, Shanti Ghosh and Shuniti Chowdhury, were the prime suspects in Comilla's Magistrate Stevens murder case; therefore, the police detained Leela Nag on the night of December 20, 1931. In the entire history of the Indian subcontinent, Leela Nag became the first female state prisoner, detained without any trial.
From 1931 to 1938, Leela Nag was constantly moved from one jail to another in Bengal. The British authorities officially declared Shree Sangha a miscreants' group and strictly condemned them, referring to their rebellious acts as atrocious activities. The British government first imposed censorship on Jayasree in 1935. After her release in 1938, she resumed its circulation again. Subhash Chandra Bose appointed Leela Nag as a female representative to his established Congress National Planning Committee and also as a member of its women's wing in 1938. At this point, the nonconformist attitude of Subhash Chandra Bose led to his resignation from the Congress, and he formed the Forward Bloc with the assistance of Leela Nag and other leftists. With time, Leela Nag was becoming an inseparable accomplice in Subhash Chandra Bose’s battle against the British, and he nominated her for the editorship of his weekly newspaper. Amidst this national crisis and ceaseless political battle, Leela Nag could barely focus on her personal life. Yet, in 1939, she finally tied the knot with her long-time comrade in her political journey, Anil Roy.
One year later, in 1940, Subhas Chandra Bose, along with Leela Nag and Anil Roy, arranged a mass protest for the removal of the Holwell Monument, a monument that symbolised the institutionalisation of the prolonged subjugation of Bengal. Subhas Chandra Bose was detained for mobilising and instigating people against the British government on July 2, 1940. With the same allegation, Leela Nag and Anil Roy were apprehended on July 10 as well.
Subhas Chandra Bose left the country in 1941, leaving the complete responsibility of the Forward Bloc on Leela Nag. Demonstrations were organised following the arrest of Sharat Chandra Bose in 1941. The participation of Leela Nag and Anil Roy in the Quit India Movement, along with Anil Roy’s strongly denouncing statements condemning the actions of the British government, led to the arrest of both of them in 1942. Afterwards, following the departure of Subhas Chandra Bose, conflictual relations with Congress leaders led to severe indictments against Subhasist adherents. In an editorial titled “Fascist in India”, published on March 13, 1942 in The Statesman newspaper, they publicly denounced Subhas’s supporters, declared them traitors, and demanded their capital punishment. Despite the absence of Subhas, Leela Nag did not allow their party to collapse. With her stinging words and unfaltering pen, she published in Hindustan Times an article titled “We Shall Not Stand It.”
Her publication “Jayasree” faced backlash once again in 1942 and was consequently banned. Detained by the British government in Dinajpur Jail, and left with no other option, Leela Nag resumed her revolutionary operations secretly from prison while maintaining connections with the Azad Hind Fauj. After her prolonged incarceration and languished life as a political prisoner, she was released in 1946 and was elected as a Constituent Assembly member from Bengal on December 9, 1946.
Nevertheless, she resigned from that position a few months later, demonstrating her dissent against communal politics.
In 1946, during the Partition, communal violence erupted nationwide. Being concerned about the intractable turbulence among the religious groups in Noakhali, she instantly headed there. Even before Mahatma Gandhi, she reached the region, set up relief base camps, and rescued 400 women by walking 90 miles in six days. She built a voluntary organisation titled National Service Institute to support the injured and afflicted. After multiple shutdowns, finally in 1947, Leela Nag resumed publishing Jayasree again, and its return was once again exalted by prominent figures. Among them, Sarojini Naidu remarked: “The Jayasree, like the Phoenix, has died many times and re-arisen from its own ashes.”
In the Pakistani parliament, proposals were being raised to make Urdu the state language of East Pakistan, dismissing the mother tongue Bengali. In 1947, Leela Nag, along with a few parliament members, strongly opposed this proposal and signed a memorandum/petition to halt its legal procedures. When Muhammad Ali Jinnah officially announced “Urdu and Urdu alone shall be the state language of East Pakistan,” she did not hesitate to point fingers at him, labelling him a dictator.
After the Partition of India and Pakistan, she remained steadfast in her decision to stay in East Pakistan and introduced a blueprint of her future activities in this newly born nation. She constantly made efforts to instil hope among minorities to remain in the country. Collaborating with Sufia Kamal, they jointly formed the East Pakistan Women’s Committee to ensure women’s empowerment.
Nonetheless, the government of Pakistan eventually forced her to leave East Pakistan in order to cease the reform movements she was about to ignite among the masses, and they ultimately succeeded in removing her from the region. Yet, she continued her activities to revive and rehabilitate refugees in West Bengal. She was nominated for the chairperson position after the merging of the Forward Bloc and the Praja Socialist Party in 1960, and finally retired from active political life in 1962. Due to severe physical illness, she passed away on June 17, 1970, in West Bengal.
Leela Nag, vehemently influenced by Subhas Chandra Bose’s idea of Indian socialism, was never interested in turning her motherland into a communist country, nor even into a country like America. She wanted to lead Bengal and the whole Indian subcontinent towards a progressive future where neither a woman, an Indian, nor a person of Bengali nationality would have to struggle to ensure their bare minimum rights.
Until the last breath of her life, she advocated for women’s rights, defied traditional norms, and stood erect as a nonconformist before the bulwark of British colonialism. Even in the twenty-first century, when we see women struggling to secure their position in the political arena, we should hold our heads high while reminiscing that we are the descendants of luminary personalities like Leela Nag—a woman who remained unbowed before the British Empire. If she could defy such an empire, then how can we conform to the hackneyed conventions of society?
Samiha Chowdhury Shoilee is a graduate student in Media and Cultural Studies at BRAC University. She can be reached at shoileeshoilee@gmail.com
Send your articles for Slow Reads to slowreads@thedailystar.net. Check out our submission guidelines for details.