Special article on Birthday
Dr. Ramjilal, Social Scientist, Former Principal, Dyal Singh College, Karnal (Haryana)
Email—drramjilal1947@gmail .com
(Samaj Weekly)- The name of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh is written in golden letters in the history of the Indian independence movement. Every Indian was, is , and will always be proud of him. He was a serious scholar, original thinker, philosopher, visionary, revolutionary, man of the age, logical realist, social scientist, and a patriot of the highest order, as well as a supporter of internationalism and humanity. Were lovers. In his thinking, the values of renunciation, sacrifice, determination, secularism like Jawaharlal Nehru, disbelief in God, etc. have an important place. He was a supporter of Hindu-Muslim unity and against communalism, and like Dr. BR Ambekar, he was a supporter of the abolition of untouchability and casteism. In his thinking, a series of descriptions are found regarding farmers and laborers. Like Karl Marx, Engel, and Lenin, his basic objective was to completely eradicate capitalism – foreign or Indian – in India and establish a system and socialist government that would be under the control of farmers and laborers so that they could get freedom from exploitation.
But most scholars, researchers, and the general public do not know that a few days before his arrest and hanging in the Lahore conspiracy case (1929-23 March 1931), Bhagat Singh had abandoned his personal heroism, anarchism, terrorism, and middle-class adventurism. He had done this and influenced by the thinking of Karl Marx, Engels, and Lenin, he became a leader in the ranks of socialist revolutionary thinkers.
Bhagat Singh was born on 28 September 1907 and his martyrdom day is 23 March 1931. On 23 March 1931, Bhagat Singh’s age was 23 years, 5 months, 27 days. In this short life, Bhagat Singh remained in jail for 716 days and went on a continuous hunger strike for 64 days. The study done by Bhagat Singh while in jail is depicted on the basis of the jail diary written by him and the letters written by him from jail, it can be said that Bhagat Singh was a serious scholar, original thinker, philosopher, economist, visionary, prudent, He was a rationalist, a realist, a rationalist, and a social scientist. There was no difference between the words and actions of Bhagat Singh. If on one hand, Bhagat Singh was a lover of beauty, a lover of art, humanity lover, music, and film, on the other hand, he was a socialist revolutionary philosopher who had a great influence on the people of India and the world. Proud because such people are rarely born. In fact, Bhagat Singh keeps shining in the sky like a ‘pole star’ or a ‘meteoroid’. Bhagat Singh is the ‘Hriday Samrat’ of the youth and the ‘Raj Kumar of martyrs’. Before examining many questions and concepts regarding Bhagat Singh’s thinking, it is very important to briefly sketch the life of Bhagat Singh.
Brief biography and charismatic personality of Bhagat Singh
Bhagat Singh (born 28 September 1907 – martyred 23 March 1931) was born on 28 September 1907 at 9:00 am. His father’s name was Sardar Kishan Singh (1878-1951) and his other’s (Punjab mother) name was Vidyawati Kaur. He died on 1 June 1975. The birthplace of Bhagat Singh is Chak No. 105, Village Banga Tehsil Jenrawala, District Lyallpur (now Faisalabad – Pakistan). If historical links are connected then Bhagat Singh’s birthday should be 19 October 1907. This is supported by Bhagat Singh’s friend Jitendra Sanyal, revolutionary writer Manman Nath Gupta, Bhagat Singh’s niece Virendra Sindhu, historian Chaman Lal, etc. According to Bhagat Singh, Bhagat Singh was born on 19 October 1907 at 9:00 am. But generally, the belief that his birthday is 28 September 1907 is prevalent.
Bhagowala to Bhagat Singh
At the time of Bhagat Singh’s birth, news reached Banga that S. Ajit Singh was returning home after being released from jail. On the same day, other news also reached that S. Kishan Singh had also come to Lahore from Nepal and S. Swarn Singh had reached home before the birth of Bhagat Singh after being released from jail. There was double happiness in the family. Kishan Singh, S. There was an atmosphere of happiness in the house due to the release of Ajit Singh and S.Swaran Singh from jail as well as the birth of a son. When Bhagat Singh’s grandmother Jai Kaur saw her grandson’s face, she considered the newborn baby as Bhagowala (fortunate). And later the name was kept Bhagat Singh. It was very difficult to predict at the time of Bhagat Singh’s birth. This child will leave a deep impression on Indian society, politics, and future movements in the coming time or in the future, and due to his valuable revolutionary socialist ideas, he will be a role model for the coming generations. Will be like ‘Margdarshak’ and ‘Light House’ and will also leave an unprecedented legacy of his multi-dimensional personality.
After receiving primary education from Banga and matriculation from DAV High School, Lahore, Bhagat Singh was admitted to the National College, Lahore to get higher education. At that time Lahore was the best center of political activities in North-Western India. Bhagat Singh passed the F.A. examination and B.A. While doing this, I left my studies and jumped into it forever.
