11

Kaloibibi:
HENA DAS
A Leader of the Nankars
Translated by Vikram lyengar

In volume 1, we
published extracts from Selina Hossain's novel
Kanta Tarey Projapoti (Butterfly on Barbed
Wire); an evaluation of
Akhtaruzzaman Elias's novel Khowabnama and
Mitra's statement, which was distributed reproduced Ila
East Pakistan in 1950. These
as a
pamphlet throughout
of the Teb haga
highlighted the historic
importance
movement, which not only opposed and
challenged the divisive politics of Partition, but also
counter-paradigm based on agrarian revolt againstposited
a
feudal
oppression, waged together by exploited Hindu and Muslim
peasants. Here we publish Hena Das's stirring account of the
Nankar peasant's revolt waged in Sylhet and Kachhar
in the
1940s. Like the Tebhaga, the Nankar revolt was also a
bold and
spirited uprising against the oppressive feudal landowners,
supported as they by the Liaquat-Nurul Amin regime. Again,
were
like the Tebhaga, it was led
by the Communist Party and its Krishak
Sabha. Just as Ila Mitra, the legendary leader of the
Teb haga
movement, was the subject of Selina Hossain's novel, so is the
undaunted Kaloibibi, the leader of Nankar revolt, the figure of
adulation in Hena Das's narrative. It appeared in Hena Das's
OK Uwal Smiti (Luminous Memory) published in Dhaka in 1995
ena Das was born in 1924 in Sylhet. Committed to the
Siruggle of the deprived and the exploited, she took part in
any political movements in undivided Bengal and East Pakistan
dter Partition. Her political activism was inspired by her secular

dMarxist world-view. She was a teacher in a girl's school in

arayanganj, for more than a decade, and during this phase
Spearheaded the teachers' movement.
 Reminisccnces
144
Kaloibibi was alive or dead-and
find out whether
Iwasn't able to others
my best etforts. Like many
if alive, where she was-despite
to Assam during the
left her village and fled
she had probably arrests that defined the last
and spate of
merciless police atrocities 1949-50. Although she disappeared
of the Nankar Revolt in
days even
from our lives, her glorious
exploits live on in my memory
tarnished or forgotten. The earth
Such memories can never be
today. been able to hold on to her,
but she
have
of her homeland may not of her country.
for herself in the history
has carved a permanent place Nankar Revolt episode
impossible to rub out the historic
Just as it is erase the memory
from the history of Sylhet, it
will not be possible to
women leaders
who stood alongside the
of Kaloibibi as one of the
of the Nankar movement.
martyrs and leaders
Nankar girl. She had no education;
Kaloibibi was a very ordinary
and her family
was completely
illiterate. She was born a Nankar,
fodder for the barbaric
Nankar system,
had for generations been
Kaloibibi, too, did not escape
and was squeezed dry in the process. of
familiar with history's many tales
this cruel grinding. We are Those
was one such example.
inhuman slavery. The Nankar system called Nankars.
nan or bread were
who worked in exchange for
When exactly this system came to
be known as Nankar in Sylhet is
the name came into being
a matter of debate and enquiry. Probably
an Urdu word and it was in
the
ir the Mughal times because nan is
all over India. During
Mughal times that the Urdu language spread
were revamped extensively
this period land and revenue systems
Urdu names. After the
with the new systems making use of the
British rule, the Nankar
Mughal period, for close to 200 years under
unscathed. But after the zamindari
system remained practically
Nankars were not literally given bread
system came into being, the of
a small patch of land
or subsistence money. They were given
them to
about two to four bighas, and a tiny hut would be erected for
were
live in. In exchange for this land and dwelling, Nankar men
converted into slaves of zamindars and the women into slave giris.
ana
Their labour counted for nothing, they received no payment
to
did not have fixed work hours. They had to respond immediately
at any
the zamindars' command, and be ready for any such call
to obey
time of the day, month or year. Nankars had no choice but
these commands, regardless of the fact that they received no
remuneration in return. Not only did they do the household an
sorts o
family chores of the zamindars, Nankars were used for all
 Kaloibibi: A Leader of the Nankars 145

