Saraswathi Rajamani : An Unsung Hero (and a Spy……)
Name the word Spy, and pat comes the reply: James Bond. Call it dirty or adventurous; espionage has its own enigmatic charm. From the fictional James Bond, to the real heroes like Spy Princess Noor Inayat Khan, the spies have fascinated us with their games of intellect and deceit. India too, has its collections of spies, who are worthy of being eulogized into novels. Also enchanting enough is the story of a spy, who was unjustly buried in the books of obscurity. A spy, who was too brave for her age, and was instrumental in the success of the Indian National Army of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, in her own humble way. Her name is Saraswathi Rajamani, and this is her story.
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A chance pause upon a TV channel, EPIC, introduced me to this woman spy, through their magnum opus, ‘Adrishya’ . Born in 1927, to a committed freedom fighter, Saraswathi was brought up in a rather liberal household, where there was little to no restriction for the girls. She was only sixteen, when she heard of the exploits of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, and his magnanimous Indian National Army. Soon enough, she created a record of his own, as being one of the youngest spies of the brigade of Netaji. She was a little above sixteen years old then.
Disguised as a boy helper, she along with her fellow mates, infiltrated the British camps, stationed in Rangoon, and the eastern parts of India, and passed on relevant information to the INA with remarkable ease. I have even heard, that Saraswathi, apart from passing information, also supplied British arms to the INA camp, on her own accord. Her small efforts were instrumental in the huge successes of the INA initially. Besides her own abilities, Saraswathi Rajamani also donated her entire jewelry to the cause of the INA. Her family was also not behind, and they donated almost the entire proceeds of their mines to the same.
However, her glorious moment came up, when her fellow mate, Durga (real name is not known), was abducted by the British troops, and imprisoned.
Disguised as a local Burmese immigrant, Saraswathi Rajamani sneaked into the prison, where Durga was kept, and released her from the cell.
They managed to shell shock the British with their escape, and although Saraswathi managed to escape with Durga, she sustained a bullet injury in her right leg. With great difficulty, Saraswathi and Durga managed to reach Rangoon, where the INA camp was stationed. For her bravery, Saraswathi was not only praised by Netaji personally through a letter, she was also awarded the rank of Lieutenant in the Rani of Jhansi Brigade, the all women’s brigade set up by Netaji.
By 1945, Saraswathi Rajamani had left the INA for good, at the tender age of 18 years. She relocated with her parents to India, and witnessed India’s independence in 1947. It is however, very sad to reveal, that just like other noble revolutionaries of India, Saraswathi’s exploits were callously and systematically ignored. For 25 years, she wasn’t even accorded the status of a freedom fighter, while every alleged sycophant of the Congress Party was given unexpected benefits. Even in such a life of penury, she did not forget the cause of charity. If sources are to believed, she would visit the tailor shops, and accepting the rejected clothes, she would re stitch them, and donate the same to the needy and the destitute.
Today, none even knows where Saraswathi Rajamani actually is. Reports have come that she lives in a congested apartment in Chennai, where she houses all her achievements of the INA. Had it not been for the incumbent Tamil Nadu government, and to an extent, the NDA government, only heaven knows what would have happened with this woman spy, who deserves a lot more respect. Even today, when people meet her, she crisply salutes them, with the ever famous slogan of Netaji, ‘Jai Hind!’
How many heroes shall be buried in the pages of obscurity like her? This is a humble attempt to bring forth the real heroes of India, who deserve a lot more respect, than the respect once bestowed on the democratically autocratic Nehru Gandhi Clan. Saraswathi Rajamani is one of such heroes. If nothing else, do respect this hero for becoming a spy at an age, when we’re more involved in issues like bringing more marks than the neighbor Sharma’s son.
Source: –
http://www.rediff.com/news/2005/aug/26spec2.htm
http://www.thehindu.com/2005/06/17/stories/2005061715060400.htm
http://www.thehindu.com/2005/06/21/stories/2005062105370400.htm
http://sg-shootthebreeze.blogspot.in/2010/04/unsung-hero.html
https://twitter.com/epicchannelin/status/563596239657123841