My grandfather's prison diary was lying safe with my father, Prof. Edwin. J. Paul, for nearly seventy years, When it fell into my hands, I was simply marvelled at the matter and the manner of its convivial composition and his mastery of English language, not because he was my grandfather, but primarily because here was a seasoned and totally detached mind that could critically reflect on and respond to the contemporary events with a progressive mindset. I, therefore, ventured to put it in black and white.
The morning of the 24th March 1939 rose cool and pleasant. In consonance with my habit I walked into my garden at 5.30 am and went on tending the crotons and flowers. I casually threw a glance at the road that passed by the border of my garden and saw a police officer standing there beckoning me.
In fact, the arrests of the members of the Action Council of Travancore State Congress had been going on since March 6. As their second step the police were arresting the leaders of the party in South Travancore. We, the Congress leaders, had already organized conferences and meetings at different places which had attracted people in thousands. Some of the meetings were attended by more than ten thousand people. We had also taken out processions through villages and towns. The presence of the police officer on the road by my garden was no surprise to me. I signed the warrant and told him that he could expect me at the police station at 8 am.
Back home I enjoyed the hot beverage a little more than my usual measure and I was aware that it was to be the last luxury of my home for nearly a year. Then I bade good-bye to my wife, a poor thing! Though she put up a brave face, I could see traces of tears in her eyes. In my thirteen years of marriage to her, the longest separation was in the offing. Never was I absent from home till then for more than a fortnight. My father, my children and others at home were under the sweet delusion that I was going out on some urgent work connected with my profession as I used to do now and then. I stepped out of my house at 7.30 am and straightway walked to the police station.
The police personnel lost no time in making the necessary formal entries in their registers and then they took me and Mr. Kunjukrishna Pillai to the bus station to transport us to Thuckalay, a town nine miles off. The first class magistrate who alone was competent to try our case had his court there. A good number of party sympathizers and well-wishers met us on the way waving black flags and they shouted “ Paul Ratnam ki jai.” Our march to the bus station was, in fact, a procession and the members of the same shouted now and then our names tagged with “Paul Ratnam ki jai”.
Within a few minutes we were taken aboard a transport bus and it sped towards Thuckalay even as the slogan, “Paul Ratnam ki jai,” kept reverberating in my ears. On landing at Thuckalay, we were taken to the first class magistrate court there and were remanded in custody till the next day, as our case was posted for the next day. As soon as the formalities were over we were taken to the local police station which served as a sub jail as well. There were already ten Congress prisoners in the police lock-up and seven of them were advocates. Both of us were put in one of the cells and the grated door locked me in for the first time in my life. The iron bars grinned between me and my freedom.
The food was miserably poor. Thus the first day of my detention was going to round off with the night that was ensuing. We, the political prisoners, were put in two cells. Six of us were in one of them. The cell was of 18 by 20 feet. It had one door and one window opening towards the north. Each of us was given a grass mat for bedding. The night was very warm and sultry. To add to our misery drinking water in sufficient measure was not provided to us. The night rolled on slowly without giving me even a wink of sleep; but my friends started one by one snoring in steady guttural voice. The chirps and songs of winged creatures and growing brightness on the premises of the police station heralded the approaching dawn.
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We could hear cocks crowing and could see through the iron bars birds twittering on the lusterless foliage around and at last the glorious morn arrived and encompassed me in its loving fold. There was only one well within the station compound. Due to the continued drought it had already run short of water. The prisoners were used to be taken to a nearby tank once in three or four days for bath.
To my great shock and dismay, I learnt that we would not be led to the tank for bath that day. The breakfast was served to us a little later and I found little to murmur over it as I found it enough to keep my body and soul together.
Amidst this hurly-burly I had a stream of visitors – friends, relatives and party sympathizers. Our interviews were permitted only in the presence of the police officers, and so they were very brief and matter of fact. We were served our frugal unsavoury lunch at 11 am and soon after it we were led to the court. As we just got out of the police station compound, a big crowd of party volunteers and members of the general public greeted us with their full throated “Paul Ratnam ki jais.”Our names vibrated all over in the air and thus in a big procession we were escorted to the magistrate’s My case was called around 2 pm. I found myself in the dock of a criminal court, having been arraigned as an offender against the State of Travancore.
Summary case no.22 of 1114. (1939).
Section 90 Cr. P.C.
Petitioner: Sircar (Government).
Counter petitioners:
1. K.N. KunjukrishnaPillai,
Vakil, Kuzhithurai.
2. Paul Ratnam,
Vakil, Kuzhithurai.
Charge-sheet dated 9-8-14 put in by the Inspector of Police, Vilavancode, and countersigned by the Assistant Superintendent of Police, Nagercoil, and the records connected therewith.