work. In fact, in all the exploitative and oppressive activities of the

zamindars-such as destroying farmers' houses, taking land by
force, rioting, murder, kidnapping girls and
on-Nankars were
so
used as lathi-wielding toughs. The consequences of disobeying a
command were horrific. No excuse was tolerated. Even if one was
sick or someone in the family was gravely ill, the zamindar's
command had to be obeyed. Otherwise, one had to face a range of
punishments. They would be whipped, beaten with shoes, hung
from a tree branch with hands and feet tied and whipped in this
condition, thrown under a wooden plank pressed down on both sides
until blood oozed from the nose and mouth, branded with burning
hot iron rods, locked up in a room without food and drink for about a
week and subjected to similar hellish atrocities. The most extreme
punishment was to drive the whole family out of their house and
land, pushing them towards certain death. A Nankar who was thrown
out of his home would not find a shelter in any of the
surrounding
areas that came under the zamindar's jurisdiction. In such a situation,
he would have to flee to Assam or vanish into the hills of Tripura,
take another name and try to find shelter in some far-off village
Practically, Nankars had no independence whatsoever. They had
no right to sell, mortgage or transfer the land and house they lived
in to anyone else. The fruit-bearing trees on the land they used
belonged to the zamindar. They were not permitted to eat the fruit,
but it was the Nankar who collected the fruits during harvest season
and delivered the produce to the zamindar's house. They had no
access to the government courts of law, they could never even
conceive of such a thing. They only knew the zamindar's court
where the zamindar himself along with his cronies was judge and
jury. Their whim and word were law. No appeal could be made or
entertained against a setence pronounced by them. A change in
the verdict was possible only if the zamindar changed his mind.
The condition of the Nankar women was most pathetic. They
worked as bonded labourers round-the-clock in the zamindar's
house and were sexually exploited by the zamindar and his
adolescent sons. They were given no food, not even paan and supari.
In between carrying out the commands issued by the zamindar, the
Nankar men would tirelessly work their patch of land and carry
Some amount of harvest home, with which their Wives somehow
managed to sustain the whole family. But the women could not do
this in peace. As soon as the summons came from the zamindar's
146 Reminiscences

