Hitesh Bhanushali...

"The martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev is not just a celebration of the patriotic spirit but a vindication of our age-old nationalism. “Apni Azaadi ko ham hargiz bhula sakte nahi; Sar kata sakte hai lekin sar jhuka sakte nahi” (We can never forget our freedom, can be beheaded but shall never bow down).

Shaheed Bhagat Singh was born on September 27, 1907 in a farmer’s family in Punjab. The Jallianwalah Bagh massacre left an indelible mark on his mind and ignited in him the fire of a revolutionary.

Bhagat Singh was at the forefront of the Naujawan Bharat Sabha or the Young India Society which was formed in 1926 and their famous slogan, “Inquilab Zindabad” was a verbal assault on the British rule.

That the revolutionary zeal was deeply entrenched in his mind is evident by his participation in the Kakori train robbery, the assassination of British police official J P Saunders (to avenge the fatal lathi-charge on Lala Lajpat Rai) and the Lahore legislative assembly bombing incident which gave a solid boost to the patriotic fervour in India.

Young Bhagat Singh along with other revolutionaries initially joined Gandhi’s Non-Cooperation Movement that was the first such freedom movement but when Gandhi halted the movement due to the Chauri-Chaura incident, the nation witnessed the regrouping of revolutionaries across the country and Bhagat Singh was one of them.

The British were going to pass the Defense of India Act in the Central Legislative Assembly that was defeated by the Council but an ordinance was to be passed empowering the police to arrest “suspicious” people involved in (anti-British) demonstrations. This was a deadly attack on the spirit of liberty.

The bombing was thus planned and saw the direct involvement of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru. That this was not a violent act is apparent from the fact that no one was injured in the bombing as the bomb was not physically powerful. But the strength of the bomb was depicted in the leaflets thrown at the assembly, “It takes a loud voice to make the deaf hear, with these immortal words uttered on a similar occasion by Valiant, a French anarchist martyr, do we strongly justify this action of ours." The bullet had been fired, the revolution inflamed.

In his own words, Bhagat Singh, who was one of the most important members of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association, said with the aim of generating a patriotic furore in the enslaved country, “The people generally get accustomed to the established order of things and begin to tremble at the very idea of a change. It is this lethargic spirit that needs be replaced by the revolutionary spirit.”

The three heroes were hanged to death on March 23, 1931. But what the British failed to kill was the spirit of pride and self-respect, which was imbibed to the core in these young hearts.

During his lifetime and as a part of the zealous revolutionary movement, Bhagat Singh asserted that gaining political independence though crucial was not enough. What was equally vital was to free the country of dreaded social evils. He aptly asked what difference it would make to a worker or peasant if Lord Reading was replaced by Sir Purshotamdas Thakordas or if Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru replaced Lord Irwin! The country needs to learn from his sacrifice. His life was not in vain. It is now upto us to assure our country that his death too was not in vain. "

By: Ritam Banati

PLEASE GATHER FOR THINK, FIGHT & LIVE FOR INDIA... ARE YOU READY..?