"Hindustan Ghadar" (1913-1917): Excerpts and Translations
The newspaper has been digitized from microfilm at the Center for Research Libraries, and my translations below are from PDF page-scans at the CRL. The CRL does nto appear to have the Urdu version, though there are reproductions of some pages of the Urdu version of the newspaper available online. All of the translations below are from the Punjabi/Gurmukhi version of the newspaper.
I have used generative AI [Google's "AI Studio"] to facilitate translations, though since I read Punjabi / Gurmukhi I have also been checking the translations and editing them where necessary.
1. Fact Sheet. A version of the following fact sheet was printed on the first page of virtually every issue of Hindustan Ghadar:
"The Balance Sheet of British Rule" and other notable bits from an early issue of the newspaper:
As printed in Hindustan Ghadar, December 23, 1913:
1. The British take away 50 crore rupees from India every year. Because of this, we have become so poor that daily wages are only five paise.
2. The land revenue which is taken excessively from India.
3. On the education of 24 crore people, only about 1.75 crore rupees are spent, and on sanitation arrangements, a total of 2 crore rupees are spent. But on the army, 22 crore rupees of our money is spent.
4. Famines are increasing under British rule. In the last ten years, two crore (20 million) people have died of starvation.
5. 80 lakh people died of the plague in sixteen years.
6. They expand their rule by creating conflicts within the Indian princely states.
7. Britishers are not given any punishment for killing Indians or for outraging the modesty of women.
8. With the money of Hindus and Muslims, the Christian religion is supported.
9. Attempts are made to incite conflicts between Hindus and Muslims.
10. Other countries are conquered using Indian money while wasting Indian lives.
11. The population of India in British-held territories is 24 crores and in princely states is 7 crores. The total number of British troops is 79,643 and Indian troops are 160,487.
Note: Versions of this balance sheet would be reprinted on most issues of Hindustan Ghadar during its print run. Later versions would add additional bullet points. One was a reminder along these lines: "it has been 56 years since the 1857 rebellion. Now is the time to rise up again!"
We do see some later issues of the newspaper (1916-1917) that do not open with this balance sheet.
The newspaper is free. Also in the December 23, 1913 issue on the back page, a note about the price of Hindustan Ghadar:
Price of the Newspaper
"Many brothers write to us asking about the price of this newspaper. Let it be known that there is no price for this newspaper. It is written with love, printed with love, and sent with love. We do not ask for a fixed price. However, to keep this great work going, money is required for paper, ink, and postage. Therefore, we request all brothers to send as much financial donation as they can. Even a small amount helps the cause of Ghadar. Send your donations to the Secretary at the Ashram."
Volunteers needed to live at the ashram. Finally, the December 23, 1913 issue also has a brief call for volunteers to live at the Yugantar Ashram, with the hope that resident-volunteers would support the printing press being run by the Ghadar movement there:
Sevaks (Volunteers) Needed
"There is a need for three volunteers at the Yugantar Ashram for a few months to help with the printing and distribution of the newspaper and books. Volunteers will stay at the Ashram and handle the work. About 15 dollars a month will be needed for expenses. Those who wish to serve should contact the Secretary, Yugantar Ashram, San Francisco."
Sacramento Meeting Announcement. Many issues of Hindustan Ghadar made reference to upcoming meetings. The one below was planned for Sacramento, but we have also seen references to upcoming meetings in Stockton, Oakland, and Fresno in other issues of t he newspaper.
"On December 31st, a Wednesday afternoon, a large gathering of our brothers will take place in Sacramento. National issues and the future of our struggle will be discussed. From San Francisco, Lala Har Dayal will be coming to address the gathering. All brothers are requested to attend without fail and benefit from the discussions."
2. Arrest of Har Dayal, co-founder of the Ghadar movement in California, April 7, 1914.
Note: Har Dayal was arrested in San Francisco on March 15, 1914. Surprisingly, the Punjabi version of Hindustan Ghadar did not name Har Dayal as being under arrest or threat of deportation in the spring of 1914. However, there is an unsigned column from the April 7 that clearly alludes to the event. I should note that the Urdu version of the March 24 issue of Hindustan Ghadar does mention the arrest of Har Dayal directly.
