Ananga Mohan Dam

Ananga Mohan Dam (Bengali: অনঙ্গ মোহন দাম) (10 December 1890 – 6 January 1978) was an Indian revolutionary, nationalist, and political leader from Sadhuhati Union, South Sylhet (now in Moulvibazar, Bangladesh), known for his close association with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and early participation in Indian independence movement.^[1][2] A distinguished student of Presidency College, Calcutta, he was a key figure in the anti-colonial Operation Professor Oaten protest and was later imprisoned under the Defence of India Act for his revolutionary activities. Post-release, Dam became active in the Non-cooperation movement, led volunteer corps in Calcutta during hartals, and contributed to rural reconstruction efforts in Sylhet following Mahatma Gandhi’s advice. In 1943, he was elected to the Central Legislative Assembly from the Barak–Surma Valley. He played a significant role opposing the Sylhet Referendum during Partition of India, advocating for Sylhet’s inclusion in India. Deeply disillusioned by political betrayal during the Partition, he migrated to Calcutta in 1947. Ananga Mohan Dam lived a quiet post-independence life, avoiding publicity, and passed away in Sodepur, West Bengal, in 1978.^[3][4]

Ananga Mohan Dam was born on 10 December 1890, in Sadhuhati of South Sylhet, then part of the Sylhet of Assam Province under British India (present-day Moulvibazar District, Bangladesh). He was the eldest son of Abhaykumar Dam, a zamindar who owned estates in the Barbhag regions of Sylhet, and Nayanbasi Devi. Abhaykumar Dam had received the British colonial title of Rai Sahib, though he never used it due to his nationalist convictions. The Dam family was prominent in Sylhet and maintained close ties with the local educated elite.^[5][6]

Ananga’s early education began at Raja Girish Chandra High School in Sylhet. During his school years, particularly during the Swadeshi movement sparked by the Partition of Bengal (1905), he came under the influence of nationalist leaders such as Bipin Chandra Pal and Sundari Mohan Das, whose public speeches in Gobindacharan Park and Ratanmani Loknath Town Hall deeply impressed the young student. At the age of thirteen, Dam joined the Swadeshi volunteer corps, actively participating in boycotts and political mobilization. Despite his political activism, he passed the Entrance Examination under Calcutta University in 1909 with a scholarship.^[7][8][9]

Following the death of his father, Ananga Mohan declined to take up the family’s zamindari responsibilities, which were instead assumed by his paternal uncle Shib Sundar Dam.^[10][11]

He subsequently moved to Calcutta (now Kolkata) to pursue higher studies at Presidency College Calcutta, where he studied Philosophy and resided at the Eden Hindu Hostel. His contemporaries included Satyendra Nath Bose, Gyan Chandra Ghosh, Gyanendra Nath Mukherjee, and Pulin Bihari Sarkar. During this period, Dam came into contact with revolutionary circles, particularly the Jugantar group, and fell under the surveillance of British colonial authorities. He graduated with honours in Philosophy in 1913, although he reportedly received a second-class degree instead of first class due to his revolutionary associations.^[12][13][14]

He later enrolled in the University Law College, intending to become a barrister, as his father had wished. To support himself financially, he opened a bookstore at Cornwallis Street (now Bidhan Sarani) in 1914. The bookstore also served as a gathering place for like-minded nationalist students and intellectuals. Dam’s income was often used to support poor students and revolutionary activities. In addition to academics and political involvement, he also took part in flood relief in Bardhaman (1914) and famine relief in Bankura (1915).

While at Presidency College Calcutta, Ananga Mohan Dam became involved with the Jugantar party, one of the leading underground nationalist organizations in Bengal. During this period, revolutionaries were involved in smuggling arms from abroad. According to Dam’s own writings, several weapons were intercepted by the police, leading to a wave of arrests. Dam was subjected to repeated police harassment, though he continued to expand the revolutionary network by recruiting new members, especially among students at the Eden Hindu Hostel.^[15]

In his writings—most notably in his memoir Subhas-Smriti—Dam reflected on the efforts made to instil patriotic ideals among students, especially those residing in the Hindu Hostel, and to inspire them to join the struggle for Indian independence and the removal of British colonial rule.^[15]

