Amar Shaheed Hemu Kalani [امر شهيد هيمون ڪالاڻي] was born at Sukkur in Sindh (now in Pakistan) on 23rd March 1923. He was the son of Pesumal Kalani and Jethi Bai. He took active part in the SWARAJ SENA [سوراج سينا] to fight against British Raj and gave his life for the self rule [سوراج].
In the teen age he became socialist and had studied about Bolshevic revolution. He also became attracted to Marxist ideology. He was drawn to revolutionary activities and started participating in activities of freedom fighting struggle with the aim to get rid of the British Raj.
He was involved in activities against the British Raj. He found that the special British troops and their supplies would be passing through his town and decided to derail it by removing the fishplates from the railway track. He and his comrades were seen by the British authrities before being able to complete the task. He was caught, imprisoned and tortured in an attempt to get him to reveal the names of his comrades. He refused to give any information, was put on trial and sentenced to death. His mother petitioned the Viceroy for mercy but the condition of granting it was that the authorities must be told the identity of his comrades. He again refused to pass on the information and he was hanged on 21 January 1943.
He was a freedom fighter revolutionary hero and Martyer of Sindh, whom we have forgotten, though he deserves enough to be paid tribute. The year 1942 was an era of socio-political upheaval, Quit India Movement was in the torrents, therefore he joined Mahatma Gandhi’s Quit India movement when it was started in 1942.
Sindhi revolutionary poet Shaikh Ayaz had written his immortal opera in the background of freedom fighters and Bhagat Singh remained the most inspiring man for Ayaz.
The Sindhi nationalists and especially the activists of Jeay Sindh used to remember him as revolutionary hero of Sindh otherwise common people of Sindh for whom he had given sacrifice do not know much about him, they just have heard his name; no concrete material is available on this hero of Sindh.
People of Sindh urge minister of tourism and culture to make his memorial, preserve his home and inscribe a road. Invite his brother Tekchand Kalani, who is still alive and a building material supplier and lives in Chambur, Mumbai, India, to visit Sindh to inaugurate that road and memorial on his name because his brother tekchand’s last wish is to see Sindh before his death.
People of Sindh also request to his brother that he should also write his memories on Amar Shaheed Hemu Kalani and get his memories published not only in book form but on the internet also.
Courtesy: Sindhi e-list/ e-groups.