Remembering the Contributions of an Unsung Hero – Freedom Fighter Helen Lepcha

In the Darjeeling hills, Terai and Dooars, and the rest of North East India, women have always played a central role in shaping the social, economic, cultural and political life. From working in the tea gardens to provide for their families, to taking up the mantle of leading many a revolution, women have always led from the front. Among the very many women who actively participated in India’s Freedom movement, but are lesser known, one name stands out – Helen Lepcha.

The Rise of a Revolutionary

She was born on January 14, 1902, in a small village of Sangmu near Namchi in South Sikkim, but her family moved to Kurseong in Darjeeling in search of better economic opportunities and settled there. Due to economic hardships, in 1916, she had to quit school at a young age of 14, and that is when her life took a dramatic shift. Back then, Mahatma Gandhi had started to popularise the Charkha movement as a protest against British imperialism, and was actively encouraging homespun yarns in place of imported fabrics from England.

The Charkha movement had reached Darjeeling, which, back then, was a popular hub among Freedom Fighters. The likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Desbandhu Chittaranjan Das, and Netaji Subash Chandra Bose were regular visitors to the serene hills of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong. In 1918, with the help of Ishwar Chandra Vidhyasagar’s granddaughter, she learned to weave with the Charkha. She was a gifted weaver and even represented Calcutta at the Khadi and Charkha Exhibition held in Muzaffarpur in Bihar.

Her dedication to the “swadeshi” cause caught the attention of Mahatma Gandhi, who praised her efforts at serving selflessly to the Bihar’s flood and famine victims in 1920, and invited her to Sabarmati Ashram. There, Mahatma Gandhi renamed her “Sabitri Devi”, as he felt that her name should fit the freedom movement’s spirit. Following her stay in Sabarmati, she was transformed from a follower to a leader. She joined the Indian National Congress and was given the additional task of leading Labour Union activities, first in Patna and then in the coalfields across Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, including Muzzafarpur and Dhanbad (which is now in Jharkhand).

Leading from the Frontlines

In 1921, when the Non-cooperation Movement was at its peak, she led thousands of labourers from Jharia (now in Jharkhand) to a rally in Calcutta, standing shoulder to shoulder with prominent freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi, Desbandhu Chitaranjan Das, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and many others. This established her as a mass leader, and she was rewarded with additional duties and responsibilities in the Freedom Movement. 

By the mid-1920s, she returned to the hills, having established herself as a leader of national repute. Alongside Dal Bahadur Giri, who is also popularly known as the “Gandhi of the Hills,” she conducted door-to-door campaigns, organised mass boycott of British-made goods, and mobilised the Gorkha community in Kurseong, Darjeeling, and Siliguri region against British rule. The British arrested her, but this only cemented her place as a popular leader in our region, with people knowing her locally as “Helen Didi”.

Netaji’s Escape

Between 1939 and 1940, for seven months, Netaji Subash Chandra Bose was interned and kept under house arrest in Giddha Pahar, Kurseong. It was at this time, Helen Lepcha came in touch with Netaji and played a pivotal role in carrying his messages to the revolutionaries across India. Historical accounts suggest that she was instrumental in Netaji’s “great escape” from house arrest later in 1941, through Gomoh in Bihar (which is in Jharkhand today).   

Life After Independence

Despite British hardships, Helen Lepcha continued to be actively involved in the Freedom Movement, including the Quit India Movement, and beyond. She remained active in public service post-Independence and rose to become the first female commissioner of the Kurseong Municipality. 

On August 15, 1972, the Government of India honoured her with a “Tamra Patra” recognising her brave and valiant efforts towards India’s freedom movement. On August 18th 1980, she passed away, but her legacy continues to inspire us. 

The Broader Gorkha Contribution

Helen Lepcha’s story is part of a larger, often overlooked legacy of the Gorkha community’s contribution to India’s freedom movement. Great Freedom Fighters like Dal Bahadur Giri of Darjeeling, Jangbir Sapkota of Kalimpong, Pushpa Kumar Ghising of Kurseong, Krishna Bahadur Mukhia of Mirik, Subedar Niranjan Chettri of Manipur, Major Durga Malla of Uttarakhand, Capt. Ram Singh Thakuri of Himachal, Dalbir Singh Lohar of Assam, Gaga Tshering Dukpa of Sukhia Pokhari, Dambar Gurung and Ari Bahadur Gurung of Kalimpong and thousands of others who embody the Gorkha spirit of loyalty, courage and sacrifice, their stories remain to be told.

(Raju Bista is the Member of Parliament from Darjeeling and National Spokesperson, BJP)