Bhagat Singh’s family was a political and revolutionary family. As a result, the impact of family circumstances is essential from the mother’s womb till childhood. Bhagat Singh’s grandfather Sardar Arjun Singh was a political person and he continuously participated in the activities of the Congress Party. Bhagat Singh’s father S. Kishan Singh, uncle. All three, Ajit Singh and Swaran Singh, took an active part in revolutionary and political activities. Under the leadership of Uncle S. Ajit Singh, the farmers’ movement (Pagri Sambhal Jatta Movement-(1906-1907)) was carried out from the Afghanistan border to the Delhi border. It was the first major movement of farmers on the borders of Delhi. The main issues in this movement were – three agricultural Laws – The new Colony Act under which farmers’ land could be confiscated, by Lala Banke Dayal in a huge public meeting in Lyallpur in March 1907 against the increased revenue and the increased rate of water of Bari Do-Aab canal. The poem ‘Pagdi Sambhal Jatta’ was read. The poignant and painful life of the farmers has been described in this poem. The poem ‘Pagdi Sambhal Jatta’ is famous to date as a folk poem. That is why the farmers’ movement (1906-1907) is called ‘Pagdi Sambhal Jatta’. Also called by the name of Jatta movement
In a huge public meeting in Rawalpindi, The powerful speech given by Ajit Singh was considered by the British government as a speech of ‘rebellion and treason’ , and a case was registered against him under Section 124A. The British government feared that the sons of farmers of Punjab who were in the police and military might revolt. Therefore the British imperialist government had to withdraw all three agricultural laws. This was the biggest victory of the farmers, just as due to the unprecedented and incomparable national farmers’ movement of 2000 and 2021, all three agricultural laws had to be taken up by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is also considered an unprecedented victory for the farmers.
Because of Rawalpindi’s speech (11 April 1907) and leading the farmers’ movement, S. Ajit Singh and Lala Lajpat Rai were expelled to Mandalay Jail (Burma – now Myanmar) for 6 months as punishment under Regulation 3 of 1818 and on 11 November 1907, both these leaders were released from jail.
At the time of this movement, on 11 April 1907, Bhagat Singh’s uncle S. The speech was given by Ajit Singh in a huge public meeting in Rawalpindi. Due to his speech in Rawalpindi (11 April 1907) and leading the farmers’ movement, S. On the basis of this, Ajit Singh and Lala Lajpat Rai were booked for treason under Section 124A of the Act. Under Regulation 3 of 1818, they were expelled to Mandalay Jail (Burma – now Myanmar) for 6 months as punishment. However, due to fear of rebellion among the sons of farmers in the army and police, the British imperialist government had to withdraw all three agricultural laws in May 1907. On 11 November 1907, Sardar Ajit Singh and Lala Lajpat Rai were released.
After this, Ajit Singh went abroad in 1909 to fight for the independence of the country and returned to India on 15 August 1947 and died on the same day in Dalhousie. Bhagat Singh’s second uncle S. Swaran Singh passed away in 1910 at the age of 23 due to visits given by the imperialist government in jail. Due widowhood of his aunt (Uncle S. Swaran Singh’s wife) and the monogamous life of Harnam Kaur (wife of Ajit Singh) have also influenced Bhagat Singh’s decision not to marry. Hence, due to all these circumstances, Bhagat Singh’s romance- The feeling of patriotism, love for the spirit of freedom, sacrifice, and renunciation started in the lap of Mataji Smt. Vidya Devi Kaur in the veins of the lungs and blood vessels.
The influence of his family members on Bhagat Singh’s thinking was not limited only to political and revolutionary activities, but the customs and traditions of Arya Samaj and Sikhism prevalent in Bhagat Singh’s family also had an influence. Bhagat Singh’s grandfather Sardar Arjun Singh, despite being a Sikh, was influenced by Arya Samaj. Arya Samaj and Sikhism have many principles in common such as belief in monotheism, denial and opposition to idol worship, caste system, and opposition to high and low. Arya Due to the influence of Arya samaj, Bhagat Singh learned to chant Gayatri Mantra and also grew a beard and hair due to the influence of Sikhism. However, after reaching college, due to the influence of Marxist literature and participation in revolutionary activities, he abandoned the symbols of Sikhism at the age of 19 to hide his identity and became a ‘proclaimed atheist’ by the end of 1922.
The First World War and the impact of the sponsored and conspiratorial massacre of Jallianwala Bagh.
During the First World War (1914-1918), the British government had said that this war was being fought for democracy. Indians hoped that after the end of the war, they would get cleanliness. This is the reason why Indians fought in the war. Supported the British government with body, mind, and money. As a result, there were 11,00,000 Indians in the army. During the World War, approximately 74,000 Indians across India sacrificed their lives in this war. During the war, forced recruitment and forced donations were collected. Not only this, there was anger among the public due to starvation, unemployment, inflation, and administrative atrocities. After the war ended, the British government passed the Rowlatt Act to ban revolutionary activities and movements. This Act was opposed all over India because the person arrested under it was not required to provide a lawyer. There was no right to plea and appeal.
