The book is a translation from Telugu of the Autobiography of Shri Darisi Chencheyya, a freedom fighter and founding member of the Gadar Party. It is considered to be one of the finest Autobiographies in Telugu.
Chencheyya was born in 1890 in Kanigiri village of Andhra Pradesh. His initial schooling was in the same village. The most powerful man in his village was the tehsildar, and the little Chencheyya aspired to study well and become one. He went to Ongole for high school study and he was the only one who passed the matriculation exam in the first attempt that year. He was attracted to the Swadeshi movement from that time itself due to his fellow student Shri. Nallamalli Varadarajam. After completing high school, he joined Pachayyappa’s College in Madras (now Chennai) for intermediate studies. As the subjects were not to his liking or interest, he did not complete it. He learned that it was possible to study in a college while engaged in a job in America. Even though he was poor, he aspired to foreign studies. He finally set sail with financial help and loans from philanthropists. He studied Agricultural Sciences at the University of Berkeley, California. But later shifted to the Agriculture College of Logan Town in Utah and graduated from there.
This proved to be a life-changing journey for Chencheyya. He was exposed to political freedom, technological advancement, and socio-political awareness enjoyed by the citizens of America. He came into contact with Lala Hardayal, Jitendra Nath Lahiri, Bhai Paramanand, and other Bengali and Punjabi Indians working for India’s independence from that country. He founded the Gadar party along with them and published the Gadar journal, which was circulated among Indians living all over the world. He trained and became proficient in terrorist and guerrilla warfare. And he stated, “There is no cowardice in my blood!”
During WWI, he was entrusted with the task of receiving a shipload of ammunition at Siam to be brought and used for an armed uprising in India. He was betrayed and arrested along with six others in Thailand during the course of this task. They were shifted to the Singapore military jail, where he underwent six months of solitary confinement and untold tortures at the hands of the British captors. Here, they were court-martialled, accused of betraying the country, and ordered to be shot. You must read his autobiography to know how he came out alive. After being transported to India, he was jailed in different jails and made a co-conspirator in the famous ‘Lahore Conspiracy Case Second Supplementary’ in which hundreds were sentenced to death and thousands were sent to prisons. He was released from prison after being a detenue for four and a half years.
After a short period of uncertainty, he devoted himself to social reformation movements, especially toward women's empowerment. (We are still talking about this!). He joined the Communist Party and worked for workers’ rights, better employment conditions, and salaries, organizing strikes for the same. He retired from active politics in 1948, at the age of 58, due to ill health. However, he continued serving society as per his capacity and strength.
His autobiography gives a realistic picture of the prevailing social, economic, and political scenario and his personal experiences during the freedom struggle. The youth of the present generation will be inspired to patriotism by his life story. The pages are filled with action. It has been written in a clear and straightforward style, straight from his heart, honestly, and in simple colloquial Telugu. Even though the present generation of readers may not be familiar with the leaders, people, and names of that period mentioned by Chencheyya, I am sure that each and every one of us can identify ourselves with his life experiences. A book that you cannot put down.