Kalpana Datta Biography 
Kalpana Datta was a revolutionary leader associated with Indian freedom struggle movement. She is remembered for Chittagong armoury raid in 1930, where she got associated with the revolutionary leader Surya Sen. She was married to revolutionary leader and a noted member of Communist Party of India, Puran Chand Joshi. He was a noted journalist too. Later she served as a member of Communist Party of India and has contested elections for the Bengal Legislative Assembly as a Communist candidate though she couldn’t win.
She was born on 27 July 1913 in Sripur of Chittagong District, which belongs to present day Bangladesh. She completed her matriculation examination in 1929 and took graduation in science from Bethune College, Kolkata. She was a member of Chhatri Sangha, an association for women in those days. Surya Sen led a group of revolutionaries on 18 April 1930 to raid the armoury of police at Chittagong. Their plan was to seize the arms from the armoury and destroy the communication system of the town. Though the troop captured arms, they failed to get the ammunition. They also hoisted the national flag on the premises before they escaped. The incident came to be known as Chittagong armoury raid in 1930.
Kalpana Datta was an entrusted group member of Surya’s group. She was given the mission to attack the European Club in Chittagong, along with Pritilata Waddedar. But she got arrested before the plan execution. She went underground when she got released on a bail. On 17 February 1933 though Kalpana managed to escape from a hiding place, Surya got arrested. Surya was brutally tortured by police and hanged. She got arrested in May and was sentenced to transportation for life. She got released in 1939 and joined Communist party. She got married to Puran Chand Joshi, then General Secretary of the Communist Party of India in 1943.
Ashutosh Gowariker’s famous historical film - Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey was based on Chittagong armoury raid in 1930 and the life of Surya Sen and Kalpana Datta. Abhishek Bachchan and Deepika Padukone reprised the real life roles of both these brave revolutionaries. 2012 Bollywood movie – Chittagong was also based on this uprising.
Published: N/A
Updated: June 02, 2014
