Senapati Bapat

Pandurang Mahadev Bapat, popularly known as Senapati Bapat (12 November 1880 – 28 November 1967) was a figure in the Indian independence movement. Bapat was called ‘Senapati’ or ‘commander’ for his leadership during the Mulshi Satyagraha in 1921 leading to what social scientist Ghanshyam Shah called the ‘first recorded organized struggle against the forced displacement” of farmers. In 1977, the Indian government issued a postage stamp to commemorate him.

Early Life

Pandurang Bapat was born on 12 November 1880, Bapat was raised in a lower-middle-class Chitpawan Brahmin family in the Parner town of Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra.

Enrolling in the Deccan College in Pune was a turning point in his life because this is where he came across Damodar Balwant Bhide, a member of the revolutionary Chapekar Club, and Professor Francis William Bain, a Britisher who harboured Indian nationalist feelings amongst his fellow students.

Events like the atrocities committed by the British administrators during the plague in Pune, the assassination of British official Charles Rand and politicization during the plague in Pune, the assassination of British official Charles Rand and the politicization of festivals like the Shiva Jayanti and Ganesh Chaturthi to further nationalist sentiments also played a critical role in shaping his politics.

In 1904, after passing out of college, he earned a scholarship and left for England to study at Heriot-Watt College in Edinburgh. Among other works, it was Dadabhai Naoroji’s treatise ‘Poverty in India’, which helped him understand the exploitative nature of British rule on the Indian economy. It was here when he developed links with prominent British socialists of the time and met several Russian revolutionaries who introduced him to Bolshevism.

Revolutionary, Nationalist

Senapati's public speeches against British rule in India, which were deeply critical and provocative, and his association with the India House in London, a hub for anti-colonial political activism, resulted in him losing his scholarship in 1907.

At this time, he became associated with VD Savarkar, on whose advice he went to Paris to acquire the technique of making explosives with his Russian associates.

After learning how to make bombs, he came back to India in 1908 with a ‘bomb manual’, which was secretly distributed to revolutionaries across the country, and two revolvers.

However, his vision for a coordinated nationwide armed revolt against the British never took off, and instead what came of it were individual acts of terrorism that the British crushed rather quickly; the proof of which is the famous Alipore Bomb Trial.

Fearing for his safety following the arrest of revolutionaries who made a failed attempt at assassinating the Mayor of Chandnagar in Bengal, Bapat went underground for a couple of years but was eventually arrested by the police in 1912.

However, he was released in 1915 when the police could not find sufficient evidence to link him to these attacks. According to historian Richard Cashman, Bapat had become a “seasoned revolutionary” by then, but more importantly switched from agnosticism to a deeper understanding of his Hindu faith.

Following his release from prison, he joined Lokmanya Tilak in his attempts to strengthen local support in the Poona area for the cause of Indian independence.

Mulshi Satyagraha

From 1921, Bapat led the three–year farmer’s protest (Satyagraha) against the construction of the Mulshi Dam by the Tata company. Ghanshyam Shah considers this to be “the first recorded organized struggled against (forced) displacement” caused by an irrigation project. The company had initially dug test trenches on land without obtaining permission and the farmers, who were mostly tenants, objected in fear of losing their lands. The dam was eventually constructed and thus the protest ultimately failed. Compensation for lands submersed by the dam’s construction was eventually arranged but was given to the landlords rather than to the tenants. Although Satyagrahas are intended to be non-violent, Bapat was jailed for vandalism of the construction project: rather than be captured for this, he turned himself in. His third jail sentence was for speaking at a public gathering held by Subhas Chandra Bose.

Erudite Scholar

Senapati Bapat was also an erudite scholar. His published works include commentaries on Bhagwat Gita and the Upanishads and translations of Sri Aurobindo's works like The Life Divine, The Synthesis of Yoga...

Living Tribute

On August 15, 1947 - Indian Independence Day - Bapat was given the honor of raising the Indian national flag over the city of Pune for the first time. A famous public road in Pune as well as in Bombay are named in his honour.  Bapat died on November 28, 1967.

Source: IGNCA, Ministry of Culture, Government of India