Despite surveillance and mounting pressure, he managed to complete his undergraduate degree in Philosophy in 1913. He later began postgraduate studies, though these were disrupted by his ongoing political activities and arrests.^[16]

In 1914, following a major flood in Bardhaman district, Dam and a group of fellow students organized relief efforts. Similarly, in 1915, during a famine in Bankura district, the fourth ward of Eden Hindu Hostel (where Dam served as Prefect) cancelled its annual cultural function and donated the funds to the Bankura Famine Relief Fund. These actions demonstrated his commitment to both political and humanitarian causes.^[17][18]

Ananga Mohan Dam played a central role in one of the earliest organized student protests in colonial Bengal, an incident that came to be known as ‘Operation Professor Oaten’. The protest was directed against Professor Edward Farley Oaten, a British history lecturer at Presidency College, Calcutta, who had allegedly made racially offensive remarks about Indian students.^[19][20]

The episode occurred during Dam’s time at Presidency College Calcutta, where he had emerged as a vocal student leader and was associated with radical nationalist thought. The protest, which escalated into a confrontation, marked the first symbolic act of rebellion involving Subhas Chandra Bose, who would later rise to national prominence as a revolutionary and leader of the Indian National Army. Dam is credited with leading the agitation, coordinating the actions of the students, and inspiring Bose’s participation.^[20][20]

The event brought both Dam and Bose to the attention of college authorities and British intelligence. As a result, Ananga Mohan Dam and Subhas Chandra Bose were expelled from Presidency College in February 1916, and Dam was barred from re-entering the Eden Hindu Hostel, where he had previously resided. The incident marked a pivotal moment in the evolution of political consciousness among students in colonial India and is considered a precursor to larger nationalist mobilizations that followed.^[20][21]

On 10 December 1915, during a felicitation program organized by Presidency College for Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose, Dam composed a choral song that was performed by the students. He also delivered a formal welcome address on behalf of the student body. The event was attended by several dignitaries, including Rabindranath Tagore. Despite these academic and public contributions, Dam's political activities increasingly placed him at odds with the college administration and British authorities.^[21][22]

In July 1916, he was arrested under the Defence of India Act 1915 from his bookstore on Bidhan Sarani. He was initially confined in the Political Cell of Presidency Jail. Later, he was interned outside Bengal, first in Assam, and eventually placed under house arrest at his family home in Sadhuhati, Sylhet, due to his deteriorating health. His release came in March 1920, following the end of World War I.^[23]

Following his release in March 1920, Ananga Mohan Dam resumed political activity during a critical phase of the Indian independence movement. In September 1920, he represented Sylhet District at the Special Session of the Indian National Congress held in Calcutta, which was presided over by Lala Lajpat Rai. The session was significant for the formal adoption of the Non-cooperation movement as proposed by Mahatma Gandhi.^{[24][25][26][27][28]}

Dam played a prominent role in organizing the volunteer corps that enforced hartals and boycotts in Calcutta, particularly during the visit of the Prince of Wales. Subhas Chandra Bose, who was also active during this period, collaborated with Dam in these protests. Following the arrests of senior Congress leaders including Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das, Subhas, and Kiran Shankar Roy, Dam, who remained at liberty, was entrusted by Deshbandhu with the task of leading the volunteer organization. He fulfilled this responsibility effectively, reportedly earning the blessings and praise of Mahatma Gandhi for his discipline and leadership.^{[29][30][31][32][33]}

During this time, a proposal for a ‘No-Tax Movement’ was discussed in the Bengal Provincial Congress Committee. Shyam Sundar Chakravarthy sent Dam to Delhi to consult with Gandhi on the matter. At the residence of Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari in Daryaganj, Gandhi advised against launching a tax refusal campaign in Bengal and instead encouraged Congress workers to engage in village upliftment, spreading education, fighting untouchability, and promoting Hindu-Muslim unity.^[34][35]

Heeding Gandhi’s directive, Dam returned to Sylhet and worked in the rural areas of greater Sylhet, focusing on social reform and nation-building activities. He remained closely associated with the Congress party through the 1920s and 1930s, though he is known to have maintained a low public profile, avoiding publicity despite his involvement in key political developments.^[36]

