She was a child widow leading a humble existence on the margins of society, yet at the end of her life she felt the call to fight for Independence so strongly that she repeatedly challenged the authority of the British Raj and finally laid her life for the cause, facing the Bullets which pierced her heart.
She was born in a poor peasant family in a small village, Hogla, in Tamluk in the Midnapore district of West Bengal. She was Uneducated. To secure her future her father got her married off while she was a little child to Trilochan Hazra, a prosperous 62-year-old widower with a son. Subsequently she became a widow at the age of 18, returning to live with her father but later moved to a hut near her husband’s home. She lived a pious life, often helping others in distress. On 26 January 1932,a procession against British was taken out in her village, which was mostly attended by men. When they were passing her hut on their way, she came out and has joined it, vowing to fight for the country's freedom . She was then 62. It was a momentous decision to take at such an age, but she stood by it with total faith and fortitude.
In the same year, she has also
- joined the Salt Satyagraha, traveling on foot to attend various Congress meetings, interacting with many Congressmen and violently disagreeing with the authorities on several occasions.
- She managed to slip through a heavy police cordon & hoisted the national flag over the Tamluk court for which she got caught & severely beaten up.
- She gave up opium, which was prescribed to reduce the pain of gout, saying that she would better die for her country than from any drug or disease.
- Despite of her poor eyesight, she regularly spun and wore khadi.
- She got jailed more than once, but the police felt embarrassed to punish her for more than a few hours because of her gender and age
- In 1933 Sir John Anderson, the then Governor of Bengal, came to Tamluk to address a well-screened gathering, but Inspite of that tough Security, she managed to stage a black flag demonstration in front of the dais.
- She was sentenced to six months rigorous imprisonment(at that old age).
- In the Jail she met with many other political prisoners and learned more about the freedom movement.
- She then got attracted to Gandhi’s ideas & upon her release,she began to practice them truly by spirit. This earned her the nickname ‘Gandhi Buri’ or ‘Granny Gandhi’ in Midnapore.
- to allow her to head a procession for capturing the Tamluk court and police station, but her request was turned down because of her age
- Finally One day ,amid the chaos, the villagers were ordered to halt by bayonet-clutching British soldiers.
- Matangini then took the lead and directed the villagers not to falter or waver. Bullets soon followed and thus the brave woman, at the age of 72, died with the words ‘Bande Mataram’ on her lips while holding the Indian flag.
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