house, they had to drop whatever they were doing at home and rush
there. They had no time to spare a thought for their husbands and
children. Even when their children were seriously ill, Nankar
women did not dare stay away from their duties. Toiling
ceaselessly
for the zamindar round the clock was not the only affliction they
were subjected to. The worst suffering and punishment were
perpetrated at the dead of night, when their bodies were mercilessly
trodden upon and abused. Their lives became one long dark
nightmare. The young men of the zamindar's house descended on
the hapless Nankars and carried their women away, forcing them
into prostitution without pay. In addition, the good-looking ones
among the girls and women were either lured away by false
promises, or bought, or held in the zamindar's house where they
were kept as veritable
prisoners. Even as these women were sapped
out, slogging at the various household chores, the unfortunate
prisoners had to satisfy the insatiable lust of these 'animals'. Out
of the fire of this carnal appetite were born countless
neglected
children. And though these children had the blood of zamindars
running in their veins, they grew up in Nankar families, with all the
particularities unique to their situation.
Kaloibibi's life was just like that of any other ill-fated Nankar
girl, shattered in this world of torture. This was a long time ago.
Barely had she passed childhood when Kaloibibi, along with the
children of other Nankar families, had to start carrying out the
dictates of the zamindars. She had to put in far more toil than she
was capable of. Want and
poverty were her constant companions.
She had always seen her family and the
men, women and children
of other Nankar families
subjected to the unspeakable brutalities
of the zamindars and was at the
receiving end of this treatment
herself. From time to time, the fire of revolt
would well up in her
mind, but would get extinguished like the
husk. There were sporadic and ash-smothered fire of
unconnected instances of revolt by
the Nankars in the district in
the past. Spontaneous
revolt-both individual and episodes or
on the merciless
group-were heard of. To take revengt
oppression
killed their masters. Some
by the zamindars, many Nankars evel
of them managed to
incidents, some were consumed in the escape after these
and some committed fires of their own reven8
suicide by taking poison.
In the Sylhet
district, several
independent and organized rebellionsspontaneous and locallzeu
broke out since 1922. Among
 Kaloibibi:A Leader of the Nankars
147
these the Sukhair Revolt (1922-23)and the Kulaura Revolt
32) are notable. In 1936, at the joint democratic
(1931-
effort of the
Communist Party and the Congress, the Nikhil Bharat Kisan Sabha
was born, and that very year the
Sylhet branch was created
(including Sylhet and Kachhar districts) under the name of Surama
Upattaka Krishak Sabha. In the later years, organized Nankar and
peasant revolts spread throughout the district, led by the Sabha.
Under the influence of the strong peasant
movement, the Nankars
too proceeded along the
path of rebellion. The uprising in Ranikeli
village in 1938-39 was the first organized Nankar revolt under the
leadership the Krishak Sabha. A unique women's march that
of
formed part of this agitation created a sensation in
Sylhet city and
throughout the district. Two hundred women, each with a lit lantern
in hand, had marched 10-12 miles to
gather before the district
magistrate's bungalow. Not only was this a women's march, the
marchers carried lit lanterns in their hands.
town gathered at the district
People from all over the
magistrate's bungalow to witness this
unusual sight. Standing before this crowd of
women described the torture
people, the Nankar
they faced at the hands of the police
and zamindars, displaying telltale
signs on their bodies. They
accused the district magistrate of being an
who chose to shut his eyes when convenient and
irresponsible official
explained that
they had arrived carrying lanterns in broad daylight in order to help
him see the real truth. Even the district
magistrate could not ignore
the power and passion embodied in this
procession. He was forced
to appear before the and
protestors promise immediate redress. The
news of this procession spread from the town to the entire
to each and
district,
every village and settlement. It also reached the ears
of all the Nankar men and women
living in the Lauta Bahadur area,
including Kaloibibi. This news lit the lamps of hope in their minds
dnd provided inspiration for a historic movement to do away with
theNankar system once and for all. The movement ran between
1945 and 1950. It was in this historic rebellion that Kaloibibi
emerged as a revolutionary
There is also a story about how Kaloibibi from the Lauta
Danadurpur area got involved in this movement. n 1945, after the
cd of the Second World War, the Nankars of Kaloibibi's village
ganized themselves under the Krishak Sabha in order to oppose
ne brutalities meted out to them by the zamindars. Kaloibibi felt
perul. In her words, 'I found strength within me. There was nothing
148 Reminiscencecs

