In 1930, schoolmaster Surya Sen, affectionately known as Master-da, leads sixty-five boys to capture the armoury of Chittagong in erstwhile East Bengal and frees the town for three days. They hope to go down fighting, die a glorious death and set an example for the rest of the country. But destiny has a different plan for them, and the raid is followed by a four-year-long insurgency. Surya Sen is eventually caught and hanged–even though the British admit they have no incriminating evidence against him.

Chittagong: Summer of 1930, Part 1 brings to life the famous Chittagong Armoury Raid, led by Bengali revolutionary Surya Sen, through the memories of his young disciples and the British officers who were his contemporaries. Manoshi Bhattacharya draws upon historical records, government documents and personal reminiscences, tracing the life of the Bengalis and the British during the period. She creates a vivid picture of the armed revolution from 1900 to 1934, and brings to light one of the lesser- known yet vital episodes of India’s struggle for independence.