Kolkata: Heroic acts of lesser-known women revolutionaries from 20th century undivided Bengal have come to life through rare photographs at the Women Revolutionaries of Bengal exhibition that began here Monday.
"We gathered the photographs based on Intelligence Bureau files. We found mention of 173 women convicted during the early part of the 20th century from undivided Bengal. Out of these, 118 have been displayed at the exhibition," Simonti Sen, director, West Bengal State Archives, told IANS.
The black and white photographs of the convicts from areas like Faridpur, Chittagong and Kolkata are accompanied with write-ups to elucidate their roles in the freedom struggle.
"All of them were convicted for various reasons during the period from early 1920s to late 1940s. Some were interned, some externed, while some were imprisoned. Most of them were from the eastern part of the then undivided Bengal," Sen said.
According to Sen, the exhibition, which concludes March 10, will be an enriching experience for students as well as history scholars.
"Text books mention women freedom fighters like Kalpana Datta and Pritilata Waddeddar. But these women are never encountered in text books. Scholars can use them to study further," said Sen.