Pranab releases book on freedom fighter Bagha Jatin

The study of biography of freedom fighter Jatindranath Mukherjee not only provides an insight into his life and times but a glimpse of India's struggle against colonial rule, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Friday, as he unveiled a book on the revolutionary leader.

'Bagha Jatin -- Life and Times of Jatindranath Mukherjee', written by the minister's grandson and Paris-based scholar Prithwindra Mukherjee, has been brought out by the National Book Trust, which is also coming out with biographies of Bengal revolutionaries Surjya Sen and Kalpana Dutta soon.

"The story of Bagha Jatin as it unfolded in this book is mesmerising. Not only it gives a glimpse of the life of the ardent revolutionary who challenged the mighty British rulers but also analyses the history of armed struggle against the colonial rule at that time," the minister said.

"One important aspect is that Bhagha Jatin fought bravely against the British but did not hate them," he said. He recalled how after the 1905 Bengal partition, many revolutionaries started favouring armed movement against the British and how after unification of Germany by Otto Bismarck, some of them tried to take its support to uproot the Raj.

Mukherjee said the history of Congress is bringing out details of many groups active then, including overseas ones. Jatindranath, the architect of 'Jugantar', a key secret revolutionary group in Bengal, tried to import arms from Germany during World War-I for an uprising but was killed in a gunfight with British troops in Orissa in 1915. Known for his valour, he earned the epithet of "Bagha (tiger) Jatin" in his youth after killing a tiger which attacked his friend.