Brothers! Be Alert and Wake Up
The Strength of the Ghadar Party
The British Government has sent out a trap. They thought the Ghadar Party’s strength would diminish, but they were wrong. Every patriot and lover of the nation has become even more determined. Those who were previously fearful or hesitant have now cast aside their worries. The sacrifice for the nation is not a burden but a matter of pride. Our enemy's cruelty is known to everyone now. The British government thought they could silence this movement by arresting our leaders, but they have only awakened a sleeping lion.
To our brave brothers! Do not be afraid. This spark has turned into a massive fire. Look at how much the power of the Ghadar Party has increased. Today, even the British Raj is trembling. They use their machines and their officers to stop us, but our message is reaching every home. The Indians abroad have realized their duty. Now, the time to strike at the roots of the British empire has come.
3. Coverage of the Komagata Maru incident, June 2, 1914, October 28, 1914
To the Editor, Hindustan Ghadar, Vande Mataram.
Hear about the latest tyranny (zulam). 376 men and 2 Indian women arrived in Vancouver by ship on May 23rd. Before their arrival, the Indians in Vancouver had rented a wharf (ghat) at Port Alberni for 10 dollars a day to dock the ship. (Aside from this wharf, an Indian ship could not have docked at any other place.)
But even at this wharf, the whites did not allow our ship to dock. Several whites were armed with guns and stationed at the wharf; they declared that if the ship was brought to the dock, they would open fire. They have even stopped the delivery of telegraph news. We are not allowed to even speak with those on the ship.
It is the duty of all Indian brothers to pay attention to this urgent question: "Your brothers and sisters are trapped in the ship like prisoners." O Indians! Have you died while still alive? If a Chinese or Japanese ship had been blocked like this today, would they have sat silently like Indians? Never.
It is only these honorless Indians who, while someone destroys the very seed of their nation, foolishly remain their slaves and carry their guns for a mere seven rupees. O Indians! Have some shame now. Instead of being pushed around in foreign lands like this, it is better to die fighting for your own country. If you wish to live in this world with any hope, then go back to your country and start a Ghadar. Kick these tyrants out of your land and live in peace. Being kicked around like this is not the work of men.
In the October 28, 1914 issue of Hindustan Ghadar there is an article describing the return of the ship and the subsequent mistreatment of its passengers:
A white man from Canada who for many years has been a reporter for the Statesman in Calcutta says that when the Guru Nanak Jahaaz [Komagata Maru] there was a great uproar. And when this news reached Punjab and the rest of India there was a massive uproar. Because the actual fact is that among the people of Bengal the spirit of Ghadar is spreading. But the English newspapers do not print this fact. Instead, English newspapers say that there is peace in india. But the Ghadar leaders, old and young, are zealous and more ready than ever to fight.
4. Letter from Exiled Activist Ajit Singh, July 28, 1914
Letter of Ajit Singh
Ghadar and Mother India
O Hindus and Muslims residing in America! I am filled with immense joy upon hearing of your patriotism. Blessed are those in whose hearts resides the love for their country, and fortunate are those who have sacrificed their lives for the progress of their motherland and fulfilled their duty.
O brothers! Renounce the attachment to relatives and worldly wealth. It is better to become a martyr for the country's freedom than to lead a life of slavery. Today, one has to weep seeing the destruction and pitiful condition of their country. Enough! Those who witness the ruin of their country and community never hesitate to make the ultimate sacrifice!
Now get ready, O worthy sons! Do not delay any longer for the sake of the nation! Do exactly this: enlist in the army of Ghadar and bring about the revolution swiftly. For which son can sleep peacefully while seeing his mother in pain? To achieve the country's freedom, every worthy son must offer his life as a sacrifice for his mother! For a son, it is forbidden (a sin) to endure the sight of his mother's suffering.
Therefore, O sons of India! Recognize your duty, and to end the destruction of your country, enlist in the army of Ghadar for the service of your mother! The deeds of patriotism, the names of the patriots, and the name of the country shall shine upon the golden pages of history.