In protest against the arrest of popular leaders like Saifuddin Kitchlew and Satpal in Punjab as a result of opposing the Rowlatt Act, on the day of Baisakhi on 13 April 1919, about 20,000 to 30,000 people gathered at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, which is the best and revered place of Sikhism. Gathered there near the temple (Golden Temple). The festival of Baisakhi is celebrated with great pomp in North India. These black laws were being protested peacefully. However due to the well-planned policy of the Punjab Government, based on the policy, a contingent of 90 soldiers under the leadership of Brigadier General Renault Edward Dyer went to Jallianwala Bagh and without warning at 5.15 pm Gave orders to fire. The military contingent continued firing about 1650 bullets until it was finished. According to Amritsar Civil Surgeon Smith, in about 10 to 15 minutes, 18,00 people were killed. Among those who died were 41 boys and a 6-week-old girl. About 200 dead bodies were taken out from the well of Jallianwala Bagh. Jallianwala Bagh planned massacre: After 1857, Jallianwala planned massacre is the first biggest example of inhumanity. After this massacre, the anger among the Indian people reached its peak and countless youth like Bhagat Singh and Udham Singh started moving towards revolutionary activities.
One and a half years after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the non-cooperation movement was launched by the Congress Party under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. Later, Mahatma Gandhi promised that Swaraj would be achieved in one year. However, after the Chaura-Chauri massacre and violent incidents, Mahatma Gandhi withdrew the movement on 5 February 1922. This movement lasted for one year and two months but the movement was without achievement. Withdrawal was at a time when it was at its peak. The leaders of the Congress Party – Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Subhash Chandra Bose. criticized this decision. On the other hand, the youth – Bhagat Singh, and his comrades had faith in Mahatma Gandhi and the Congress Party. Got up forever and Bhagat Singh moved forward on the path of revolutionary activity.
The Nankana Massacre (Shak Nankana Sahib) of 20 February 1921 has an important place in Sikh history. Nankana Sahib (now Pakistan) is the birthplace of Guru Nanak Devji. A Gurudwara is established here. The management of religious places was under the British government and on the basis of a management committee, those persons were appointed who should be loyal to the British government. Used to help in every way. Must be loyal to the British government. On the basis of the management committee of religious places, those persons were appointed who helped the British government in every way. To become a manager, it was not mandatory to belong to the same religion as the religious place of which he was being made manager. The only condition was that he should be loyal to the British Government. The British government used it for its personal interests. A reform movement was launched for the management of Gurdwaras by the Shiromani Committee because at that time Gurdwara Nankana Sahib was under the control of the hereditary traditional manager Narayan Das and he had the full support of the British government. Shiromani Committee organized a peace march to take over the management of the Gurdwara. But the peaceful protesters were attacked by a coalition of Narayan Das, government officials, and Pashtun mercenaries. Officially, 86 Sikhs were martyred in this conflict. But unofficial records According to this, the number of martyrs is believed to be 100 to 200. When the government saw the seriousness of the movement, it handed over the keys of Nankana Sahib to the Shiromani Committee. The British government announced that if anyone offered hospitality to the agitators (group), he would have to face consequences.
Under the leadership of 14-year-old Bhagat Singh, the villagers welcomed and felicitated the agitators passing through their village on the way to Nankana Sahib and served food to the volunteers from the langar kitchen. This was the first opportunity of Bhagat Singh’s leadership
Maharaja Ripu Daman Singh of Nabha was sympathetic to the nationalists because he was a supporter of nationalist ideology. The Akali movement was launched for the restoration of Maharaja Ripudaman Singh. Bhagat Singh also participated in this movement. At that time he was 16 years old.
Bhagat Singh’s thinking is influenced by many revolutionaries, anarchists, atheists, and scholars of India and the world. Indian revolutionaries Sachindranath Sanyal, and Kazi Nazrul Islam of Kanpur changed Bhagat Singh’s thinking from romantic idealistic revolutionary to realistic revolutionary and communist. The rebel, Kirti Kisan Party leader Sohan Singh Josh, was an influence on the father of communism, Karl Marx’s book The Capital, a biography of Lenin.
Apart from this, due to his thinking and the influence of anarchist scholars – Bakunin’s book God and State, Nirlamb Swami’s book Sahaj Gyan, etc., Bhagat Singh not only became a revolutionary but also an atheist. His thinking was also influenced by the revolutionary movements of Ireland, France, Italy, and Russia (the former Soviet Union).
Impact of Indian and foreign revolutionaries Apart from these, as far as Indian revolutionaries are concerned, 20-year-old students of Gadar Party, Kartar Singh, Kartar Singh Sarabha, and Bhai Pyara Singh were also hanged by the British Government, which had an unprecedented and deep impact on their minds. But the biographies of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, Shivaji, Kamal Pasha, Garibaldi, Raza Khan, George Washington, Lenin, Lafayette, and Cavour also influenced him a lot. The autobiography of French anarchist Vella also had an impact on Bhagat Singh’s thinking because Vella had also thrown a bomb in the French Assembly. It appears from the speech given by Bhagat Singh and BK Dutt on 8 June 1929 in the Assembly bomb incident.
