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Surya Sen
सूर्य सेन
Masterda — the teacher who led the Chittagong armoury raid
Years
1894 – 1934
Known as
'Masterda' — the schoolmaster revolutionary
Birthplace
Chittagong, Bengal
Field
Freedom Fighters
“Death is a sleep; but the dream of freedom is eternal.”
— Surya Sen's last words
The Story
A mathematics teacher in Chittagong, Surya Sen was known to his pupils as Masterda — the master — for he taught not only algebra but patriotism. He organised the Republican Army of Bhārat, training young men in secret in the jungles and hills, preparing for a blow against the British.
On 18 April 1930, the night before the raid, he and sixty revolutionaries struck: they seized the armoury and police armoury of Chittagong, cut the telegraph lines, and derailed the railway, while his comrade Jiban Ghoshal raised the flag of Bhārat. It was the most spectacular revolutionary action of the era — and though the armoury was retaken, the raid shook the empire.
For nearly three years Surya Sen eluded capture, moving through the Chittagong hills in disguise, guiding the remnants of his army. Betrayed in February 1933, he was captured, tortured, and sentenced to death — and hanged on 12 January 1934, his last message to the nation: 'I have sacrificed my life for the freedom of the motherland.'
Core Ideas
The Chittagong Raid
The daring armoury attack of 18 April 1930.
Masterda
The schoolteacher who made revolutionaries of his pupils.
Three Years in the Jungle
He evaded the British from the Chittagong hills.
The Provisional Government
His men briefly raised the flag over the city.
The Martyr
Hanged in 1934, his dream of freedom outlived him.
Why it matters today
Surya Sen's raid is celebrated as one of the boldest feats of the freedom struggle, and his story has been retold in books and film. The Chittagong of his birth honours him as its greatest son — a teacher whose classroom was the nation.