In the early 1940s, Ananga Mohan Dam re-entered formal politics during the final phase of British rule. In 1943, while many nationalists were imprisoned during the Quit India Movement, the Indian National Congress decided to contest elections to the Central Legislative Assembly. Dam was elected from the Surma Valley and Hill Districts constituency (covering parts of present-day Assam and Sylhet) and served in Delhi under the ministerial leadership of Gopalaswami Ayyangar, advocating for the development of Assam and the Sylhet region. However, following the Partition of India, his seat in the Assembly was revoked.^[37][38]

As Partition negotiations intensified, controversy arose regarding Sylhet, which had been part of Assam since 1874. A significant portion of Assamese political leadership, along with segments of the Muslim League, opposed Sylhet’s continued association with Assam or India, citing cultural and demographic differences. Although Partition had initially been proposed only for Punjab and Bengal, Nehru, Lord Mountbatten, and Assamese political actors reportedly supported a plan for a referendum in Sylhet, effectively determining its future alignment.^[39][40]

Ananga Mohan Dam emerged as a vocal leader in the campaign to retain Sylhet within India, working closely with central and provincial leaders. He reportedly advised Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel that Sylhet should be placed under temporary central administration, given its strategic and cultural importance. According to accounts, Patel dismissed the idea, responding, “Sylhet being such a far-off place from Delhi, almost in the North-East Frontier, and you are saying that Sylhet should be kept under the Central administration? Dam, your idea is nonsense.” To this, Dam allegedly replied, “Sardarji, you shall have to revise your opinion.” [citation needed]

When the referendum was officially announced, the colonial government, with the consent of Indian leaders, excluded a large number of tea garden laborers—primarily Hindus of Sylheti origin—from the electoral rolls, classifying them as migrant laborers. This disenfranchisement disproportionately affected pro-India votes. Dam, along with a delegation of Sylhetis, traveled to Delhi to protest this move. However, their pleas were ignored by both Lord Mountbatten and Nehru. Patel reportedly sympathized with Dam’s position but indicated that the decision was no longer within his jurisdiction, and advised him to consult Gandhi. Gandhi, according to some accounts, remained silent and non-committal during their interaction.^[41][42]

Disillusioned by these events and by what he perceived as the betrayal of Sylhet, Ananga Mohan Dam returned to Sadhuhati, his ancestral home, a few days before 14 August 1947. Facing threats of arrest by the newly installed Muslim League administration in East Pakistan, he quietly left for Shillong, and from there proceeded to Kolkata. He reportedly departed with only a few personal belongings, having paid his final respects to the family deity before leaving Sylhet permanently.^[43][44][45]

After leaving Sylhet in August 1947, Ananga Mohan Dam initially took shelter in Calcutta, where he stayed at the residence of his younger brother on Lower Circular Road. In January 1948, he was joined by his eldest son and youngest daughter, who had arrived from Sadhuhati. The rest of the family, including his wife and three other daughters, joined him later that year. The family lived for several years in a rented flat on Jhautala Road in the Park Circus area of Calcutta.^[46][47]

In 1953, Dam and his family moved to a small house in Ashoknagar (Habra), constructed on a government-allocated refugee plot measuring 5.5 kathas. The land was granted by the West Bengal government under a 20-year repayment scheme for displaced persons from East Pakistan.

In 1965, Dam’s eldest son, Ashish Kanti Dam, obtained employment at the Kashipur Gun and Shell Factory. With financial stability, the family acquired a flat in a West Bengal government housing estate in Sodepur, North 24 Parganas district. Ananga Mohan Dam and his family relocated there in May 1965, and it remained his residence until his death.^[48][49]

Throughout his later life, Dam remained detached from public and political life. He is known to have avoided publicity and rarely spoke publicly about his past revolutionary activities. He lived a quiet life, deeply spiritual in disposition. Notably, he had received spiritual initiation (diksha) from Swami Saradananda (Sarat Maharaj), a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.^[50]

Ananga Mohan Dam passed away at the Sodepur housing estate on 6 January 1978, at 11:15 PM, at the age of 84 or 87, depending on differing accounts of his birth year. His wife, Kusumkumari Dam—originally from the Gupta family in Akhaura Upazila, Brahmanbaria District, Bangladesh—passed away on 14 January 1993.