Bhagat Singh’s interest in communist thinking is also evident from the fact that his lawyer Prannath Mehta had presented him with a book named ‘Lenin’s Biography’. On March 23, 1931, when police personnel came to take him to the gallows, Bhagat Singh was studying this book related to the life of the great revolutionary Lenin. On being called by the police personnel, Bhagat Singh said, “One revolutionary is meeting another revolutionary”. Hence, it is clear that for the agitators and revolutionary youth of India, especially Bhagat Singh, “Lenin was a new inspiration and ideal personality”.
The Public Safety Bill was introduced in the Central Assembly (Now old Parliament) by the Central Government. According to this bill, the Government could arrest any person without any reason. This was a conspiracy to control the nationalist agitational activities. When the debate on this bill was going on on 8 April 1929, Bhagat Singh and his colleague BK Dutt threw bombs and pamphlets in the assembly and raised the slogan that a blast was necessary to open the ears of the innocent. In reality, Bhagat Singh and BK Dutt had no intention of killing anyone. If it had happened, all the leaders sitting in the assembly would have been killed. This incident was a terrible challenge for the British imperial government because going to the assembly and carrying out a blast was not an easy task. Was. Both the revolutionaries stood their ground and gave automatic arrest to the police. On 7 May 1929, the trial was conducted in the court of Magistrate BP Pool. The prosecution lawyer accused the revolutionaries that this was a declaration of “war” against the British government. District Magistrate BP Pool prepared charges and submitted the report to District Judge Leonard Middleton. In this case, on June 6, 1929, Judge Leonard Middleton sentenced Bhagat Singh and BK Dutt to 14 years of imprisonment under the Arms Act and Explosive Act for throwing a bomb in the Assembly and attempting to murder.
When the Chelmsford Reforms of 1919 were implemented by the British Government, it was said that after 10 years in India, a commission would be appointed to study these reforms. The then Prime Minister of England appointed a commission under the leadership of Sir John Simon. This is called the Simon Commission. All 7 of its members were British MPs. There was not a single Indian among them. That is why it is also called as ‘White Commission’. Simon Commission was announced on 8 November 1927 and this commission reached Mumbai (India) on 3 February 1928. Simon Commission was opposed everywhere in India, from Mumbai to Kolkata and from Madras (now Chennai) to Lahore. The slogan was ‘Simon Commission Go Back’. The Simon Commission was opposed in Lahore under the leadership of Lala Lajpat Rai. He died on 17 November 1928 due to a police attack. Bhagat Singh’s family had a deep connection with Lala Lajpat Rai and Bhagat Singh himself was also close to Lala Lajpat Rai. Used to discuss with. Once Lala Lajpat Rai even said that Bhagat Singh wanted to make me a ‘communist’.
To avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai, Bhagat Singh and his comrades killed Punjab Police Superintendent James A. A plan was made to assassinate Scott. On 17 December 1928, a month after the death of Lala Lajpat Rai (17 November 1928), when Assistant Superintendent of Police Saunders came out of the police headquarters in Lahore, he saw James A. Scott. Understanding this, he shot the same person and killed him. According to historian Chamanlal, Rajguru fired the first bullet, and after this Bhagat Singh protected Indian pride by avenging the death of Lala ji by firing a volley of bullets. When police head constable Charan Singh was about to arrest Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, who was present as per the ‘backup plan’, killed him.
As per the pre-determined plan, Bhagat Singh as an officer and revolutionary Durga Bhabhi – Revolutionary Mrs. Durga Devi Vohra (the wife of revolutionary Bhagwati Charan Vohra was called as Revolutionary Durga Bhabhi) – as the wife of Bhagat Singh with a three-year-old child. Together we sat in the first-class train compartment and left for Kolkata. For their safety, Rajguru worked as an orderly, and on the other hand, Chandrashekhar Azad reached Mathura in the guise of a monk.
A special tribunal was established after the trial began in Lahore on 10 July 1929 in connection with the murder of British police officer Saunders and Head Constable Charan Singh. The drama of this case continued and on 7 October 1929, the tribunal gave a 50-page verdict. The trial of the British police officer Saunders murder case lasted for 15 months in a special tribunal. The tribunal convicted Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev of the murder of Saunders and head constable Charan Singh and sentenced them to death. The government lawyer in this case was Rai Bahadur Suryanarayan and the lawyer for Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt was Congress leader Asaf Ali.
The Government of India put pressure on Judge Syed Aga Hyder Ali to hang Bhagat Singh. But Judge Syed Aga Hyder Ali rejected the pressure of the government and gave up his post. This is a matter of pride for the Indians. Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru were hanged by Judge JC Hilton.
