A RESEARCH STUDY ON

USHA MEHTA:
A FAMOUS LEADER WHO
PARTICIPATED IN THE
FREEDOM MOVEMENT
FROM BOMBAY.
___

By PRERNA SINGH

ROLL NO :20242

GROUP NO:2

SEM III , SYBA

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF DR KIRAN SAWANT & DR RAVI SHUKLA

Submitted to University Of Mumbai n Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the

Award of Degree

Of

BACHELOR OF ARTS STUDY

RD NATIONAL COLLEGE

BANDRA (W),MUMBAI-400055

2021-22
 2

TABLE OF CONTENT

CHAPTER NO. PARTICULARS PAGE NO.

1. INTRODUCTION 3

2. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 4

3. METHODOLOGY 5

4. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 6

5. DECLARATION 7

6. CERTIFICATE 8

BODY 9

EARLY LIFE 9

ROLE IN FREEDOM 11
STRUGGLE

7. 15
AFTER INDEPENDENCE
AND LATER YEARS

8. 17
CONCLUSION

9. BIBLIOGRAPHY 18
 3

INTRODUCTION

This research paper attempts to give a brief description of Usha Mehta and her great role in the
freedom struggle. Usha Mehta (March 25, 1920 – August 11, 2000) was an Indian Gandhian and
freedom fighter. She is also known for establishing the Congress Radio, sometimes known as the
Secret Congress Radio, an underground radio station that operated for a few months during the
1942 Quit India Movement. In 1998, the Indian government awarded her the Padma Vibhushan,
the country's second highest civilian honour.

It also includes a description of the Congress movement in Bombay. Bombay was not only the
Congress's birthplace, but it also graciously responded to the Congress's call and carried out
whatever duty was entrusted to it. The following sections provide an overview of the many
philosophies that impacted the movement and how S K Patil also contributed to it.
 4

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

-India was the Indian people - all of them, regardless of class, colour, caste, creed, language, or
gender. And the country, with its resources and systems, was built for them all. Once The British
came,they had control over India's resources and the lives of its people, and that India could not
be for Indians unless this control was removed.

-The need to bring India back to being an independent country and freed from the British claws
and slavery a number of citizens revolted against it in a very brave manner. One of the most
significant freedom fighters was the young Usha Mehta who had participated in the freedom
movement from as early as the age of 8.

-To shed light on Mehta’s struggles and involvement in the various freedom movements.She
conveyed messages from all around the country and relayed information from the AICC (All
India Congress Committee).The founding of the Indian National Congress was a watershed
moment in the history of our independence movement. Prior to then, political uprisings occurred
practically every year and in every area of the country. However, these battles were primarily
fought by a privileged few.

- It is important to know that Usha followed Gandhian ideologies throughout her life.She was
impressed by Gandhi as a child and became one of his disciples by the age of five , when she met
him for the first time.

-The Quit India campaign soon gained traction, resulting in enormous rallies and two years of
civil disobedience. A group of young people, led by a fiery woman, also played a role.This
research study is based on her,Usha Mehta.
 5

METHODOLOGY

A qualitative approach was executed to develop the following research study which allowed for
an in-depth exploration. Historical datas, interviews, various articles ,etc were used to assess
Usha Mehta’s personal, political,socio-demographic profile. The qualitative approach gave a
purposive process of the prevailing conditions during the freedom struggle,practices,trends,
beliefs,processes impacts and the various movements that then helped the citizens achieve what
they fought for and sacrificed themselves for, Independence.An analysis of the past records and
articles was made to draw out a well informed thesis. A reference to the official government
websites was also made in order to verify the stated dates and achievements . Along with that and
the help of various newspaper articles helped in drawing out conclusions and results for the thesis
project.Before analysis the gathered data was prepared.Archaelogical findings website and
pictures were also referred to in order to get a deeper view. The dataset was checked for missing
data and outliers. For this the “outlier labeling rule” was used.
 6

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express a deep sense of thanks and gratitude to my project guide Dr Ravi Shukla
and Dr Kiran Sawant Sir for guiding me immensely through the course of the project. They
always showed keen interest in my work. Their constant guidance,advice and motivation have
been responsible for the successful completion of this project.

