For some freedom fighters, the struggle continues

FUTURE TENSE: Darbar lives in an 8ft by 8 ft room in the freedom fighters' home.

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Keywords: Gynanti Darbar, Freedom Fighters

New Delhi: Even as India completes 61 years of independence this August, the men and women who fought for the freedom of the country continue to struggle for a life of dignity.

"If you commit injustice, it is not good but if you tolerate injustice it’s not good either. That's why I'm struggling," says 83-year-old freedom fighter Gyanvati Darbar.

That’s the message Dabar remembers from her days spent under Mahatma Gandhi during the freedom struggle. Darbar has lived in a house allotted to her late husband, veteran freedom fighter B S Darbar, for the past 23 years.

As per Home Ministry guidelines, spouses of freedom fighters are entitled to occupy the house for their lifetime.

But when Darbar lost her husband in 2001, the Ministry of Urban Development insisted she vacated the house on the basis of a “new policy” with effect from 1997.

She approached the High Court in 2002 on grounds that she was unfit to move. In June this year, the HC dismissed her petition but directed the concerned ministry to provide an alternate residence.

The accommodation offered to her now is an 8ft by 8 ft room in the freedom fighters' home and her prime concern is for a treasure trove of photographs, manuscripts, books and handwritten letters from Dr Rajendra Prasad, that he wrote to her daily while she was his personal secretary.

A writer, a Gandhian, an intellectual - Darbar, like many others, continues to struggle against the institutions for which she and her husband fought for.

While the government chooses to dedicate vast land to memorials for national heroes, it will perhaps be a more fitting tribute to ensure a life of comfort and dignity for their families.