Bande Mataram

Bipin Chandra Pal was among the first to vigorously articulate the new philosophy of organized resistance to British rule. On the first anniversary of the "Swadeshi Movement" and "Boycott Movement" in 1906, Bipin Chandra Pal with a modest capital of Rs.500/- took the bold decision to launch an English Daily, "Bande Mataram" which was to create a special niche for itself in the history of our freedom movement. Bipin Chandra Pal invited Arbindo Ghoshe to join the Editorial team of "Bande Mataram". Arbindo Gosh readily accepted. "Bande Mataram" now could boast of a highly talented editorial team with Bipin Chandra Pal as Editor, Arbindo Gosh as Assistant Editor and Hemnendra Prasad Ghoshe, Shyam Sundar Chakravarthi and Bijoy Chatterjee as Assistants. Thus was started the unique political partnership of Bipin Chandra Pal and Arbindo Ghoshe. Arbindo Ghoshe was a powerful writer and master of the written word. He preferred to work behind the scenes. Bipin Chandra Pal on the other hand was a powerful orator and loved to be on stage amidst the people. Both these outstanding leaders understood and complemented each other.

In an article in "Bande Mataram" dated September 18, 1906, he wrote: "If we may not oppose physical force by physical force, we may yet make the administration in India absolutely impossible any day. Our ideal is freedom, which means absence of all foreign control. Our method is passive resistance which means an organized determination to refuse to render any voluntary and honorary service to the Government".

Writing in the same journal in the same vein in April 1907, Arbindo Ghoshe elaborated: "The struggle with the Government may take two forms violent and non-violent. Wresting our demands from the Government by use of force and causing harm or damage is violent resistance. Refraining from helping the Government in every way is passive resistance. To create a deadlock in the administration by passive resistance was the program of work of the extremists".