In an exclusive chat with ‘The Perfect Voice’ freedom fighter Vithal Yalgi, 98, reveals anecdotes from the 1924 Congress plenary session
The glitzy centenary celebrations of the Congress plenary session held in Belgaum, Karnataka in 1924 may have been cut short by the demise of India’s former prime minister Manmohan Singh but 100 years ago, the city was abuzz with excitement to welcome freedom fighters. On December 27, 1924, a host of noted dignitaries descended on Belgaum on a cold winter morning to discuss the movement for independence. The congregation made history—Mahatma Gandhi, who had been released from jail that year, chaired this plenary session. But that’s not all, there were several such interesting anecdotes from those days—from Bhagat Singh arriving there as a journalist to a new well being dug to provide water to the visitors and a makeshift flag station being announced on the railway line.
Vithal Yalgi, a 98-year-old freedom fighter who had 13 members of his family in the fight for independence, recounts the days leading up to the mega gathering in which his father and uncles played a key role in organising.
Chaired by Mahatma Gandhi
It was the first and the only Congress congregation which Mahatma Gandhi had presided over. For years, my older uncle Govindrao Yalgi had been attending these gatherings across the country and it was his desire that one such session should be held in Belgaum. Finally, it was decided that the adhiveshan would be held in Belgaum in Decembre 1924 but Govindrao passed away in September 1923. Gangadharrao Deshpande, my father Krushnarao and uncle Jeevanrao then took up the responsibility of arranging everything. Mahatma Gandhi even paid tribute to Govindrao during this session.
Special arrangements were made
The people of Belgaum were very excited. Especially because Mahatma Gandhi, who had been released from jail in February that year, was going to come. Volunteers set up a temporary township called Vijay Nagar on a large maidan near the Vaccine Depot. Large tents were set up and special tents were erected for Gandhi, Nehru and other freedom fighters like Lala Lajpat Rai and Bhagat Singh. In fact, Bhagat Singh had attended this congregation as a journalist to report on it. Everyone wanted to offer some comfort to Gandhi. At that time, a big comfort was electricity so Jeevanrao Yalgi got a generator to provide electricity for Gandhiji’s tent while for the others, there were lanterns.
Belgaum got the Congress Well
All arrangements were being made in full force but where would the water come from? There was a well, which used by the army but the British soldiers refused to give water to the people attending this session. So, the organisers decided to dig a new well and Krushnarao Yalgi took charge of this activity. The army objected saying that a new well would reduce the water levels in the existing one. An engineer was called from Mumbai, which was Bombay then, and he surveyed the location and gave a go-ahead. The volunteers then started digging a well to provide water to this adhiveshan. The soil that was excavated was piled in a heap and water tanks were placed on those little mounds. It was named the Congress Well and it stands in the same location even today.
A new flag station was created
The adhiveshan drew people from all over the country and the only mode of transport for them was the railway. At that time, the Pune-Belgaum train was operated by the Madras Southern Maratha Railway and all signboards in the train were in Tamil and Marathi. The gathering was at the Vaccine Depot maidan. Although Belagum had a railway station then, that was at a little distance from the maidan. So, a makeshift flag station was created near the second railway gate. This was a short walk from the maidan and it was made specifically for the people coming for the congregation. You could show a red flag and the train would halt here.
Slogan for developing rural India
Discussions on fighting for freedom from the British were the crux of every congregation apart from other topics. But the important decision made during this adhiveshan was to improve the conditions of India’s villages for the country’s development. Mahatma Gandhi urged the people to develop rural India.
Gandhian principles are perennially relevant
Gandhi’s biggest teachings were ahimsa and satya. How can these ever become irrelevant? The world can function on these two major principles. Non-violence and honesty and integrity can take us ahead as individuals, as a society or as a nation. These tenets were relevant back then, are relevant even today and will continue to be so. When Barack Obama made history as the first black president of the United States, he invoked Mahatma Gandhi and said that he was highly influenced and inspired by Gandhiji’s principle, ‘Be the change that you wish to see in the world’. It’s relevant even today.
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