Pritilata Waddedar
| Pritilata Waddedar | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Native name | প্রীতিলতা ওয়াদ্দেদার |
| Born |
5 May 1911 Dhalghat, Chittagong, Bengal Presidency, British India (now in Bangladesh) |
| Died | 23 September 1932 (aged 21) Chittagong, Bengal Presidency, British India (now in Bangladesh) |
| Cause of death | Suicide by consuming potassium cyanide |
| Other names | Rani (nickname) |
| Alma mater | Bethune College |
| Occupation | School teacher |
| Known for | Pahartali European Club attack (1932) |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Madhusduan (brother) Kanaklata (sister) Shantilata (sister) Ashalata (sister) Santosh (brother) |
Pritilata Waddedar (5 May 1911 – 23 September 1932) was a Bengali revolutionary nationalist. After completing her education in Chittagong and Dhaka, she attended Bethune College in Kolkata. Pritilata graduated in philosophy with distinction.
After a brief stint as a school teacher, Pritilata joined a revolutionary group headed by Surya Sen. She led a team of fifteen revolutionaries in a 1932 attack on the Pahartali European Club, which had a sign board that read "Dogs and Indians not allowed". The revolutionaries torched the club and were later caught by the British police. To avoid getting arrested, Pritilata consumed cyanide and died.
Pritilata was born in a middle-class Vaidya-Brahmin family on 5 May 1911 in Dhalghat village in Patiya upazila of Chittagong (now in Bangladesh). Her father Jagabandhu Waddedar was a clerk in the Chittagong Municipality. Her mother Pratibhamayi Devi was a housewife. The couple had six children– Madhusduan, Pritilata, Kanaklata, Shantilata, Ashalata and Santosh. Pritilata was nicknamed Rani.Waddedar was a title conferred to an ancestor of the family who originally had the surname Dasgupta.
Jagabandhu tried to arrange best possible education for their children. He got Pritilata admitted in Dr. Khastagir Government Girls' School of Chittagong. Pritilata was a meritorious student. A teacher in the school, whom students affectionately used called Usha Di, used stories of Rani Lakshmibai to inspire nationalism in her students. Kalpana Datta, a classmate of Pritilata, writes in the biography Chittagong Armoury Raiders– "We had no clear idea in our school days about our future. Then the Rani of Jhansi fired our imagination with her example. Sometimes we used to think of ourselves as fearless...". Arts and literature were Pritilata's favourite subjects. She passed out of Dr. Khastagir Government Girls' School in 1928 and in 1929, got admitted to the Eden College, Dhaka. In the Intermediate examinations, she stood first among all students who appeared in that year's examination from the Dhaka Board. As a student in Eden College, she participated in various social activities. She joined the group Sree Sangha, headed by Leela Nag, under the banner Dipali Sangha.
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