"Life should be great rather than long," said Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar. This fits best to the brightest star of the Indian freedom movement. This article is a tribute to the one who had no ambiguity in mind and absolute clarity in action — a pure 24-carat gold character fit to rule the hearts of the youth of India: Bhagat Singh.
The Revolutionary Background
Indian history in the past few centuries has been a story of struggle against foreign invasions and rulers. In the 19th century, this struggle was against British occupation — a pan-India movement. It witnessed Hindu Revivalism, with most of the revolutionaries being deeply religious men. Contempt for foreign rule and western exploitation was a common principle that inspired them.
In Maharashtra, Bal Gangadhar Tilak provided ideas, organisation and leadership. In Bengal, Aurobindo Ghosh, Swami Vivekananda and Bankim Chandra provided a deep-rooted cultural basis to political movements. Seeds of revolution were sown by Hindu revivalism in the late 19th century, as also by various foreign struggles for independence — the American War of Independence, the Irish Independence struggle, Unification of Italy, and the Russian Revolution.
Birth and Early Life of Bhagat Singh
Bhagat Singh was born on 28th September 1907 at Chal no. 105 of Lyallpur Banga, now in Pakistan. His father Kishan Singh and uncles Ajit Singh and Swarn Singh were revolutionaries. Ajit Singh was founder of the Bharat Mata Society and a peasant organiser who was forced to leave India in 1909 and returned after 38 years, dying on 15th August 1947 at Dalhousie.
Unlike prominent leaders of those times, Bhagat Singh always harboured revolutionary ideas and believed that an armed struggle was the correct way by which real freedom could be achieved. A story goes that at just 4 years old he told a freedom fighter that he would sow rifles in the fields so that trees would yield weapons. At the tender age of 12 years he visited Jallianwala Bagh, realised the monstrosity of the British, and returned home carrying blood-soaked soil from the Bagh.
The Thinker, Writer and Organiser
Bhagat Singh was not only a frontline freedom fighter but also a social reformer who mobilised people against caste oppression. He was a philosopher, thinker, learner and avid reader. A look in his jail diary gives a glimpse into the variety of subjects he covered — origin of the state and types of governments, religion, liberty, poverty, hunger, morality, charity, capitalism, socialism, leadership, law, life and education.
He formed the Naujawan Bharat Sabha in 1926 with Bhagawati Charan Vohra and others, himself being Secretary at the age of just 19 years. He worked in newspaper 'Partap' owned by Ganesh Shankar Vidyarathi and wrote under the pseudonym 'Balwant'. His notable writings include: "To make the deaf hear," "Why I am an Atheist," "Message to Punjab Students Conference," and "No hanging, please shoot us."
Avenging Lala Lajpat Rai
In the chain of events that led to the full realisation of Bhagat Singh's revolutionary spirit, the martyrdom of Lala Lajpat Rai forms the most important link. Lala Ji, who was leading the demonstration against the Simon Commission in Lahore, was brutally lathi-charged on 3rd February 1928. He died later that year on 17th November 1928. Subsequently, on 17th December 1928, Saunders was killed to avenge Lala Lajpat Rai by Rajguru, Bhagat Singh and Chander Shekhar Azad — a huge boost to the psyche of the country.
The Assembly Bomb and Martyrdom
On 18th April 1929, the Central Legislative Assembly was bombed by Bhagat Singh and BK Dutt. They did not attempt to escape and raised slogans: "Long Live Revolution" and "Down with Imperialism." They were arrested and the infamous trial of the Assembly Bomb Case began on 7th May 1929.
Judgment of judicial hanging was pronounced on 7th October 1930 for Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev, which was executed on 23rd March 1931. Bhagat Singh was just 23 years old. The legend of Bhagat Singh transcends time — a young man who chose the gallows over compromise and lit a fire in the hearts of generations of Indians.