But in view of the public anger, a day before on 23 March 1931, at 7.30 pm, the back wall of the Lahore jail was broken and they were hanged in the Central Jail. All three great revolutionaries – Bhagat Singh ((born – 28 September 1907 – Martyrdom Day – 23 March) 1931 – Village Banga – now Pakistan,), Sukhdev (full name – Sukhdev Thapar, born 15 May 1907 – Martyrdom Day – 23 March 1931 – Ludhiana, Punjab) and Chala. Rajguru (born 24 August 1908 – Martyrdom Day 23 March 1931 – Completed Name – Shivraj Hari Rajguru Birth Place Khed Village, Maharashtra – Marathi) The dead bodies were taken out of the jail. On the same night, a collective pyre was made by taking the three dead bodies to the banks of the Sutlej River – Hussainiwala Border near Ferozepur and covering them with mud. They were burnt by pouring oil. The bodies of these three martyrs were thrown into the Sutlej River. But before morning the villagers took the bodies out of the river and performed the last rites. In The Tribune (Lahore), 24 March 1931, 1st Published this incident on the page. As a result, public anger has reached its peak. Crowds of people agitated in Mumbai, Madras, Bengal, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. For the first time since 1857, such fierce encounters took place between the public and the police. As a result, 141 Indians were martyred in this conflict, 586 people were injured and 341 people were arrested.
According to Vijay Shankar Singh, Advocate, Imtiaz Rashid Qureshi has filed a petition in the Lahore High Court on the basis of some shortcomings in this case. This petition is available on the site of Pakistan’s famous newspaper Dawn. According to this petition, there are many shortcomings in the hearing of the case. The names of Bhagat Singh and his associates are not mentioned in the FIR lodged at the police station, nor has this been confirmed in the investigation. Their names are not even mentioned as suspects. The names of two youths are mentioned in the FIR, and later the names of Sukhdev and Rajguru were added. The police and the prosecution court did not have an answer as to when Bhagat Singh’s name came up for investigation. The tribunal was established on the basis of an ordinance whereas it should have been established on the basis of law. The death warrant was not issued by the court by which Bhagat Singh and his comrades were sentenced. Those who had apologized were presented as government witnesses and the defense was not allowed to cross-examine out of 450 witnesses. An appeal has been made in the Lahore High Court seeking an apology from the British Government for the illegal trial of the Lahore Conspiracy case and miscarriage of justice by maliciously giving death sentence to Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev.
When the public came to know that Bhagat Singh had a half-burnt arm. Despite the imposition of Section 144, lakhs of people gathered in Minto Park and Lahore to see his semi-burnt arm. Bhagat Singh’s friend Dr. Mohammad Alam, a young dynamic speaker of the Congress Party, said in his speech that ‘I kiss the shoulder that lifted the sacred bier of Bhagat Singh’. Journalist Brijnath Sharma, present on this occasion, wrote that a ‘sea of human heads’ was visible in Minto Park. Bhagat Singh’s grandfather S. Arjun Singh stood on a table carrying the burnt part of Bhagat Singh’s body and said, ‘My grandson who used to eat butter, today ants are eating his dead body. The sounds of slogans of ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ and ‘Bhagat Zindabad’ were echoing with moist eyes.
Describing this historical incident, journalist Kuldeep Nayyar wrote that ‘the news of the hanging spread like wildfire in Lahore and other cities of Punjab. Small and big groups of youth started chanting ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ and ‘Bhagat Zindabad’ at various places. The procession continued throughout the night shouting slogans. The next day there was a strike in the entire city. All shops remained closed. Today, except for the government college, all schools and colleges also remain closed. Around noon, notices were put up by the District Magistrate in many parts of Lahore that the mortal remains of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru had been cremated as per Hindu and Sikh customs on the banks of Sutlej river. A huge mourning procession was taken out from Neela Gumbad. This place was not far from the place where Saunders was murdered. Thousands of Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs were involved in this more than three-mile-long procession. The men wore black belts while the women wore black sarees. They all chanted ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ and ‘Bhagat Singh Zindabad’. Slogans were being raised. The entire area looked like a sea of black flags. The procession stopped for a while near the Mall in the middle of Anarkali Bazaar, where it was announced that Bhagat Singh’s family had reached Lahore from Firozpur with the remains of the three martyrs.”