Dam had four daughters and two sons. As of the early 2020s, his eldest son and youngest daughter were reported to be living, both in their eighties, in Sodepur and Ballygunge, respectively.^{[51][52][53][54]}

Ananga Mohan Dam is remembered as a lesser known yet influential figure in the Indian freedom movement, particularly in Bengal and Sylhet. His role in the Swadeshi movement, leadership during the Operation Professor Oaten protest, collaboration with Subhas Chandra Bose, and post-independence parliamentary work for Assam and Sylhet mark his diverse contributions to India's nationalist and democratic struggles.^{[55][56][57][58]}

In recognition of his contribution to the Indian freedom movement and his historical association with Presidency College, Calcutta, the college authorities formally revoked his expulsion nearly eight decades later. In a resolution adopted on 12 January 1996, the Governing Body of Presidency College rescinded the 1916 order that had expelled both Ananga Mohan Dam and Subhas Chandra Bose for their roles in the “Professor Oaten incident.”^[59]

The formal declaration was made during the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Birth Centenary Celebrations at the college on 22 January 1996. The then Principal, Dr. Amal Kumar Mukhopadhyay, acknowledged the error of the past decision and reinstated the memory of both students as “illustrious alumni” of the institution. In a letter addressed to Dam's family, the principal expressed that the college had not forgotten “this great patriot whom we are so proud of.”^[60][61]

Despite his significant involvement in pivotal events—ranging from the Non-cooperation movement to the Sylhet referendum—Dam consistently shunned publicity. Much of what is known about his life has been preserved through oral histories, letters, and recollections by his descendants, especially his eldest son, Ashish Kanti Dam, who provided extensive details in later years. Dam’s reluctance to seek recognition or publish his memoirs contributed to his relative obscurity in mainstream historical discourse.^{[62][63][64][65][66][67][68]}

One of the most poignant aspects of his legacy lies in his resistance to the Partition-era political decisions that led to Sylhet’s transfer to East Pakistan. His unsuccessful appeals to national leaders, includingVallabhbhai Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Mahatma Gandhi, reflect both the limitations of Congress leadership in addressing regional grievances and Dam’s unyielding commitment to Sylheti identity and Indian unity.^[69][70]

Notably, Swami Gambhirananda, the 11th President of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, was Dam’s maternal cousin. Born as Jatindranath Datta, Gambhirananda was raised in Dam’s household in Sadhuhati after his father’s early death.^[71] He later became one of the most erudite leaders of the Ramakrishna Order, known for his Sanskrit scholarship and translations of Advaita Vedanta texts. Their familial connection is an example of the intersection between spiritual and revolutionary currents in Bengal’s socio-political landscape of the early 20th century.^[72][73]

While no major public memorials to Ananga Mohan Dam currently exist, local historians and family members continue efforts to preserve his memory, particularly through unpublished writings, archival research, and oral testimony. On 10 December 2020, his birth anniversary was commemorated by admirers seeking to bring renewed attention to his role in India's freedom struggle.^[74][75]

• Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das
• Subhas Chandra Bose
• Presidency College Calcutta
• Mahatma Gandhi
• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

• Gordon, Leonard A. (1990), Brothers against the Raj: a biography of Indian nationalists Sarat and Subhas Chandra Bose, Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0-231-07442-1
• Hayes, Romain (2011), Subhas Chandra Bose in Nazi Germany: Politics, Intelligence and Propaganda 1941–1943, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-932739-3
• Hemendranath Dasgupta, Bharater Biplab Kahini, II & III, Calcutta, 1948;
• Ramesh Chandra Majumdar, History of the Freedom Movement in India, III, Calcutta 1963;
• Ganganarayan Chandra, Abismaraniya, Calcutta, 1966.
• Kolkata Tribune, Wednesday, June 25, 2025
• Utpal Aich's essay Life of Ananga Mohan Dam