5. Lala Har Dayal, "Politics of Statecraft: Enemies of the Farmer" (July 21, 1914)
Note: Har Dayal was one of the founders of the Ghadar Movement, and probably authored a good deal of the content from the first few months of the newspaper. However, he was arrested in March 1914 and fled the country to avoid deportation back to India. He settled in Berlin, and occasionally sent in articles for printing in the paper via the mail. One such article was printed in July 21, 1914.
How unfortunate is that farmer! He produces the things that remove the hunger of the whole world; he is the provider of food (Anndata) for the entire universe, but he never fills his own stomach—this is a matter of great wonder!
Think for a moment—the farmer plows the land; do things [crops] not grow? Who works in the fields, and who eats the fruit? The farmer is always looking toward his fields, but even after producing the grain, he does not get his share—this is a matter of great wonder!
Thousands of enemies of the farmer have been born! [The struggle] is not just for five or seven pieces of gold and silver, but behind this [exploitation], thousands of rulers, ministers, soldiers, police, patwaris [land recorders], lambardars [village headmen], and moneylenders—all these have sat down as enemies [of the farmer].
All the wealth produced by the hard work of the farmer is taken away from him. How does this wealth disappear, and where does it go? The farmer has no money! He is trapped in debts!
The farmer sees that a famine has occurred, but why has the famine occurred? Is it because there was no rain? No! The rain fell, but the grain—where did it go? The grain was loaded into ships and taken away to England! The farmer remained hungry, and his children died of hunger.
Why does the British government take this grain? Do they have no mercy? No! They have no mercy. Their intention is only to loot India and fill the bellies of their own people in England.
This is why we say that the farmer has many enemies. Rulers, landlords, and government officials—all are his enemies. Look! In the villages, how the poor farmers are looted. The patwari takes his share, the police take their share, and the government takes the largest share in the form of land tax (Malia).
What is the meaning of politics? Politics means that the farmer who does the hard work should receive the fruit of his labor. But today, the fruit of the farmer’s labor is stolen by others.
Brothers! This is the time to wake up. For how long will you remain slaves? For how long will you tolerate this hunger? The British are parasites who are sucking your blood. They have made you poor. They have taken away your lands.
If you want to save your children, if you want to fill your stomachs, then you must join the Ghadar [Rebellion]. We must drive these enemies out of our country. Only then will the farmer be the master of his own grain. Only then will there be no more famines in India.
This is the lesson of politics: Recognize your enemies and unite to destroy them.
6. Account of the Singapore Mutiny of 1915. May 2, 1915 Front Page
750 British Killed in Singapore
A telegram has arrived from China bringing the news that the Ghadar (Revolution) has begun in Singapore. In the first week of February, when the 5th Light Infantry was ordered to go for a parade as usual, a British captain ordered them to prepare for battle.
At this, some Indian officers said, "Our brothers who were sent before us have already been killed; now you have come to lead us to our deaths as well?" Upon hearing this, the British officer became aggressive. The Indians then flatly refused, saying, "We will not go to the war in Europe to fight."
The sparks of Revolution are flying in their hearts. After this, seeing Singapore slipping from their hands, the British tried to suppress the situation, but the Punjabis killed three British officers. No news of this is being kept hidden anymore. In reality, this regiment killed 750 British soldiers and, after clearing the way, they retreated toward the fort.
All the Germans who had been imprisoned by the British were set free. There are rumors that several Germans have since left for Hindustan (India). The mutinying regiment remains safe and sound.
Although full details about Singapore are arriving in small pieces and the British are trying to hide the extent of their losses, it is becoming clear that a great number of British were killed in the Singapore Mutiny.
7. A report from an American traveler in India, April 19, 1916
Note: this article from the front page of the April 19, 1916 issue of Hindustan Ghadar names an American traveler named J.H. Pendleton who visited India and sent a report of his travels to the San Francisco Examiner. It is unclear to us whether this J.H. Pendleton is the same as the famous U.S. Army General.