Pakistan was the birthplace and place of work of Bhagat Singh. Bhagat Singh’s birthplace was Chak No. 105, Village Banga, Tehsil Jenrawala, District Lyallpur (now Faisalabad) – Pakistan. Apart from the family, Bhagat Singh’s education and political thinking as a student took place in the educational institutions of Lahore. Apart from this, most of his work area was Lahore, and the murder of English police officer Saunders and Police Havildar Charan Singh was also done in Lahore itself. Bhagat Singh served his sentence in the Central Jail of Lahore and in the same jail he was hanged on 23 March 1931. Here is now Shadman Chowk. Bhagat Singh’s birthday and martyrdom day are celebrated at Shadman Chowk. Thus, the birthplace and place of work of Bhagat Singh is Pakistan and the people of Pakistan, especially the youth, consider Bhagat Singh as an ideal and path-shower. Bhagat Singh is the only martyr who is seen with honor, respect, and pride in India and Pakistan, and slogans of ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ are raised in the movements of both countries. Bhagat Singh is as popular among the youth of India as he is among the youth of Pakistan. Bhagat Singh was the one who realized Hasrat Mohani’s slogan of “Inquilab Zindabad”.
The mansion of Bhagat Singh’s family in Banga is still safe. In 1985, when Bhagat Singh’s brother Kultar Singh reached Banga, the Muslim owner of the mansion got the news that this mansion belonged to Bhagat Singh’s family, so he kept it safe and here Bhagat Singh’s family, Bhagat Singh, and revolutionary Bhagat Singh lived. A museum of pictures of comrades has been made. The school in which Bhagat Singh passed his primary education is now named Bhagat Singh School at present. The Banga village is known as Bhagatpur.
Bhagat Singh’s interest in communist thinking is also evident from the fact that his lawyer Prannath Mehta had presented him with a book named ‘Lenin’s Biography’. On March 23, 1931, when police personnel came to take him to the gallows, Bhagat Singh was studying this book related to the life of the great revolutionary Lenin. On being called by the police personnel, Bhagat Singh said, “One revolutionary is meeting another revolutionary”. Hence, it is clear that for the agitators and revolutionary youth of India, especially Bhagat Singh, “Lenin was a new inspiration and ideal personality”. The articles published in these newspapers and magazines reveal Bhagat Singh’s scientific consciousness, political awareness, and commitment to the socialist revolution. Sending telegraphic greetings to the Communist International on the anniversary of Lenin is the source of Bhagat Singh’s thinking. What is the compromise in ‘Message to the Community’? What is the objective of the Congress? , What is the duty of youth? What is revolution? Why do they raise the slogan of Inquilab? What is the pace of new reforms? Answers to the questions etc. have been given.
Apart from these, letter to the Governor of Punjab (20 March 1931), letter to his father (4 October 1930), letter to BK Dutt (this letter was written by Bhagat Singh to his companion BK Dutt after he was sentenced to death in November 1930). Who was at that time in the jail of Salem (Madras), the preface written by Bhagat Singh in the book ‘Dreamland’ of Gadar Party revolutionary Lala Ramsharan Das from the hanging house on January 15, 1931, the manifesto of HSRA, Letter to the young political workers of India, (2 February 1931), Bhagat Singh’s very important article ‘Why am I an atheist?’
Bhagat Singh’s very famous and important article was published after his martyrdom in the newspaper ‘The People’ published from Lahore on 27 December 1931. In this article, Bhagat Singh systematically refuted the concepts of religious worship, soul-god, rebirth, the concept of heaven or hell after death, sin-virtue, ghosts, evil spirits, etc. Bhagat Singh believed that “I consider faith in God and daily prayer as the most selfish and degraded form of man.” This article of Bhagat Singh was very popular all over India. Published in ‘Koodai Aarasu’, a Tamil language newspaper published by social reformer Periyar in South India, on 22 and 29 March 1931. In fact, this article is a wonderful and original mixture of realistic thinking and intellectualism and a supreme creation. On this basis, Bhagat Singh was completely different from most revolutionaries, politicians, and journalists. Due to Marxist influence, Bhagat Singh became a complete atheist by 1922. This is the reason why even the fear of being hanged could not distract Bhagat Singh.
The letter written to Durga Bhabhi (the revolutionary wife of revolutionary Bhagwati Charan Verma, Mrs. Durga Devi has a special place in the revolutionary movement) on March 22, 1931, a day before she was hanged, is the last succinct document. On the basis of all these articles and letters, we consider Bhagat Singh as a ‘unique revolutionary’ in the line of Leninist-Marxist revolutionaries. All these documents are the main sources of Bhagat Singh’s communist ideology. The reflection of Bhagat Singh’s thinking is clearly visible in ‘Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh’s Jail Diary’ (2011). Earlier, Bhupendra Huja (Edited) edited Bhagat Singh’s prison notebook. The letter written to Durga Bhabhi (the revolutionary wife of revolutionary Bhagwati Charan Verma, Mrs. Durga Devi has a special place in the revolutionary movement) on March 22, 1931, a day before she was hanged, is the last succinct document. On the basis of all these articles and letters, we consider Bhagat Singh as a ‘unique revolutionary’ in the line of Leninist-Marxist revolutionaries. All these documents are the main sources of Bhagat Singh’s communist ideology. The reflection of Bhagat Singh’s thinking is clearly visible in ‘Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh’s Jail Diary’ (2011). Earlier, Bhupendra Huja (Edited) edited A Martyr’s Notebook (Jaipur 1994) – Bhagat Singh’s Jail Notebook. Shaheed-e-Azam Ki Jail Notebook’ translated and edited by Vishwanath Mishra was published in Lucknow. Regarding Bhagat Singh’s prison notebook, LV Mitronikhin wrote that it is “rare evidence of a great ideology.” Apart from the jail diary, Bhagat Singh also wrote four books in jail – 1. Autobiography,2. The ideal of socialism, 3. Brief biographical introduction of the revolutionary movement and revolutionaries in India and 4. At the door of death. But where are these books? There is no information in this regard yetThe statement written by Bhagat Singh and BK Dutt in the court of the Sessions Judge (8 June 1927) is an important revolutionary document of Bhagat Singh’s thoughts and ideology. In short, Bhagat Singh adopted Marxist-Revolutionary Socialist principles to bring an end to capitalism, imperialism, and British imperialist exploitation in India. He envisioned a society in which the means of production and distribution were under the control of the farmers and laborers- the proletariat. A system should be established where there is no exploitation of humans by humans.
