Usha Mehta: The Gandhian Socialist Icon

When the history of India’s fight for independence would be written, the sacrifices made by the women of India will occupy the foremost place.

– Mahatma Gandhi

Bombay kept up the struggle through Radio. Usha Mehta was. one of the prominent workers of the Congress Radio Conspiracy Case. Usha had a leaning towards the Congress Socialist Party. She had earlier attended the Congress session but this time when the famous Quit-India resolution was passed she was present and was a witness to this important decision. It was her great desire to do something to make this resolution a success, Picketing of foreign cloth shops and liquor shops Was distasteful to her. She wanted to do something different.

Usha Mehta’s dream was realised when some friends decided to run a secret transmitting station. “It appealed to me immensely and I jumped at the idea and plunged into the movement in spite of staunch opposition from my father who being a government servant did not approve of my idea and who wanted me to finish my education. Nothing deterred this brave girl, not even the danger it presented to her father who was a Judge at the time.

The prominent leaders were in jail by August 9, 1942 and it was from this day that preparations for setting up a radio in the name of Voice of Freedom” speaking from somewhere in India, were taken in hand.A transmitter was necessary for successfully carrying on the movement. It was felt that the press would be censored and as such the required propaganda could easily be done through the radio for the cause. It was Babubhai and Usha who first started working for the radio. Money had to be obtained. A woman relative of Usha offered her jewellery. Usha was hesitant to accept this offer. Ultimately Babubhai Khakar got the required amount and a transmitter was set up with it.

Another group led by Vithalbhai K. Jhavari, now one of the editors of the birthday volume on Gandhiji, was also trying to set up another transmitter. Besides these two, there were several other groups. Dr. Rammanohar Lohia, a famous socialist leader, was in the know of these groups and tried to coordinate the work. The most active group was Babubhai’s in which Usha worked. The Congress Radio had its own transmitter, transmitting station, recording station, its own call sign and last but not the least a distinct wave-length. It started broadcasting on August 14, 1942. “This is the Congress Radio calling on 42.84 metres from somewhere in India.”

It was not easy to fool the police, so the workers of the Congress Radio had to change their abode very often. Usha describes how they camouflaged their moves. “Fortunately for us, one uncle from upcountry or our sister or some other relative would come to our rescue. Uncle waated a flat for one month. One of his nephews would go and hire it, take all the luggage there and would anxiously wait for him.

But by the time uncle was expected another flat would have to be hired for some other fictitious purpose. Every time the process was to go from the broadcasting station to the railway station and from there again to the new transmitting station. This had to be done every fort-night or so. Once Babubhai and I found a very good place; quite safe according to us. We were extremely happy at the idea that we would be able to carry on at least for a month or two. We went to the owner to pay the rent. A queer apparatus was lying there. We said ‘Sethji, what is this supposed to be?’ “A detecting machine to catch the illegal radios,” came the reply. ‘Detecting machine’, I exclaimed in my mind, but I took care to see that the face did not betray the expressions. Babubhai cleverly joined him in abusing all those who did such illegal acts and we were off. We thanked our stars for having been cautioned in time. The first words of Babubhai were “Behn, we are saved from the tiger’s jaws.’

Babubhai had warned me not to be in white Khadi sari that day but I had insisted on it. Since that day, however, I changed my dress slightly so as to be less conspicuous. ”
Usha Mehta was mainly assigned the task of broadcasting news and giving talks in Hindustani. It was this broadcasting station which first gave the news of Chittagong bomb raid, Jamshedpur strike and the news about atrocities in Ashti Chimur. In the speeches, attempts were made to clarify and explain the Congress stand both from the national and international points of view. Broadcasting on world peace it said: “The Congress sends her message of goodwill and peace to all the people of the world who are suffering, to countries still resisting and to countries batrayed by their own governments. India is at present suffering….”

Explaining the Quit-India Movement the comments were “So far we were conducting a momevent, but now we are conducting a revolution. In a revolution, there is victory or defeat. This revolution is not of one party or community, but of the whole of India, we hope you will not rest content till the British Empire is burnt to ashes.” The speeches were mostly delivered by Dr. Lohia.

However, this Radio could not function for a long time. The Government came to know of it and raided the place on November 12, at night. The Superintendent of Police and his military technicians and a troop of fifty odd policemen came to take possession of the belongings of this broadcasting station. The entry of the Deputy Commissioner did not worry the brave soldiers and they did not even care to move from their seats. Babubhai and Usha Mehta along with many others were arrested in this Radio Conspiracy case. The police tried its best to get the details” on Usha Mehta but she refused to answer any question relating to this subject, During the interrogation period she was also kept in the lock-up .Describing the life in the police custody says: “The lock-up period is is perhaps the most trying time in the life of a prisoner. During the day you have to face the policemen and at night your only possible activity could be either to kill the bugs or to kill time. Again it is humanly impossible to sleep jn a cell full of filth, dirt and nauseating smell.”

“In spite of six months continuous interrogation, the police could not get any information from her and finally charged her with agreeing in conspiring among and between ourselves and others, to do or cause to be done illegal acts. like possessing, establishing, maintaining and working illegal wireless telegraph without lawful…authority or excuse prejudicial acts and spreading prejudicial reports.

The case was Emperor versus Babubhai Khakar, Vithalbhai Usha Mehta, Chandrakant Jhavari, Nanak Motwant. says Usha Mehta, “we enjoyed so much that I am tempted to say that it was a golden period of my jail life. All along, we used to chew chocolates or peppermints unpertur of the Prosecator who was hard at proving the case against us.The revelations of the approvers likewise failed to disturb our equanimity. The case was decided and Usha Mehta was sentenced to four She remained in the jail till April 1946. After her release she took to teaching and later obtained her doctorate degree on a thesis on the “Social and Political Thought the of Mahatma Gandhi.”

Reference book – women in India’s freedom struggle.

This was the same Usha Mehta who joined the national movement at a very young age and who was later to be the chief organizer of Azad Radio in August 1942…
This is Azad Radio calling. On the 8th of August Mahatma Gandhi proclaimed his faith in his people. On their arrest, Gandhiyji and other national leaders left their people nothing, no planned programme, no money, no organization, no leadership; nothing except the great idea of freedom
– Bipin Chandra