My sincere thanks to the entire administration of RD National College and to the principal
Dr.Neha Jagtiani,for her coordination in extending every possible support for the completion of
this project.

I would also thank my parents for their support and motivation.I am immensely grateful to my
classmates for their timely help in the compilation of this project.

Last but not the least, I would like to thank all those who had helped directly or indirectly
towards the completion of this project.

PRERNA SINGH

SYBA SEM III

ROLL NO-20242
 7

DECLARATION

I,PRERNA SINGH, student of RD NATIONAL COLLEGE,FYBA (SEM-I) hereby declare that I have
completed the project on “USHA MEHTA: A FAMOUS LEADER WHO PARTICIPATED IN
THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT FROM BOMBAY ” in the academic year 2021-2022.

The subject matter contained in this project is research and most of the work carried out is
original and was done under the guidance of my project guide Dr Kiran Sawant Sir and Dr Ravi
Shukla.

The information submitted is true and original to the best of my knowledge.

Prerna Singh

SYBA SEM III

ROLL NO-20242
 8

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project entitled “USHA MEHTA: A FAMOUS LEADER WHO
PARTICIPATED IN THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT FROM BOMBAY ” is a true and satisfactory
work done by PRERNA SINGH,SYBA,ROLL NO.20242. The project report is submitted to University
Of Mumbai in partial fulfillment for the requirements of the award of the degree of “BACHELOR OF
ARTS STUDY” for the academic year 2021-2022.

----------------------------- ---------------------------------

Signature of Project Guide Signature of External Examiner

----------------------------- ----------------------------------

Signature of the Candidate Signature of the Principal

College Seal
 9

USHA MEHTA:A FAMOUS LEADER WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE

FREEDOM MOVEMENT FROM BOMBAY

Early life

Usha Mehta was born in the Gujarati hamlet of Saras near Surat. [4] Usha first met Gandhi when
she was five years old, when she visited his ashram in Ahmedabad. Soon after, Gandhi organised
a camp in her hamlet, in which Usha took part, attending sessions and spinning a bit.

Usha, then eight years old, marched against the Simon Commission in 1928, shouting her first
words of protest against the British Raj: "Simon Go Back."

She and other youngsters took part in early morning anti-British Raj rallies as well as picketing in
front of bottle shops. During one of these protest marches, police officers charged the youngsters,
 10

and a girl holding the Indian flag, along with the flag, fell to the ground. The children were
incensed by the incident and told their parents about it. The elders retaliated by clothing the
youngsters in the Indian flag's colours (saffron, white, and green) and releasing them into the
streets a few days later. "Policemen, you can wield your sticks and batons, but you cannot tear
down our flag," the youngsters said, dressed in the colours of the flag.

Usha's father served as a British Raj judge. As a result, he did not encourage her to join the
liberation movement. When her father retired in 1930, however, this restriction was lifted. Usha's
family relocated to Bombay when she was 12 years old, allowing her to become more involved
in the independence fight. She and other youngsters delivered smuggled bulletins and periodicals,
paid visits to relatives in jail, and delivered notes to these detainees.

Usha was impressed by Gandhi as a child and became one of his disciples. She made the choice
to stay celibate for the rest of her life and adopted a spartan, Gandhian lifestyle, wearing just
Khadi clothing and avoiding all sorts of luxury. She became a renowned proponent of Gandhian
thinking and philosophy throughout time.

Usha attended education in Kheda and Bharuch before enrolling at Chandaramji High School in
Bombay. She was a typical high school student. Her matriculation exams placed her among the
top 25 pupils in her class in 1935. She completed her study at Wilson College in Bombay, where
she earned a first-class philosophy degree in 1939.

She entered law school as well, but dropped out in 1942 to join the Quit India Movement. She
then became a full-time member of the independence movement at the age of 22.
 11

Role in freedom struggle

On August 9, 1942, Gandhi and the Congress declared that the Quit India Movement would
begin with a demonstration at Mumbai's Gowalia Tank grounds. Before that day, nearly all of
the leaders, including Gandhi, were arrested. On the designated day, however, a large gathering
of Indians assembled near Gowalia Tank Ground. A group of junior leaders and employees were
tasked with addressing them and hoisting the national flag.

