द इण्डियन स्ट्रगल / भारतीय स्वाधीनता संग्राम (नेताजी सुभाष चन्द्र बोस - ऐतिहासिक विश्लेषण)

210 THE INDIAN STRUGGLE
aristocratic families were moved.¹ Everywhere women came
out in their thousands to carry out the Congress mandate.
Not only the Government but the people of the country as
well, were taken by surprise at the manifestation. Temperance
workers like Miss Mary Campbell,² who had worked for
forty years in India, were amazed at the phenomenon. Well
might foreign observers like Mr. H. N. Brailsford and Mr.
George Slocombe say that if the civil-disobedience campaign
had accomplished nothing else but the emancipation of the
women of India, it would have fully justified itself. The
energy and enthusiasm of the women stirred the men to
greater effort and sacrifice. Within three weeks of the
commencement of the campaign, the Government resolved
to strike. On April 27th, the first emergency ordinance was
promulgated called the Press Ordinance, which brought
the papers under the full control of the officials. Most of the
Nationalist papers ceased publication for a long period as a
protest. Other ordinances followed, aiming at the suppression
of the different activities of the Congress. Congress organisa-
tions were declared unlawful all over the country and an
ordinance was issued, enabling the Government to confiscate
the property belonging to them. The result of these ordinances
was that the Congress could no longer function openly and
many of its activities, like raising funds, recruiting volunteers,
etc., had to be conducted in an underground manner.
Nevertheless, the activities of the Congress instead of being
paralysed by the ordinances, were further stimulated. As
meetings and processions were banned everywhere, they con-
tinued to be held in defiance of the official ban. Newspapers,
bulletins, leaflets were printed and distributed by Congress
agencies in spite of official prohibition. In some places as in
Bombay, Congress propaganda was conducted by means of
the radio and the police were not able to find out from
where the messages were being transmitted.
¹ E.g., Women belonging to the family of such an orthodox and highly
respected Brahmin as Pandit Madan Mohon Malaviya went to prison
without fear or hesitation.
² Manchester Guardian of June 22nd, 1931, contains her description of the
awakening among the women in Delhi where alone 1,600 women were
imprisoned.