Bandi Jivan (A life of Captivity) is the autobiographical three part account written by Sachindranath Sanyal. Born in Varanasi in 1893, Sachindranath was instrumental in establishing the Hindustan Republican Army and led the armed revolt against the British hegemony for which he had to suffer imprisonment almost half of his life.
Written in 1922, Bandi Jivan largely deals with the revolutionary activities of Sachindra Nath over the course of his political career, as well as spells in prison. He was first sentenced to life imprisonment for the first time in 1915 for attempting to gather support for the underground revolutionary activities in Bengal. This sentence ended in 1920 on the ground of general amnesty. He was also instrumental in setting up the Anushilan Samiti in Varanasi. He was also one of the co-founders of the Hindustan Republican Army. He was sentenced to the second life term imprisonment for his role in the Kakori train robbery incident. The intention behind writing Bandi Jivan was to make readers aware about the groundwork done by the revolutionaries for the freedom struggle in the wake of the First World War. The book celebrates the militant struggle for Indian independence, and provides a sensitive account of the notable contributions of various patriots.
Bandi Jivan continued to inspire people with revolutionary zeal and its translation into Hindi was received by people with jubilation. It served as the “textbook” for anti-imperialist revolutionaries upon its publication, and continues to inspire us even today.
Source: Indian Culture Portal