Where as it is seen and I am satisfied from the charge-sheet submitted by the Inspector of Police, Vilavancode, and countersigned by the Assistant Superintendent of Police, Nagercoil, that the counter petitioners residing within the local limits of the jurisdiction of this court, who are president and secretary respectively of the Vilavancode taluk committee of Travancore State Congress incited the people to commit wrongful and revolutionary acts which were calculated to create feelings of enmity and hatred towards the Government and towards the different classes of the subjects of the State, that they with the objective of disturbing public peace and tranquility, called meetings of the Travancore State Congress on 21-7- 14 and 6-8-14 in Vilavancode taluk, and made revolutionary speeches therein, and planned to carry out certain subversive measures affecting the vital interests of the Government, that they incited and encouraged people to participate in the civil disobedience movement which is arranged by the all-Travancore State Congress Committee to be started on 12-8-14.
We were asked to reply to these charges. The court was crowded with our friends, relatives, party workers and also members of other political organizations like the Communist Party of India. The doors and windows were packed with human faces.
When my turn to reply to the charges came I proudly and nonchalantly owned up the main charges and disowned the police-concocted tales and assertively declared that Travancore State Congress stood for truth, freedom and righteousness and I felt proud of having been afforded the privilege of suffering persecution for the cause of righteousness and that I was beloved of Lord Jesus Christ, because He had stated in His Sermon on the Mount.
With a few more words I completed my statement. The case then was adjourned to the thirteenth instant. On the conclusion of the proceedings we were taken back to the sub jail to the accompaniment of the full-throated slogan shouting by our enthusiastic supporters and well-wishers. It was the second night of my and colleagues’ captivity and it went on tolerably well.
The next day was Sunday. As the day broke out church bells started chiming in melodious unison. This revived my spirit further and made me recall my childhood, boyhood and associations with my church and church services and these recollections made me think of something beyond the mundane world. Man in his travel through time, either in poverty or affluence, in sorrow or happiness, through rugged terrain or smooth path, on storm-tossed ships or on smooth-sailing vessels feels a soothing experience when he hears a church bell. When Robinson Crusoe tumbled on a footprint one day in the twelfth year of his lonely sojourn on the forlorn island many a vista giving him different feelings rose before him. I reflected on his lot and asked myself how he would have felt if he had heard all on a sudden a church bell.
When I woke up the next morning a pleasant piece of news greeted me and my companions. We were to be taken to the nearby tank for bath that morning. We went to the tank at 6.30 am escorted by a few constables. I walked into the tank and enjoyed a dip for nearly an hour.
Though the day began as a dull one, it turned lively as a stream of visitors came to us as hours moved on. Most of my visitors were from my hometown, Marthandam. Some of the friends broke to me the most disquieting information that my father and daughter had taken my absence from home to heart and were pining for my return at the earliest. I tried to dispel the matter off my mind by thinking of what I deemed grave matters and lofty ideals. Of course, what I was told of them did worry me, but I kept encouraging myself by assuring myself that it was their share of sacrifice to the country. I firmly believed that everyone of a given country owed his devotion and duty to it for its safe existence and prosperity. Though my mind was firm in this view, my body felt weak and it did not keep pace with my mind.
On getting up from the bed, I ran to the well and collected one bucket full of water with which I enjoyed a tolerably good bath. A few hours later our case would be heard and we were sure that it would be disposed of that day itself. We were escorted to the court at the appointed hour and the crowd which accompanied us on this day was much bigger. On reaching the court campus I could see more than 50 bicycles ranged in order there and an enthusiastic supporter of mine confided to me that all of them were of my friends and well-wishers belonging to Marthandam and surrounding places. I thanked God for having made me the apple of their eyes. I was allowed the freedom to greet them and speak to them on the court premises. I requested them to tell my own people at home that though I would be convicted and committed to prison for one year I would not have to remain in prison even for a quarter of the term, as the political situation all over the country had reached a state of crisis.
We were confident of getting an early release, because Gandhiji had given the leaders of Travancore State Congress to understand that he had been negotiating with the Dewan of the State in this connection. We had taken for granted that Gandhiji was a colossus in Indian politics and so we pinned our hopes on his offer to negotiate our lot with the Dewan and finally we were left to ourselves with no alternative but to serve the sentence in prison. Later I understood that Gandhiji’s powers and influence were so circumscribed and even now I have great doubts about his political foresight.
The magistrate took up our case at 3 pm. After going through the legal procedures necessary to pronounce the order of our conviction and after taking our replies. Sentenced us to undergo one year’s simple imprisonment. Immediately we were taken back to the sub jail and by this time the number of our well-wishers and friends had swelled and when I looked at their lively faces and enthusiastic reactions a wave of great inward glee ran down to my every nerve.
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