Usha and a few of her close colleagues founded the Secret Congress Radio, a covert radio
station, on August 14, 1942. It aired on August 27th. [5] "This is the Congress radio calling on [a
frequency of] 42.34 metres from someplace in India," she said for the first time. Vithalbhai
Jhaveri, Chandrakant Jhaveri, Babubhai Thakkar, and Nanka Motwani, owner of Chicago Radio,
were among her colleagues who contributed equipment and technicians. Many more leaders
aided the Secret Congress Radio, including Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, Achyutrao Patwardhan, and
 12

Purushottam Trikamdas. Messages from Gandhi and other notable Indian leaders were
broadcasted over the radio.

"A transmitter surely helps a good lot in supplying the people with the facts of the occurrences
and in transmitting the message of revolt when the press is gagged and all news is forbidden,"
Mehta recalled in a 1969 interview.

News, patriotic speeches, and pleas were conveyed by Mehta and others to "workers in the war"
– students, attorneys, and police officers. She conveyed messages from all around the country
and relayed information from the AICC (All India Congress Committee). The broadcasts were
initially just once a day, but they rapidly expanded to twice a day, in both English and Hindi,
with one in the morning and one in the evening.

Mehta, a political science student at Wilson College in Bombay (now Mumbai) at the time,
claimed she had read about how radio stations had assisted previous uprisings. She understood
that the broadcasts had the potential to extend beyond India and attract the interest of other
nations. "Our study of the history of previous campaigns convinced us that having our own
transmitter was possibly one of the most crucial conditions for the movement's success," she
stated in 1969.

Mehta and her associates revealed the news of a Japanese air strike on a British armoury in
Chittagong, now a part of Bangladesh.They also covered the Jamshedpur Strike, in which
employees at the Tata Iron and Steel Company, the British Empire's biggest integrated steel
factory, went on strike for 13 days in support of the Quit India campaign, demanding the
formation of a national government.
 13

They also informed the public about the fatal riots in Ashti and Chimur, when police opened fire
on protesters protesting Congress leaders' detention. As the military moved in to quell the
rebellion, reports of civilians being killed arose."When the media were afraid to touch upon these
issues under the circumstances, it was only Congress Radio that could violate the directives and
tell the people what was really going on," Mehta added.

However, on November 12, 1942, the police discovered them and arrested the organisers,
including Usha Mehta. They were all subsequently imprisoned. For six months, she was probed
by the Indian Police's Criminal Investigation Department . She was detained in solitary
confinement during this period and given bribes such as the chance to study abroad if she would
betray the cause. She, on the other hand, opted to remain mute and questioned the High Court
Judge if she was obligated to answer the questions during her trials. When the court verified that
she was not required to answer any of the questions, she vowed that she would not respond to
any of them, even to save herself.She was condemned to four years in jail following the trial
(1942 to 1946). Two of her friends were also found guilty. Usha was detained in Pune's Yeravda
Jail. Her health deteriorated, and she was sent to Sir J. J. Hospital in Bombay for treatment.
Three to four police officers kept a 24-hour watch on her in the hospital to prevent her from
fleeing. She was returned to Yeravda Jail after her health recovered.

On the instructions of Morarji Desai, the interim government's home minister at the time, she
was released in March 1946, making her the first political prisoner to be liberated in Bombay.
 14

"I came back from jail a pleased and, to some degree, a proud person because I had the
satisfaction of following out Bapu's exhortation, 'Do or die,' and of having given my modest
power to the cause of liberation," -Usha Mehta

The Secret Congress Radio only lasted three months, it aided the cause tremendously by
transmitting unfiltered news and other material that had been forbidden by the British-controlled
Indian government. The leaders of the liberation struggle were also kept in touch with the public
via Secret Congress Radio. Usha Mehta reflected on her time with the Secret Congress Radio,
describing it as her "finest moment" as well as her saddest, because an Indian technician had
betrayed them to the police.
 15

After Independence And Later Years

Usha remained socially engaged after India's independence, notably in propagating Gandhian ideology
and philosophy. Throughout the years. She wrote several articles, essays, and novels in both English and
Gujarati, her native language. Gandhi Smarak Nidhi, a trust committed to the preservation of Gandhian
heritage, chose her as its president. The Nidhi purchased Mani Bhavan in Mumbai, the home of Sardar
Patel's daughter Manibehn Patel, and transformed it into a Gandhi memorial. She was the president of
New Delhi's Gandhi Peace Foundation. She was also involved in the running of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
She was involved in a variety of ceremonies marking India's 50th anniversary of independence,
according to the Indian government.

