Durga Bhabhi was one of those lesser-known freedom fighters who fearlessly fought against the British rule, dedicating her life to India’s independence. She was a member of the Naujawan Bharat Sabha. She is also credited with the establishment of Montessori school for kids in Lucknow.
Lucknow: Durga Bhabhi was one of those lesser-known freedom fighters who fearlessly fought against the British rule, dedicating her life to India’s independence. Her real name was Durgavati Devi; she and her husband were respectfully addressed as brother (Bhaiya) and sister-in-law (Bhabhi) by their comrades. She is also credited with the establishment of first Montessori school for kids in Lucknow. The same school still stands strong, and the school principal Prashant Mishra provides his insights about the school and Durga Bhabhi in this story.
Who was Durga Bhabhi?
Durga Bhabhi was born on 7 October 1902 in Shahzadpur village of Kaushambi. Her father Pandit Banke Bihari served as the Nazir in the Allahabad Collectorate. She was married to Bhagwati Charan Vohra from Lahore. Her father-in-law, employed in the railways, was given the title of Rai Sahab by the British. Despite leading a comfortable life, Durga Bhabhi and her husband strived to fight for India’s independence. They both actively participated in the struggle for independence.
Naujawan Bharat Sabha
Bhagwati Charan, Bhagat Singh, and Ramchandra Kapoor established the Naujawan Bharat Sabha to gather all revolutionaries across India. However, a tragedy struck on 28 March 1930, when Bhagwati Charan was martyred while making bombs on the banks of the Ravi River along with other revolutionaries. Despite the loss of her husband, Durgavati Devi remained active in the freedom struggle. She contributed by discreetly transporting pistols from Rajasthan. On 9 October 1930, Durgavati attempted the assassination of Governor Haley. While Haley survived, his officer was injured. Subsequently, the British authorities arrested Durga Bhabhi.
Three-year sentence
Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt were arrested and eventually hanged after the bombing incident in the Central Legislative Assembly in New Delhi on 8 April 1929. Soon after, Chandrashekhar Azad shot himself while battling with the British. Over time, all of Durga Bhabhi’s revolutionary comrades met with martyrdom. She relocated to Lahore from Delhi; however, she was arrested there and was sentenced to a three-year period of arrest.
First Montessori School
Durga Bhabhi was released from jail in 1935. She found employment as a teacher in Ghaziabad. In 1940, she travelled to Madras where she received training in the Montessori teaching from Maria Montessori. Post the completion of her teacher training, she relocated to Lucknow and established a Montessori School on Cantt Road with five children. Today, this institution is recognized as Lucknow Montessori Inter College. This was the first school in Lucknow based on the Montessori education system.
School’s alumni
The School Principal Prashant Mishra mentions that Jawaharlal Nehru formally inaugurated the school on 7 February 1957. The school has been associated with prominent figures like Rafi Ahmed Kidwai, Acharya, Narendra Dev, Rajarshi Purushottam Das Tandon, Sarojini Naidu, and Chandra Dutt Tiwari. Many of school’s alumni have pursued careers as IAS and IPS officers, journalists, and surgeons.
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