STI eee eT eae teen wT RLS \ \ eB Beer the ft the Punjab, his A. an imperishable aid. Peasants resting - om work at noon under the shade of the bunyan tree tell glowing tales of his heroism. others tell his story to their youngsters at bed-time. His life is one relentless and uncompromising struggle against British oppression and that of devotion and continuous service to the people. His self- sacrifice and fortitude is a ‘source. of undying imspiration to the freedom-loving youth of India.. His very name strikes terror in the hearts of the Brit- ish rulers of India. To destroy his fighting spirit, the British imperialists. have kept him inearcerated to lan- guish in their horrid dungeons for a period of 21 years, out of 86 years of his political life. For fourteen years they kept him fettered and for seven years in solitary cells. In pro- ‘ test against these intolerable conditions he went on hunger strikes, the duration of which altogether exceeds two and 2 half years. To break him, the British jailors gave him a total of 225 lashes. Yet, after going thru this purgatory, this man of ‘steel is still fighting back and serving his people. In the coming “free- elections” in India he will be one of the few Communist Party standard -bearers in the Pun- jab. His name is Sher-e-Babar Hazara Singh of Munder. e@.-.. AZARA SINGH was born in a family of poor peasants with the turn of the century. His parents were too poor to send him to school. In his youth he: emigrated to Malaya in ’ search of a livlihood. But pov- erty followed him there. So he went back thome, where he came into contact with revolu- tionaries, who had previously “lived in the United States and founded the Chadar Party. He was deeply influenced by them. Unemployment forced him into the British Army during the First World War. For five years he fought for “demo- cracy”’ abroad, but found none in his own homeland on return. Gandhi’s fight for freedom at- tracted him. Consequently, he joined the Indian National Con- gress. He was an orthodox Sikh. So he joined the, Akali Movement, which was a semi- religious and semi-agrarian passive revolt of the Sikh-peas- antry to liberate their religious shrines from the clutches of the -British-backed corrupt Mohants -or clergy, who had usurped and abused religion. In 1921 he joined the famed trek to the Nankana Sahib Temple, where some of his comrades were burnt alive by the mohants and police. Later at Curu-Ka-Bagh, he acted as a dispatcher for the “movement to Amritsar. for two and half months. Six times he was intercepted, arrested ‘and mercilessly flogged by «the police. Finally, he was. sen- tenced to one year imprison- ment and fmed Rs 100. On his release, British terror forced Hazara Singh and many of his other comrades to fresort to similar methods _against the government. They organized an underground movement and resorted to in- Pen Portrait of an a Communist. cee hy Darshon Sigh Spt dividnal acts of violence against notorious government officials and other enemies of the people. The people sheltered and help- ed. the fighters and in admir- ation titled them ‘“Sher-e-Ba- bar” or “The Fearless Tigers.” | Hazara Singh,’ however, fell | into the clutches ‘of the police. The account of inhuman tor- ture inflicted upon him makes one’s “hair stand on end. Words ean hardly describe it. He was tried and imprisoned for life at. hard labor. For refusing to per- form hard labor he was chained so that the body could not be moved in any direction. In pro- test Barbar Hazara Singh went on’a 75 day long hunger strike. In retaliation, the government ; increased his sentence by .one more year. For months he was given no clothes or blankets even in the dead of winter. For eleven months water to bathe ‘and even to wash his beautiful long Sikh hair was refused him. Nothing, however, could daunt the fearless Babar. While in chains, he tunneled a 97 feet long underground passage connecting ten cells and es- caped with some other prison- ers into the nearby forest. But the fetters could not be cut. So the police and military over- took and captured him at a dis- tance of 22 miles from the prison. ~ The enraged imperialists jailors now struck against the patriot with all their unholy wrath. He was whipped until the whippers fell fatigue. He was chained with 26 pound fetters. Once again Hazara Singh had to stagé a hunger strike. Sometime later; a num: ber of prisoners broke out of - the Multan Central Jail. The imperialist despots held Hazara Singh responsible for it. -He Was given 65 lashes. When tor- tore failed, they offered to re- lease him and give him an es- _ tate if he would forsake the people. But the Babar spat in their faeces in. defiance: FLETEEN years of barbaric . torture failed. to. break the spirit of this deathless. fighter In December 1938, he was re- leased. He had a score to settle with the rulers of India. Once again: he immediately plunged into the struggle for freedom. He began to organize and serve his people. Bitter experience had taught him that terrorism de- feats its own ends. Consequent- ly, he joined the Communist Party of India, the only people’s party that gave him a vision of : Mazdoor-Kisan Raj or Workers and Peasants Power. _ The imperialist government could not tolerate the - ever- growing popularity of Hazara Singh. They -trembled to seé him free. It mfuriated them to realize that this insignificant man was far stronger than their glorified slave empire and all its apparatus of oppression. So on April 2, 1940, Babar Hazara Singh was re-arrested and imprisoned without even the courtesy of a trial. Against cal- eulated brutality and mal-treat- ment in the prison he had to go PACIFIC ADVOCATE .