Usha Mehta (Aged 80) was born on March 25, 1920, in Saras village, Gujarat, India. She was a freedom fighter and Gandhian who is remembered for her role in organizing the Congress Radio, also known as the Secret Congress Radio. This underground radio station operated for a few months during the Quit India Movement of 1942. In 1998, the Government of India conferred upon her the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India.
At the age of five, Usha met Gandhi during a visit to his ashram in Ahmedabad. Following this, Gandhi organized a camp near her village, where Usha participated in sessions and spinning. In 1928, when she was eight years old, Usha participated in a protest march against the Simon Commission and shouted her first words of protest against the British Raj: “Simon Go Back.” She and other children also participated in early morning protests against the British Raj and picketed in front of liquor shops. During one such protest, the police charged at the children, causing a girl carrying the Indian flag to fall along with the flag. The children then reported the incident to their parents.
In response, the elders dressed the children in the colors of the Indian flag (saffron, white, and green) and sent them out into the streets a few days later. The children marched again, shouting: “Policemen, you can wield your sticks and your batons, but you cannot bring down our flag.”
On August 14, 1942, Usha and some of her close associates began the Secret Congress Radio, a clandestine radio station. It went on air on August 27. The first words broadcast in her voice were: “This is the Congress radio calling on 42.34 meters wave length from somewhere in India.” The radio broadcast recorded messages from Gandhi and other prominent leaders across India. To evade the authorities, the organizers moved the station’s location almost daily. However, the police found them on November 12, 1942, and arrested the organizers, including Usha Mehta. All were later imprisoned. In March 1946, she was released, becoming the first political prisoner to be released in Bombay, at the orders of Morarji Desai, who was the home minister in the interim government. She passed away on August 11, 2000.
Usha Mehta
(1920 – 2000) – (Gujarart)
Usha Mehta (Aged 80) was born on March 25, 1920, in Saras village, Gujarat, India. She was a freedom fighter and Gandhian who is remembered for her role in organizing the Congress Radio, also known as the Secret Congress Radio. This underground radio station operated for a few months during the Quit India Movement of 1942. In 1998, the Government of India conferred upon her the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India.
At the age of five, Usha met Gandhi during a visit to his ashram in Ahmedabad. Following this, Gandhi organized a camp near her village, where Usha participated in sessions and spinning. In 1928, when she was eight years old, Usha participated in a protest march against the Simon Commission and shouted her first words of protest against the British Raj: “Simon Go Back.” She and other children also participated in early morning protests against the British Raj and picketed in front of liquor shops. During one such protest, the police charged at the children, causing a girl carrying the Indian flag to fall along with the flag. The children then reported the incident to their parents.
In response, the elders dressed the children in the colors of the Indian flag (saffron, white, and green) and sent them out into the streets a few days later. The children marched again, shouting: “Policemen, you can wield your sticks and your batons, but you cannot bring down our flag.”
On August 14, 1942, Usha and some of her close associates began the Secret Congress Radio, a clandestine radio station. It went on air on August 27. The first words broadcast in her voice were: “This is the Congress radio calling on 42.34 meters wave length from somewhere in India.” The radio broadcast recorded messages from Gandhi and other prominent leaders across India. To evade the authorities, the organizers moved the station’s location almost daily. However, the police found them on November 12, 1942, and arrested the organizers, including Usha Mehta. All were later imprisoned. In March 1946, she was released, becoming the first political prisoner to be released in Bombay, at the orders of Morarji Desai, who was the home minister in the interim government. She passed away on August 11, 2000.
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