By Dr Atul Sharma
The story dates back to the 1942 phase of the freedom struggle, when the husband of Rama Sharma was actively involved in the Quit India Movement. During this mass movement, he hoisted the Tricolour at the Delhi Central Secretariat, for which he was awarded two years rigorous imprisonment. He was known as Shri Ram Sharma ‘Prem’, a prominent freedom fighter from Dehradun and a leading poet of the national stream, whose contribution finds mention in several publications of the Information and Public Relations Department.
Rama Sharma herself remained deeply associated with women’s movements and social service. Her contributions have been recorded in a book by historian Yogesh Dhasmana. According to a radio feature broadcast by All India Radio (AIR) Dehradun, her daughter Rekha Sharma stated that at that time her mother was in Meerut, holding an infant daughter in her lap, when her husband, poet Prem, was imprisoned. This episode was also documented by poet Ranjana Sharma.
While the freedom fighter husband remained in prison, the family endured continuous hardships and suffering. Rama Sharma faced repeated questioning by the CID regarding her husband, yet she neither feared nor wavered. She continued to participate in Prabhat Pheris and remained engaged in public awakening activities. Financial constraints were severe, but she did not abandon the path of struggle. Satyagrahis would visit to enquire about her well-being and one woman in particular frequently came to support and encourage her. This woman later went on to become the first woman Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Sucheta Kriplani.
Rama Sharma, affectionately known as ‘Amma Ji’, came to Dehradun in the 1940s and remained active throughout her life. She lived in areas such as Kanwali Road, Laxman Chowk, Subhash Road, MKP College and Staff College. She passed away on 26 April, 2010.
An unforgettable scene was witnessed during her final journey, when a large number of young people walked along singing the patriotic songs that she had sung during the freedom struggle. She continued to share these songs with the younger generation throughout her life, even while living with a pacemaker fitted in her heart. One such song was, “Khidmate mulk mein jo mar jayenge, naam zindon mein apna likha jayenge.”
She also remained active in the Chipko Movement, worked during the Emergency period, and also participated in the Uttarakhand movement. Doordarshan Dehradun had recorded her interview, conducted by Sushil Upadhyay. She also served as Vice-President of the Freedom Fighters’ Descendants Organisation, and was also a member of the Arya Samaj executive and the Mahila Ashram.
She was honoured with the ‘Mahila Shakti Samman’ by Amar Ujala, which was presented by then Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’. Not only this, she also received recognition on several platforms, including an honour by Lal Krishna Advani at Parade Ground, where she was presented a copy of the Bhagavad Gita. She was also honoured by institutions such as Mahadevi Degree College.
Chief Minister Nityanand Swami and Ranjit Singh Verma used to address her affectionately as ‘Behenji’. She shared close personal ties with many well-known people. Sushila Sahay, the adopted sister of Shri Ram Sharma ‘Prem’, would send her handmade rakhis. Sushila Sahay later served as Minister of State for Home in Bihar before retiring from politics.
Signficantly, in her memory, her family confers the ‘Samaj Sevika Rama Sharma Smriti Samman’ every year upon a distinguished person. Many young achievers and dignitaries as well as associates were inspired by her, including Vivek Khanduri, Ravindra Jugran, Vijay Arya, Pawan Rawat, Pankaj Panwar, Satish Dhaulakhandi, Sushil Yadav, Uday Shankar Bhatt, Ramesh Dobariyal, Jaideep Saklani, Akhilesh Uniyal, Suraj Kamal Seth, Jitendra Anthwal, Kunwar Prasun Pratap, Shikhar, Poonam, Jai Singh Rawat and others. Dr Surendra Kaushik, Dr Parmar and Dr Anil Kumar Sharma were also closely associated, with the latter getting rakhi tied by her.
Numerous articles have been written about her life, and a book titled “Amma Ji”, edited by me (Dr Atul Sharma), has been published. Even at the age of 85, she had remained active in public life. Roshan Dhasmana of Akhil Garhwal Sabha, in an article, remarked that without Amma Ji, the chair in theatrical gatherings would always remain vacant.
She was well-versed in folk songs and had an exceptional memory of traditional sayings. Her life remained dedicated to social service, patriotism and the preservation of folk culture. She continues to be remembered with deep respect and reverence by her admirers and the family.
(Dr Atul Sharma is a renowned Hindi poet based in Dehradun and is popularly called ‘Jan Kavi’. He is Rama Sharma’s son and has been a leading voice of Uttarakhand agitationists through his poetry).