more to fear. The leaders of the red flag, the leaders of the Krishak
Sabha were with me, for me. Now the zamindar clan would get
what they deserved."
In January 1947, a very specific incident sparked off the
definitive mass Nankar rebellion in the whole area. The epicentre
of this incident was Lauta Bahadurpur. This was what happened.
Every day the zamindar's horses would enter the Nankars' field
and graze on the crops. The irate Nankars killed the horse with a
spear. Incensed, the zamindar unjustly accused the Nankars of
Narayanpur village of killing his horse, had them brought to his
court and flogged them mercilessly. One of the accused was a
member of the Krishak Sabha. He wrested the whip from the hands
of the zamindar, flung it away and, gathering all the people there
together, arrived at the Krishak Sabha office along with the other
injured Nankars. It was here in the presence of thousands of Nankars
that the decision was taken to boycott the zamindars, stop working
without pay and start an agitation to end the Nankar system. From
that day Nankars stopped going to the zamindars' houses to follow
their orders. With this move towards ending the Nankar system and
a demand for the Nankar's right of ownership over the land he tilled,
a relentless movement began. Every day there were processions
and meetings. Just as the Congress government in Assam initiated
severe police atrocities in an attempt to smother this movement on
behalf of Hindu and Muslim zamindars, the Muslim League of
Pakistan similarly unleashed its ruthless police force on behalf of
the Muslim zamindars. Just as the zamindars associated with the
Congress and the Muslim League were united with the support of
immense government power, similarly the Hindu and Muslim
Nankars and peasants were united in their determined will to
oppose
oppression and achieve their goal. Even during the elections in
Sylhet, in the wake of the Partition of the country, it was not possible
to break this
unity despite the spreading communal tensions. From
the start to the end of this
movement, Kaloibibi played a pivotal
role and showed great
T first saw Kaloibibi at
ability as a leader of the Nankars.
the head of a huge Nankar
Sylhet town. She was dark and had a very procession
pleasant face, but that
tace was now afire with
anger and disgust against her enemies
lit with her
conviction in the revolution that was about to an
itself. She was u
quite tall with a strong, muscular
It was a body used to physique. EVIuc
hard labour. She would not have been
no
 Kaloibibi: A Leader of the Nankars 149
than twenty-two or twenty-three, possibly the same age as I was.
She was wearing a black, soiled sari of thick
weave, too short for
her and wound twice across her body, the end of it drawn over her
head. She did not wear a blouse, had only the sari to cover the
upper
part of her body. It was the apparel of a labouring girl in severe
privation. Kaloibibi advanced with rapid strides. I spotted her dust-
covered naked feet that refused to admit fatigue even after marching
22 miles. Behind Kaloibibi were hundreds of other Nankar
women,
and beside her were several more
passionate women leaders.
Kaloibibi led the women in shouting slogans in a clear voice. These
slogans were completed by a chorus of female voices which
resounded through the air, enlivening the skies. What power dwelt
in those slogans! They were not
just slogans; rather the rumble of
thunder rising from sorely tried hearts. Behind the women was a
procession of thousands of Nankar men. Lauta Bahadurpur was
nearly 22 miles from Sylhet city. These two processions had trodden
all the way arousing the settlements as they went
along, and finally
casting a sense of awe and light over the city of Sylhet.
After the procession, a grand assembly was held at the city's
historic Gobindo Park (all signs of which have now vanished under
a supermarket). It was a huge gathering. In addition to Nankar
men, women and peasants, people from all strata in the city and
students turned out in large numbers. Apart from the leaders of the
Krishak Sabha, noteworthy among those who addressed the crowds
that day were the local peasant leader, Naimullah Bhai, and Nankar
leader, Kaloibibi. I was gazing at her transfixed as she made her
speech from the high stage. For the first time in her life this village
born, illiterate, persecuted, poverty-stricken woman was addressing
such a massive gathering in the middle of a city, but there was no
trace of awkwardness or confusion on her part. In a simple confident
manner, thrusting her fist into the air again and again, she continued
to speak to the crowd in the unadulterated rural dialect of Sylhet.
How thrilling her fluent language was, her pronunciation clear, her
VOice sweet yet full of strength! In her speech Kaloibibi spoke of
the age-old suffering and ill-fortune the Nankars were destined to
Dear, described various acts of oppression, dwelt on the terrible
Condition of the worst affected -the womenfolk-gave voice to
their sorrow and the hatred they harboured towards their masters,
and articulated the powerful pledge ofthe movement. At each point,
ner face was taken over by a different emotion. Sometimes the
 150 Reminiscences

shadow of intense grief passed across it, sometimes it hardened in

extreme disgust and anger, and at other times it was suffused with
the glow of faith and unshakeable resolution. She was a
shining
example of how one speaker through her speech has the power to
attract the attention of the audience and awaken in their minds a
deep sense of camaraderie. To this day the first memory of Kaloibibi
has the power to inspire me in my struggles. Since this first
meeting
with her in 1947 till the year 1949, my relationship with her grew so
intimate that she became one of my closest friends and strongest
ally in the movement.
Kaloibibi along with some other prominent Nankar women
leaders met various women leaders in Sylhet city in order to win
their support for the Nankar movement. The crucial role in all
discussions was Kaloibibi's alone. After hearing Kaloibibi speak,
there was no way that these women who were so sensitive to the
issues of the oppressed-especially the sufferings of women
could not extend support to the movement. It was never
me to go to her village because of the watchful
possible for
of
guard the police
camp set up there. I used to stay incognito at the
neighbouring
Uluri village, from where I maintained links with them and
received
intelligence reports of the ongoing struggle. Under Kaloibibi's
leadership, the women played active roles in organizing meetings,
processions and building infrastructure, and showed equal daring
in combating government efforts to suppress the movement and
police atrocities.
One day the
police inspector along with a sizeable police force
entered Nandirpal village and searched each and every house,
arresting the prominent leader, Naimullah Bhai, from one of them.
At this time there was no other man in
the entire
Naimullah Bhai's arrest, all the Nankar women ofvillage. Hearing
of