Indian Revolutionaries Meet Death with Great Bravery
The April issue of the San Francisco Examiner published an article under the above headline. It reports that Mr. J.H. Pendleton, a special agent for the American Studebaker Corporation, has returned to San Francisco after an eighteen-month tour of the East.
In recounting his travels, Mr. Pendleton stated that there have been numerous instances of massacres against the British in India. He noted that when he arrived, he was astonished to learn that just a few days prior, Punjabis had killed a significant number of British officials. The British Government, however, suppressed this news, preventing it from spreading or leaving the country.
Mr. Pendleton personally witnessed the execution of two revolutionaries who had been convicted of killing British officers. He observed that even in front of a crowd of thousands, there was not a shred of fear visible on their faces. Instead, they embraced death with immense courage. With hands clasped, the two men embraced one another and kissed the hangman’s noose before it was placed around their necks.
As they stood upon the gallows, one of the revolutionaries declared: "We are filled with joy to be laying down our lives for such a sacred cause."
Following this display of fearlessness, Martial Law was declared throughout Shikarpur. Today, native soldiers are not even permitted to keep live ammunition near them, and the British army is kept on a state of constant high alert. The specter of the "Ghadar" (Revolution) continues to haunt the British authorities. More than any threat from Eastern or Western nations, it is the fear of a home-grown revolution that truly terrifies the British in India.
8. "Women's Progress and the World" March 2, 1915
Note: Early issues of Hindustant Ghadar rarely mentioned women. There were very few Indian women in the Punjabi diaspora in California or the Pacific Northwest at the time due to immigration restrictions. Also, in its early years the newspaper was highly focused specifically on revolutionary activism related to British rule in India. By 1915, that was beginning to shift, with more engagement with other political struggles and growing coverage of what was being printed in the U.S. news. Here is coverage of the Women's Sufrage movement, then at its peak.
Column 1: Women's Progress and the World
In India, there is very little talk or knowledge regarding the strength and status of women. In Western countries like America and Europe, women have recognized their power. There was a time when women were also considered weak there, but today they are leading movements.
A woman named Mrs. Fawcett [referring to Millicent Fawcett] and other courageous women have started a great struggle for their rights. In England, women are fighting for the right to vote. They have shown that they are no less than men in any field.
In America, women work in every sector. In one factory near Chicago, out of 60 employees, nearly all are women, and they earn good wages—about 7 to 8 dollars a day. In Germany and England, thousands of women work in the post office, telegraph offices, and as clerks.
While women in the West are becoming doctors, engineers, and even pilots (navigating the skies), in India, our sisters are kept in seclusion (Purdah). They are kept uneducated and away from the world's progress. How can a nation be free when half of its population is kept in chains?
A Call to the Sisters of India
In England alone, there are over 440,000 women working as teachers, 91,000 as nurses, and thousands more in trade and business. They are becoming self-reliant.
The Ghadar Party believes that Indian women must wake up. Until our mothers and sisters are free and educated, India can never break the chains of British slavery. A bird cannot fly with only one wing. Similarly, a nation cannot progress if its women are left behind.
9. Arrests in India after Failed Plot, January 10, 1915
Arrests in Delhi
During these times of war, many youths have been arrested in Lahore and Delhi—resulting in chaos everywhere and causing the British to tremble with fear. National fervor was previously a wave in Bengal, where Bengalis were attacking all the British....Especially since in a street in Calcutta, a young Bengali student shot a British police officer—this has frightened the British greatly. However, according to the London Times, the number of rebels in India is very small—even though the British believe that revolutionary (Ghadar) sentiments against the British...
...which is a real and very dangerous threat. According to British daily newspapers, enthusiasm is generally being incited for revolutionary activities in Malwa [in Punjab]. Secret printing presses and Ghadar newspapers are being distributed covertly. Through secret printing presses, pamphlets, and various other means, people are coming to understand the true meaning of the Ghadar movement. Secret societies are growing, and their feet are moving forward day by day, progressing towards the work of revolution.