Due to the inspiration and influence of Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi, editor, of Pratap (Kanpur), Bhagat Singh became a successful, fearless, and independent journalist. Bhagat Singh’s articles have been published in various newspapers and magazines. The main ones among them are Pratap (Kanpur), Veer Arjun (Delhi), Vande Mataram Urdu weekly magazine (Lahore), Kirti weekly magazine (Punjab), Bengali language weekly magazine Matwala (Kolkata), and The People (Lahore).
In his articles, he used the pseudonyms ‘Balwant’, ‘Vidrohi’, ‘BS Sandhu’, ‘Punjabi Yuvak’, etc. as a writer. It is very important for a successful journalist to have excellent and quality knowledge of the language. Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh was aware of this. He had good command and mastery over Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, and English languages.
, Apart from these, he also learned the Bengali language from Batukeshwar Dutt to establish contacts with the revolutionary organizations and revolutionary newspapers of Bengal and to publish his articles. But there was not much mastery in it. Despite this, he used to write and publish articles in the Bengali language. Bhagat Singh wrote articles on various social, economic, political, farmers and laborers’ contemporary problems of the society. These include “Punjabi language script and its problem”, “Youth”, “Message to the Community”, “Students and Politics”, “Untouchable Problem”, “Communal Riots and their treatment”, “My revolutionary friends”, and “World love”. “, “Why am I an atheist” etc. are the main articles. Bhagat Singh wrote articles under the pseudonym ‘Balwant’ in the Bengali language weekly magazine “Matwala” (Kolkata) published in Kolkata on 15 November 1924 and 22 November 1924. In these articles, emphasis was given on world peace, abolition of war, international organization, and world love. Another article titled ‘Yuvak’ was published in the same magazine on 16 May 1925. In this article, Bhagat Singh inspired the youth to sacrifice for the nation. Bhagat Singh was a serious scholar. He had real and deep knowledge of the condition of farmers and workers of India. Describing the condition of farmers and workers, Bhagat Singh said: ‘Despite being an important part of the society, today the workers are being deprived of their primary rights and all their hard-earned money is being appropriated by exploitative capitalists. Farmers who provide food to others are today in need of food along with their families. World The weaver who supplies cloth to markets across the country is not able to get enough cloth to cover himself and his children. The masons, blacksmiths and carpenters who built beautiful palaces ended their lives by living in dirty courtyards. On the contrary, the leeches of society, the exploitative capitalists, spend lakhs of rupees for small things. After the martyrdom of Bhagat Singh, ‘Why am I an atheist’ in ‘The People’ (Lahore) on 27 September 1931? Article published. This article is a wonderful and original mixture of realistic thinking and intellectualism. In this article, Bhagat Singh describes the exploitation of the working class by the capitalists. In this article regarding the exploitation of workers by the capitalists, Bhagat Singh wrote: ‘From the prison cells to the community of millions of human beings suffering from hunger in huts and slums, to the exploited laborers who are watching patiently or should we say disinterestedly as the capitalist vampire sucks blood and We are witnessing a waste of human power that would make any person with even a little common sense shudder with fear, and from those palaces of kings who would consider it better to throw the excess produce into the sea rather than distributing it among the needy. Whose foundation lies on human bones. Let him see all this and then say ‘Everything is fine’. Why and for what? This is my question, you are quiet, okay? So I take my point forward. Workers and farmers will get freedom from exploitation only when there is a complete change in the social and economic system along with political freedom. A system should be established where farmers, laborers, women, and the common man get freedom from exploitation. A system where Indian farmers and laborers have control over power or government machinery rather than the rich class so that the system is based on exploitation, exploiters, and the exploited ends.
An attempt to insult Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh by portraying him as a terrorist.