to pursue the
the village began
police force. In an
unprecedented one of them
grabbed the inspector by the collar, threw him onmove,
the
on him. The ground and sat
police were in no way prepared for
They were utterly bamboozled by the something like this.
incident. They released Naimullah unexpectedness of the
Bhai and
inspector instead. So began a tussle between rushed to rescue
the
and the police. In the the Nankar women
midst of this Kaloibibi
policemen and struck the inspector grabbed from
one of the a gun
on the head with it.
Seeing that the situation was fast
managed to save the inspector deteriorating, the police somenow
and flee from the
village. Latct,
 Kaloibibi: A Leader of the Nankars 151
Kaloibibi wasarrested on the charge of
assaulting a police officer
and had to face unspeakable torture in police
custody. With her
undisputable presence of mind, tremendous courage and committed
revolutionary zeal, Kaloibibi had risen from the ranks of uneducated
village women to become an astonishingly heroic woman
of everyone's respect. Even worthy
today no one can topple her from that
status she had earned.
There were several incidents where women stood
up against
the police. As the movement grew in
strength so did the extent of
police atrocities. They would arrest the male leaders of the
movement as soon as they were
spotted. As a result, many of the
men fled their homes to seek
refuge in other villages, leaving the
women to look after the household.
Therefore, whenever the police
descended on the houses to conduct a search, it was the women
who would step out in retaliation. In these instances there were
many other courageous women like Kaloibibi who came forward.
Using her political consciousness and organizational skill,
Kaloibibi had further sharpened and intensified the innate
bravery
and determination in these women. One such was Tehmina. One
day the police forces entered Nandirpal village and began to
ransack the houses of the Nankars. Tehmina alone stood at the
door of her house with a broom in her hand. No sooner did the
policee
approach her house than she barred their way and began beating
them with the broom. The police were forced to beat a hasty retreat,
dragging their injured colleagues as they did. Tehmina, of course,
was arrested as a consequence on charges of attacking policemen.
Brutal treatment was meted out to her and a legal case filed against
her. In court, Tehmina described in graphic detail the police
oppression that she along with the rest of the villagers had to face,
and justified her actions in such a manner that the court had no
choice but to drop the case against her.
In order to respond appropriately to police raids and actions,
Kaloibibi always had sickles, vegetable cutters, brooms, sticks,
whatever was available in the house near at hand. Let me relate
one incident that Kaloibibi herself narrated to me. One day the
her out of her house.
Police pulled her by the hair and tried to drag it in front of
Wiftly Kaloibibi snatched the sickle and brandished
of my hair and leave
ne police. Furious, she screamed, Let go
The police ran away. After
nmediately or I'll finish you with this." had faced endless
dl, as a Nankar bonded labourer, Kaloibibi
152 Reminiscences

