REMINISCING AUGUST 15, 1947

Then I was in the fifth standard. The school was about 2 kilometers from
the village. It had chairs and tables only for teachers and we students
sat on the dusty floor. My journey to the school was mostly on foot.
There was a kuccha road but it was more risky to walk on than on the
nearby pedestrian muddy track running parallel with patches of wild
vegetation on both sides infested with reptiles.

It was 8 in the morning. The sky was overcast with tears of joy constantly
dripping. A small airplane buzzed in the sky dropping pamphlets with the
inscription in Hindi that we sang.

Deepe nleke[er t ieF& nw, veere iegueeceer t ieF& nw,

Ges osMe keueeve kejes Deye, veJe-egie kee efvecee&Ce kejes Deye
(Today the hand-cuffs are broken, the obnoxious slavery is over. Arise now and do good for the
nation and, establish now a new era.)

I was in khaki half-pants, tucked-in half-sleeve white shirt and a Gandhi

cap on the head. I cant remember if there were canvas shoes or just
simple chappals on feet. While the other students were marching behind
me playing the lejhim in unison, I was leading the school monkey
brigade holding the tri-colour flag. We moved from village to village till
the late afternoon tired and exhausted but with pride and enthusiasm.
Sweets were distributed..

But the strange man was missing that day. He was Mr. Munishwar Dutt
Upadhyay who later became a Minister in the first Cabinet of the U.P.
government and was twice elected to the Lok Sabha. There is now a
college in the District town of Pratap Garh named after him. But then he
was an ordinary man looking in his late forties with well-oiled long black
hairs and a long untidy beard. He had vowed not to shave or cut his
hairs till India becomes independent. He used to tour the villages singing
patriotic songs using a hand held cone-loudspeaker which he had
named Azaadi Ka Shankh (the Conch of Freedom). As he marched
from village to village, the local kids collected behind him and I led the
group of the tiny toads.
 Munishwar Dutt Upadhyay (Google Photo)

The most often song sung by us was in the local Awadhee dialect. I still
remember it but only partly.

ns Yeejle Jeemeer Mejce veeeEn leesnkee;

meesves keer LeeUer pesJele jne leye lees, keeBmes kee ueesJee LeceeF efonsve leesnkee:
eeBoer ke efHeee uevove Heees, keeiepe keF veesefee LeceeF efonsve leesnkee
ns Yeejle Jeemeer Mejce veeeEn leesnkee;

The poet-patriot Pradeep who was imprisoned by the British many times,
wrote the most touching and inspiring song that we sang.

Deepe efnceeuee keer eeser mes efHej nceves ueuekeeje nw,

otj nes ew ogefveeeJeeuees efnvogmleeve nceeje nw~
Meg ngDee nw peBie legcneje peeie Ges efnvogmleeveer,
legce ve efkemeer kes Deeies Pegkevee pe&ceve nes ee peeHeeveer;
Deepe meYeer kes efuees nceeje, esner keewceer veeje nw~
otj nes ew ogefveeeJeeuees efnvogmleeve nceeje nw~

I continued the use of the Gandhi cap till my college days and kept a
small Flag always in my study room. While in my tenth standard (1953), I
wrote a small poem on it that was published in the college magazine
(Government Inter College, Rae Bareli).

Oh the Flag; Tri-coloured flag

Thou art our National Flag.
We have great regard for thee and for those who died in past.
They gave their life for sake of thee and had to breathe their last.

Jai Hind.