In 1998, the Union of India awarded her the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian
honour.

When India gained independence in 1947, the British established a dividing line between India
and Pakistan, causing turmoil and tremendous bloodshed as more than 10 million Hindus,
Muslims, and Sikhs attempted to find their home in what would become history's biggest exodus.
Mehta was ripped in two. In the book “Freedom Fighters Remember,” she was reported as
stating, “In a way, I felt extremely joyful, yet sad at the same time because of partition” (1997).
"It was a divided India, but it was an autonomous India."

Later in life, Mehta authored the script for a Gandhi documentary that was made by one of her
radio station colleagues. She received her Ph.D. in Gandhian thought from the University of
Bombay, where she also taught political science and oversaw the department of politics. She also
spent 30 years as a professor at Wilson College. She was the Gandhi Peace Foundation's
president.She had a basic, if not frugal, existence. Instead of driving, she took the bus and
dressed in khadis, a handwoven garment that became a symbol of defiance during Gandhi's
 16

lifetime. Tea and bread were often her sole sources of nutrition. She got up at 4 a.m. every day
and worked until late at night.

On August 11, 2000, she passed away. She was 80 years old.Mehta's uncle gave her a message
from Ram Manohar Lohia, the Congress Socialist Party founder, one morning shortly after
Congress Radio's inaugural transmission in 1942."I do not know you personally," the letter said,
"but I appreciate your courage and excitement, as well as your willingness to give your strength
to Mahatma Gandhi's sacrificial fire."
 17

CONCLUSION AND HYPOTHESIS

In 1942, Mahatma Gandhi launched the Quit India Movement, which drew thousands of young
people out of their homes to put one of the last nails in the coffin of British rule in India.
Despite suffering trials and prison terms, the majority of them remained unknown, and one of
them, Usha Mehta, afterwards known as Usha Mehta, helped establish an underground radio
station that contributed to the movement's awareness.

She had been a Gandhian since she first saw Mahatma when she was a child, and she had always
followed his teachings. Dr Usha was known to Mahatma as a Gandhian, therefore she served as a
counsellor to him and was instrumental in the three main transmissions from the secret radio.
The Secret Congress Radio broadcast for 88 days, rendering the British virtually powerless and
igniting the Quit India Movement in Bombay.

The Quit India Movement of 1942 was the pinnacle of her career. On August 9, 1942, after the
whole Congress leadership, including Gandhiji, had been thrown under custody by the British,
Mehta, who had travelled here from Delhi, unfurled the Indian National Movement's tricolour at
Gowalia Tank Ground, renamed August Kranti Maidan, in a daring gesture. She started an
underground radio station to broadcast Gandhiji's demand for the British to "Quit India" and his
exhortation to his own people to "do or die '' in order to win total independence from foreign
oppression.

She continued to spread Gandhi's message after independence, serving as president of the
Gandhi Smarak Nidhi at Mani Bhavan, the father of the nation's house, whenever he visited the
island city. Dr. Mehta was a professor of politics and the department's head at the University of
Mumbai. She left the company in 1975. She completed her thesis on Mahatma Gandhi's social
and political ideas and was given a PhD for it. She had a busy life, taking part in all of the city's
main social and political activities. She was also active in Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's operations.
"We have to turn swarajya into surajya," she would constantly remark.
She did not only contribute to the Indian Freedom Struggle but has also inspired many to do
more for their country. For every Indian, Independence Day is a glorious day, a day to honour all
those who have given their lives for the cause of our country. Only because of the sacrifices
made by our brave freedom fighters and soldiers do we now live in an independent and
republican country.
 18

BIBLIOGRAPHY

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

www.google.co.in

https://www.nytimes.com/

India Today newspaper

Hhs.gov

https://sahitya.marathi.gov.in/

Bbc.com