Sharma : And police during this time was sympathetic?
Chavan : In earlier period they were sympathe But after this firing, the administration became more tough though they also get little frightened. I felt at times that some of them knew where we were but they remained inactive. But after this firing, repression came into for a little more. They started attacking the properties of the people who were underground, they issued notificator prizes were announced on the heads of the leading people One thousand rupees was the prize on my head. This starts after September 1942 and from October onwards the things became rather tough. A large number of people were arrested. In december and January they become terribly tough. In december, they arrested my brother Ganpatrao as I was in touch with him, although he was not directly involved in the movement.
Sharma : To pressurise him
Chavan : To pressurise him and pressurise me.
In January, they arrested my wife, Venutai. I had married in June 1942 and the movement started in August. So she was a new member in my family and was quite unused to this sort of thing. She was from a well-to-do family and had nothing to do which these patriotic movements, etc. She was arrested a day before Sankranti. Sankranti is considered to be very important for newly-married Bahus. My mother and my eldest brother were there. so my mother took it rather very badly. She was not prepared to allow her to go with the police. But them some people came and persuaded her not to do that. Otherwise, she was in a mood to resist the police.
Sharma : When did your mother pass away?
Chavan : She passed away during Indo-Pakistan conflict in 1965. She died in Bombay. She saw me become Chief Minister and Defence Minister.