— PAGE i0 on a 50 day long hunier strike. He was-transferred to another jail, where he joined other poli- tical prisoners in a sympathy hunger. strike. The “Fearless Tiger” was transferred to still ‘another jail, where he was stricken with. malaria. When the jail ‘doctors’ were convinced | that he was. beyond any hope of recovery; the ‘government rée- leased ‘him: to’ absolve ‘itself of the guilt of his anticipated death... : Hazara Singh, however: dis- appointed them. He had no in- tention of dying: In six months he recovered and again joined the battle of liberation. OX February 1, 1946, the pea- sants of Jullunder District of the Punjab will march under Red Banners to elect their “Fearless Tiger”? so that his © freedom roar may be heard in- side the Provincial Legislature. Only ten per cent of them have the right to vote. But - nevertheless they have pledged to elect Hazara Singh. For he is running under the banner. of a. Party which is fighting for the right of all-working people to sit »untrampled undér the sun. For its program includes; ‘Jobs for all; Food for. all; Land to the Lendiess Peasants; Universal Adult Suffrage: ‘Win freedom. and : Liberation Movemen: lim League “and e Hazate Sigh: of ‘Mo : tims eo imperialism ; of British ‘ “tern increased terror apajy people. But Hazara Sing firm like a mighty j symbo} of India’s great, her dogged determj people’s power. With ant fighters and “Ti tyrs” in the ranks of doubt the final oute are capable of “stor heavens.” Women’ s Conferen E there is one experience in the world guaranteed to give the confident male a severe jolt it is to find him- self, outnumbered and des- . perately lonely, right in the middle of an international conference of women. When I undertook to write this article for the readers of The Worker I had no idea what it meant. I emerge from the ex- perience shaken, respectful, im- pressed. Imagine, if you can, a mere male journalist hunting amongst the Russians and Poles, the Finns and Brazilians and Al- gerians, the Indians, the Chin- ese, the Romanians —\among graceful draped maidens from the East, sturdy Balkan par- tisans, flashing Latin-Ameri- cans from Brazil and Mexico— - all staying together in peace and friendship at the Lutetia Hotel in Paris. Between them they represent more than 120 millions of the women of the world at the great International Women’s Conference which has just met with such success in Paris. Imagine the terrifying business of searching among all this beauty and talent and personal- ity (and most of the delegates have enough pérsonality for six ordinary mortals) in order to. find those I think would in- - terest you most. You say ydu can’t. imagine it?. Ask the nearest man what he thinks. In the hall of the Lutetia “Hotel I met three wonderful girls from the hills of Yugo- slavia: ‘Lieutenant ‘Uilitra Stanichitch, aged 21, from Mon- tenegro; Ana Hafna, aged 24, from Slovenia (decorated for valor); and Uileva Roditch, a lovely brunette of .20, from Her- zegovina, also decorated for val- or with Tito’s partisans. All three told me they had been in the hills with the par- tisans since 1941. If you think guerilla fighters are rough and ready people you should see the, immaculate field-grey uniforms of Uilitra and her comrades. And these young women, al- though they are certainly fem- - guage inine, carry soldiers. : We made the best of lan- troubles and chatted about the conference. themselves like Blonde Uilitra told me she | hoped the conference would give the women everywhere what the women of Yugoslavia al- ready had. When I asked what that was she replied: ~ “We have complete equality of opportunity with men, ab- solute freedom and the same chances of cultural and socia) progress. We are really free and equal in Yugoslavia.” The fervor with which she Said this was very impressive, and. the handshakes and: broad smiles of all three when I told them what ordinary people in England think about Tito and his partisans were pretty ex- pressive too. At the Lutetia Hotel I also met Pat Clarke, on her first trip to Paris and very thrilled about it. Pat is from London, fair, pretty, 26—married to a soldier serving overseas. She has a Cambriage degree in bio- cheniistry, works at the’ Well- come Psychological Labora=- tories on. the study of gas gan- grene in war wounds. She represents 17,000 mem- bers of the Association of Scien-’ tific- Workers: at the: conference. On the first day she gave the long report on. Britain’s women at war with aN the assurance of a veteran speaker. She tells me there are still lots of fine jobs for women in every branch of science. “We’re desperately short of ‘scientists of every kind,” she said, “and women can ‘and should be help- .ed and encouraged to take- “ap scientific careers.” Now, over to the Russians. In the big Soviet delegation I had the choice of a general ’ (yes, a real woman general), a colonel of the air force and one of. the medical corps, several trade union leaders, a champion tractor driver, writers, singers, or a Soviet film and stage star. I chose the star — blonde, so- phisticated, fashionable Vera Maretskaya, who starred in “No Greater Love” and other. fam- ous Soviet films. — "women and after atte! by Derek ry She told me that she | cently played Shake “Taming of the § ey great success in Mosq was shortly starting onj slavian comedy which }. translated into Russian 5 She talked of her children at school back cow. When I asked her behalf, where she io extremely fashionable | replied with one of thg | ous deep Russian laug— she had made it he | | couldn’t describe it for it was the very thing! Another nice girl I Dm | conference was Coletti. — a very pretty blon Paris. She told me she | i cently been in London! | International Youth Goi | and was now represer [ women of France at he - big international gatk } She certainly has e2 right to represent the | she did liaison work ir : derground movement } out the German oc } Eventually, she sai} eaught her and put hei : on. But that was in Jt : and the Allies arrived: 3) before the Germans ha 7 deport her to a cone } camp.. ~ She told me about th sufferings of the wh France under the Germ | pointed -out how imp: . was that women 5S everything in their pa to make sure that fasci § got anather chance to | the world. ; g I spoke with mat people too; with Vidya representing the st India, and with Mm Ibrahim, a very dist lady from Lebanon. Bu: no room here to. tell 3” them. In conclusion, antl am quite fair abo @ things, I want to say * meeting all these Te great conference I o qd always have, Peay there is practically 1. the wide world a wo! : do—and do it well. 8 - FRIDAY, JANUAR :