Ghadar in Germany and India
This journal writes that Germany is directing the revolutionary (Ghadar) activities in India, and Germany is promoting revolution in India, Africa, Egypt, Morocco, and other such countries. Indians who have gone abroad and are now present in countries like China, Japan, and America, are feeling a great surge of passion because of the war in Europe.There is much fervor due to the trouble in Canada [referring to the immigration restrictions]. It is firmly believed that thousands of dollars were given to the ship Komagata Maru by some German merchant. Outside of India, in every place, the Ghadar newspaper is vigorously propagating revolution against the British. The foreign/British press, upon seeing excerpts of this Ghadar in their own newspapers, lament and cry.
News from India is being censored, which has cast a veil over the real situation in India. The reason for this veil is the fear of the White authorities and the cunning being practiced. Our army is fighting on the front—let’s see what happens. Across the whole country, the organization to revolt against British rule and British officers has become very strong.
10. Coverage of Indian Troops in World War I, January 10, 1915
Note: At times, Hindustan Ghadar's coverage of the Indian participation in the Great War was a little less than factual. I have been unable to confirm whether an incident like the one described here actually took place.
The Indian Army has joined with the Turks
Japan: News has arrived from Japan that when British officers ordered the Indian Army to fight against the Turks and the Indian soldiers moved forward, the Turks waved two magnificent flags from the opposite side. Seeing them, the Sikh and Muslim soldiers refused to fight against the Turks.
Previously, we had written in a pamphlet that Indian forces had refused to fight against the Turks in Egypt. Now, the British are preparing to take them to Europe.
German: A German in Berlin received a letter from his brother, which mentions that on the battlefields of France, the "bandit" British place Indian soldiers at the very front without machine guns. They only have their ordinary rifles. When the brave German army firmly attacks the British, they stop (halt) upon seeing the Indians in front of them. Eventually, forced by the situation and having no choice, they have to fire upon them. We feel great pity for these Indians who are without heavy weapons and without machine guns. But war, after all, is war. Then we have to fire the cannons, before which the corpses of thousands of Indians are strewn across the ground.
The British themselves stand far behind and set up a wall of Indian soldiers in front of them. They do not give them machine guns and such because they fear they [the Indians] might revolt. The lives of Indian soldiers are considered cheaper than machine guns. These Indian soldiers are made to stand like a shield or a wall for the trenches. They don't even have enough sense to realize that they should surrender in the thousands to become German prisoners of war.
11. "Address to President Woodrow Wilson," July 11, 1917
Note: During the Great War, President Wilson suggested that the western powers were fighting for the freedom of the world. Later, he would backtrack from this and infamously would exclude any critique of colonialism in the charter of the League of Nations. However, in 1917 his comments were interpreted as a positive sign by Hindustan Ghadar.
Front page: Photo of President Woodrow Wilson, with caption: "President Wilson, who has given the call to make all enslaved nations free."
Page 2: Address to President Woodrow Wilson
"We are fighting for the freedom of the world." — The British Government
"O British! You make this claim, but in this world war, you have kept oppressed nations enslaved while pretending to fight for their freedom. You should look at your own face in the mirror regarding your tyranny in India and Egypt."
To Honorable Woodrow Wilson, President of America:
Today, the eyes of the entire world are on you. You are the first President of a great nation like America to have declared that the world must be made safe for democracy. You have involved the people of America in this world war for the sake of the equality of the human race and for the freedom of humanity.
Previously, President Lincoln freed the slaves of America. Now, as the current President of America, you have motivated the people of America to participate in this war to end the slavery of the world's nations.
While the British government gives the excuse of fighting for the freedom of Belgium, Serbia, and Romania to justify this war, they are themselves keeping millions of people in India and Egypt in the chains of slavery. We wish to bring to your attention that the British are using the resources and lives of Indians to fight this war, yet they deny those same people the right to self-governance.
Mr. President, if this war is truly being fought for the principles of justice and liberty, then why is India excluded from this vision? The Russian people have already revolted against their internal tyranny and have set an example of seeking freedom for all. We ask that you use your influence to ensure that the British government practices what it preaches. If they are fighting for the liberty of small nations in Europe, they must also grant liberty to the great nation of India.
The people of India are watching and listening to your promises of a new world order based on democracy. We hope that your words are intended for the entire world, and not just for a chosen few.