INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS
Indian Patriots Calendar 1923. Lahore: Mohila Press in Calcutta for Narain Dutt Sahgal & Sons, 1923.

Very rare calendar illustrating the split in the Indian National Congress in 1922-1923.

Rolled calendar poster (890 x 587 mm.) terminating in two wooden battens, central colour-printed vignette (235 x 333 mm.) captioned 'Struggles for Swaraj', depicting the Indian National Congress facing three paths: two are entitled 'Way of violence ending in bloodshed and confusion' and 'Way to Swaraj - non-violent and non-co-operation' and are blocked by the flooded 'Ditch representing jail', this separating the participants from the 'Goddess of Freedom' defended by a British field gun entitled 'Bureaucracy'; the third path, 'Way of co-operation and its goal', terminates at a neo-classical building 'Council Chamber' with four blind-folded Indian captioned 'reform Scheme and effect'; the whole surrounded by 133 monochrome portraits of prominent Indian nationalists, including Mahatama Gandhi, Motilal Nehru and Chittaranjan Das, the title, telegram address and price printed in red. (Splits in paper at junction with wooden battens, a number of large closed and repaired tears with tape on verso, a number of small holes with minor losses but only two portrait images affected, edges lightly chipped and frayed, left-hand margin with very small occasional stains.)

SCARCE. This calendar depicts all of the prominent figures in the Indian National Congress at one of its most important moments. The Swaraj Party was formed on 9 January 1923 by members of the Indian National Congress opposed to Mahatma Gandhi's suspension of all civil resistance on 5 February 1922 in response to the Chauri Chaura tragedy, in which 3 civilians and 22 or 23 policemen were killed.

Chittaranjan Das, Narasimha Chintaman Kelkar and Motilal Nehru formed the Swaraj Party on the basis that the Non-Cooperation Movement should continue its work. Das became president of the party and Nehru one of the secretaries. Other prominent leaders included Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy and Subhas Chandra Bose of Bengal, Vithalbhai Patel and other Congress leaders who were becoming dissatisfied with the Congress.

Gandhi's supporters became known as the 'No Changers', and the two sides took very different approaches to the political struggle. The British had created provincial and central legislative councils to offer limited political participation for Indians. Gandhi, along with most of the Congress party rejected these, arguing that the councils were effectively rigged to be pro-British. However, the Swarajists decided to stand for election to these councils, with Vithalbhai Patel becoming the president of the Central Legislative Assembly, arguing that political change could be created from within. In the event, the Swarajists were unable to exercise much political power, and their aim of obstructing British rule using provincial and central legislative councils ultimately failed.

Although a deep political divide separated the Swarajists and the No-Changers, both groups were determined to avoid the disastrous experience of the 1907 split at Surat. Both groups therefore decided to remain in the Congress but to work separately.

Sold with another similar, National Calendar (Regd.) 1923. Lahore: Art Press in Calcutta for Lajpat Rai Prithviraj Sahnee Booksellers and Publishers, 1923.