injustices all her life, and the fight to bring an end to the Nankar
system for good made her and her colleagues reckless and fearless.
Never did they take any step out of personal interest or feeling,
Their loyalty lay with the Krishak Sabha and the Communist party.
They could never even think of going against any decision taken
by the Krishak Sabha. Kaloibibi had brought all the Nankar women
together under the umbrella of the Krishak Sabha and the Mahila
Atmaraksha Samiti.
I will never forget one particular memory of spending time
together with Kaloibibi. This memory is a priceless gem in the
treasure of my experiences. A meeting of all the Nankar women
was organized in a village close to Lauta Bahadurpur. Under
Kaloibibi's guidance it was the Nankar women themselves who
had made all arrangements for this meeting. Of course, the leaders
of the Krishak Sabha had extended all help and support as and
when required. I was then at Uluri village. There was no pomp and
show associated with this meeting at all: the arrangements were
straightforward, just like those made for meetings of the peasants
in villages. The assembly was to be held in a long large room. Mats
were spread out on the floor to seat everyone. No separate
arrangement was made for any platform or special seats. Along
with our guest Hazra Mahmood, all of us sat together with the
Nankar women, and took part in the discussion from wherever we
were sitting. The assembly went on from
morning to evening.
Kaloibibi was the main speaker. In her address she elaborated in
great detail the sorrowful lives of Nankar women and the role they
were playing in the ongoing revolutionary struggle. Many other
women also spoke, and
through sharing their personal experiences
pronounced in no uncertain terms their will to emerge victorious
from this fight. That day I wondered in amazement how the fight to
achieve freedom from bondage, to save one's
existence, could
change a person inspired by collective zeal; how these women
who had once borne all manner of
injustice in their houses or in the
zamindar estates as bonded labour, had, in the space of merely two
to three years, become such
articulate speakers and organizers
had to be seen to be believed.
The assembly broke for lunch in the
afternoon. It is this episode
of eating that is
truly my most precious memory. It is necessary
mention here that all the Nankar
women were Muslims. In the
that the movement area
covered, Muslims were in the majority. Kaloibioi
 Kaloibibi: A Lcader of rhe Nankars 153
and the others were well aware that as communists we did not
believe in caste and religion, and would visit all houses and eat
with anyone and everyone. There was no problem on that front. But
this experience turned out to be completely new. I had had
experiences of eating with the upper class and middle class Muslim
families of the city, had shared meals at the homes of
poor Hindu
peasants, but this was the first time I sat down to eat with
Muslim Nankar women. I realy enjoyed the poor
atmosphere at the lunch.
The cooking arrangements were made in the house
where the
assembly was being held. In that very meeting room we all sat in a
circle for lunch. An earthen plate was
That day I joined the Nankars in
placed before each one of us.
experiencing the unique taste of
having rice from an earthen
platter. This was the first such
experience my life. It seemed I came even closer to Kaloibibi.
in
The amount of talk, merriment and
interaction during the meal was
inconceivable. Kaloibibi's conversation and
worth experiencing. This good humour were also
might prove incomprehensible to those
who are not familiar with the
sweetness of the dialect of that area
of Sylhet. I do not think
any other words could
meaning and appropriateness of the expletives thattruly express the
Kaloibibi used
to describe the enemies of
the Nankars-the
government and their police force. zamindars, the
After this I think I met Kaloibibi
to spend about two months
just once or twice when I went
in Uluri towards the end
in 1949. My main of the movement
objective was to garner the support of the
women for the Nankar peasant
had grown in movement. When the Nankar movement
strength with the support of people from all
backgrounds in the cities and villages, the Pakistan
tried to undermine and break
up the movement by falsely
government
the leaders of the
Communist Party and Krishak Sabha traitors terming
Pakistan and slaves to India. On the other to
hand, they increased the
oppressive tactics and brutalities of the
treatment began to be meted out to the police forces. Cruel
peasants in the surrounding
areas as well. I did not get the opportunity to meet Kaloibibi
because of the steep rise in this again
months after I left Uluri, a reign of oppression.
Barely two
gruesome incident occurred at the
neighbouring village of Sanneswar. Unprovoked firing by the
On a
large police
gathering resulted in the death of four persons and several
Others were
injured. At that tine Aparna, Ashitd and Sushma had
gone there from the
city. They too werqnjured mn this incident and,
154 Reminiscences

later, were arrested with many others and taken to jail,

along
Be that as it may, as a result of the deaths of the four martyrs and
the consistent courage shown by the Nankars in their united
In 1950, the
struggle, the movement at last achieved victory.
government was forced to abolish the Nankar system and grant
Nankars the right to own their land. Today, remembering the
astonishingly valiant role Kaloibibi played in this movement that
ended generations of bonded labour, I once again offer her
unmitigated respect.
But how unfortunate! The bonds may have broken, but the
steamroller of injustice and oppression carries on. Many of the
movement's leaders were arrested; many others were forced to
disappear underground. Many local leaders who managed to avoid
arrest escaped to Assam. I suspect that Kaloibibi too went to Assam
to seek refuge there. Gradually, we too moved away, far away from
Sylhet. I do not know whether organized movements are being
forged on behalf of the peasants and labourers in areas like Lauta
Bahadurpur, I do not know whether young people are fighting for
their rights today, I do not know if more Kaloibibis are being born.
Let numberless bold and resolute revolutionaries like Kaloibibi be
born in Lauta Bahadurpur and villages across the country-that is
what I hope for.

NOTE

In writing this, I have depended on my memories of those distant days

and also drawn on the relevant accounts, which can be read in the first
volume of Ajay Bhattacharya's Nankar Bidroho (Nankar Revolt) and in
theautobiographical writings of my brother Barindra Dutta: Sangram
Mukhor Dinguli (Days Ringing with Struggle).