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| (1 july 1913 - 25 August 1944) |
Remembering Major
Durga Malla the first Gorkha soldier from the Indian Gorkhas on his 78th
Death Anniversary by Jacob Sundas!
Countless
Gorkhas have fought and made sacrifices for our beloved nation. From the
freedom struggle to the heights of Kargil, Gorkhas have always been at the
forefront in the defence of our country. Shaheed Durga Malla belongs to the
front rank of Gorkha heroes martyred for the cause of our country’s freedom. He
epitomized the fighting spirit and ardent patriotism of Indian Gorkhas. The
Gorkha community for long has been associated with the military history of our
country. The story of Major Durga Malla stands out, as he sacrificed his life
for our nation at the young age of 31.
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| MAJOR DURGA MALLA |
Born
on 1 July 1913 in a small village called Doiwala in Dehradun (Uttarakhand), to
Ganga Ram Malla who was a jamadar (present-day naib subedar) in the Gorkha
Rifles in the military, Durga Malla was a laborious, dedicated, and bright
student in his childhood. Durga Malla was the eldest of the four sons of
Parwati Devi and Ganga Ram Malla. Over time, this family was blessed with three
more sons and three daughters. Since his childhood, Durga Malla was different
in nature from other children of his age. Besides having a keen interest in
sports, particularly football, Durga Malla has a great fascination for literary
and social activities. He was very good at studies. But due to the absence of
proper educational facilities in Doiwala area, he had to join Gorkha Military
Middle School, at present Gorkha Military Inter College, near Dehradun. Since
the school was quite far from Doiwala, he shifted to his paternal uncle Kedar
Malla’s house at Nalapani. He used to go to school on foot along with one or
two of his friends, covering a distance of about 8 or 9 miles every day. Despite
being tired on return from school late in the evening, he never neglected his
studies and always stood first in his class.
He
was deeply impacted by the poems he read that made him concerned about the
pathetic conditions under British subjugation. Durga Malla had drawn
inspiration from the poet and social reformer Subedar-Major Bahadur Singh Baral
and the musician and playwright Mitra Sen Thapa. He was greatly inspired by the
prominent Gandhian freedom fighters of Dehradun like Thakur Chandan Singh, Veer
Khadagabahadur Singh Bisht, Pandit Ishwaranand Gorkha and Amar Singh Thapa. The
Dandi March of Mahatma Gandhi in 1930 to violate ‘salt rule’ started generating
patriotic sentiments in the heart of Durga Malla, motivating him to take part
in the freedom struggle. He could see the vision of the freedom of India under
the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. He would often enter the Gorkha battalion
area at night with his friends to stick posters of the freedom struggle and
also took part in processions of the freedom fighters. Gandhi’s vision infused
in him patriotic sentiments and he began to envision a free India.
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| The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh at the unveiling of the statue of Shaheed Durga Malla in New Delhi on December 17, 2004 |
In
1931, when he was only 18, he joined the 2/1 battalion of the Gorkha Rifles.
Seeing his excellent performance in the training, he was quickly promoted to
the post of Signal Hawaldar. In 1941, during World War II, when the Japanese
aggression had intensified, the 2/1 battalion of Gorkha Rifles were ordered to
advance towards the war field Just three days after his marriage Durga Malla
got an emergent call from his unit. He was called back for war by the Army even
before his newly married bride Sharda Devi could get acquainted with him. Being
a true patriot, Durga Malla did not get upset while leaving his newly married
bride alone back at home. He marched for war with utmost courage.
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| Photos of the Battle of Imphal & Kohima |
He was kept in the prison at Red Fort as a
Prisoner of War before he was prosecuted and finally given the death sentence
on 25 August 1944. After his arrest, Durga Malla as a prisoner of war. He was
prosecuted by the military court under section 41 of the Indian Army Law and
section 121 of the Indian Penal Code. He was given death sentence by the Court
Martial, the court of trial before which he was tried at Red Fort. refore,
before the death sentence was finally executed, the British authorities tried
to coax Major Durga Malla into confessing the wrong and promised him a grant of
remission if he could do so. But it was against the wishes of Veer Durga Malla
whose only objective was to get the country free. He preferred to embrace the
gallows rather than accepting the proposal of the British rulers. All
persuasions having failed, Durga Malla’s wife Smt. Sharda Devi was brought
before him at the prison cell as the last resort. British authorities were of
the opinion that she would persuade her husband to apologize. But Major Malla
yielded to no devices of the British authorities. On the contrary, he gave his
wife his last words by saying.”Sharda, I am sacrificing my life for the freedom
of my motherland. You need not be worried and distressed. Crores of Hindustanis
will be with you after my death. The Sacrifice I am offering shall not go in
vain. India shall be free. I am confident, this is only a matter of time.” On
15th August 1944, Veer Durga, the great patriot, was taken to Delhi Central
Jail from the Red Fort. After ten days, on 25th August 1944, he was sent to the
gallows. Thus ended the journey of one more noble son of mother India who laid
down his precious life at the altar of Freedom. Durga Malla’s Physical body is
no more but he sacrificed himself after leading a meaningful life of only 31
years and became immortal.
In
honour of his valour and selfless spirit of sacrifice, the Government of India
has installed a statue of Shaheed Durga Malla in Parliament House. His death anniversary
25th August is observed as Balidan Diwas by the Gorkhas across the
nation.
By
Jacob Sundas
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