The most unfortunate thing is that we are confusing the students and the young generation through the course books. In the first decade of the present century, in the 12th class history book of the National Open School, Institute of Education, an attempt has been made to insult Shaheed Azam Bhagat Singh by portraying him as a terrorist. About 8 years ago, the book ‘India’s Freedom Struggle’ related to the curriculum of Delhi University was published. In the article titled ‘Bhagat Singh, Surya Sen and Revolutionaries’ on page number 228, terms like ‘revolutionary terrorists’, ‘terrorism’, ‘terror’, ‘terrorists’, etc. have been used for the revolutionaries. It is important to inform the readers that this book has been published with the cooperation of the Central Government. Both the descendants and admirers of Bhagat Singh have been deeply hurt by associating the word ‘terrorist’ with Bhagat Singh.
President of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) and Member of Parliament Simranjit Singh Mann, elected from Sangrur Lok Sabha seat in the by-election of June 2022, created a new controversy on July 18, 2022 by calling Bhagat Singh a terrorist. This statement of Simranjit Singh Mann was criticized not only in India but also at the world level. It is important to mention here that on the day of Vaisakhi, April 13, 1919, a ‘planned massacre’ was carried out by General Dyer. According to the then Civil Surgeon of Amritsar, about 1800 innocent men, women, and children were brutally murdered. Simranjit Singh Mann’s maternal grandfather S. Arudh Singh was the President of the Golden Temple Amritsar at that time. He had honored General Dyer, the vampire of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, in the Golden Temple. Politicians do not have the right to insult the martyrs of the nation in this manner and they should refrain from such statements.
Even before this, on 8 April 1929, when the Public Safety Bill was to be debated in the Central Assembly, Bhagat Singh and BK Dutt had thrown bombs and red leaflets. In this case, this was accepted by Bhagat Singh and BK Dutt themselves on 6 June 1929. But he did not have a pistol. Bhagat Singh represented himself in this case and BK Dutt was represented by famous lawyer Asaf Ali (AIR, 1930, Lahore, 226).
In this case, Bhagat Singh and BK Dutt had two main witnesses against them – first, Sardar Shobha Singh, and second, Shadilal. In this case, Khushwant Singh’s father Shobha Singh (honorary magistrate and government contractor), and son Sujan Singh had testified as identification witnesses of Bhagat Singh and BK Dutt in the court. Shobha Singh’s son Khushwant Singh wrote in ‘History of Sikhs’, ‘Bhagat Singh became the most famous terrorist of Indian revolutionary history.’ Khushwant Singh’s father Shobha Singh himself said, ‘Bhagat Singh was given life imprisonment in the Assembly bomb case and later in Lahore. There was a death sentence in the conspiracy case and I (Shobha Singh) received the reward for, my loyalty in the form of various titles. First I got the title of ‘Sardar Bahadur’, then I was given the title of ‘Knighthood’ and after that, I was nominated for the Legislative Council.
Being a government witness, Shadi Lal was given a huge amount of money and was also given land in Baghpat (Uttar Pradesh). At present Shadilal’s descendants are running a sugar mill and liquor factory in Shamli (Uttar Pradesh). But Sardar Shobha Singh and Shadilal have been traitors and murderers in the eyes of the public. This is the reason that when Shadilal died, the local shopkeepers refused to even give the shroud to his family members. It is said that the shroud was then ordered from Delhi.
On the other hand, in Pakistan, Nawab Mohammad Ahmed Khan was the government witness against Bhagat Singh and his associates in the Lahore Conspiracy Case. After the formation of Pakistan, he was appointed Honorary Magistrate. In the 1970s, Nawab Mohammad Ahmed Khan was sent to Shadman Chowk, where the Central Jail was earlier located. It was Lahore and Bhagat Singh and his comrades were hanged and at the same place, Ghat was put to death.
Ajay Ghosh wrote that ‘Bhagat Singh did not show even a single trait of a traditional terrorist leader… and the religious beliefs of earlier terrorists had no influence on him at all’.
In other words, the non-violence and non-violent methods adopted by Bhagat Singh and his comrades included Satyagraha, hunger strike, sloganeering, statements in the judiciary, poster games, publication of articles in newspapers, writing letters, publicity among the public, important day–May Day. , celebrating Lenin’s Day, etc., establishing contact with revolutionaries of other countries, negotiating compromises to achieve the objective, and mobilizing the public as well as the use of spiritual and physical force. Both can be used for revolution. Regarding Bhagat Singh and his companions, it was propagated by the British imperialist government that they were terrorists. Many scholars, terrorists and terrorist organizations have also supported this point.
Bhagat Singh and his comrades have denied that he was a terrorist. The purpose of shooting Saunders was not to avenge personal enmity. Bhagat Singh had no faith in the principle of ‘blood for blood’. In this regard, the written statement of Bhagat Singh and BK Dutt in the assembly case on 8 June 1929 in the court of the Sessions Judge of Delhi is an important revolutionary document. In this document, Bhagat Singh and BK Dutt made it clear that the purpose of the bombs thrown in the Central Assembly was not to kill anyone but to warn the British imperialist government. He considered human life sacred and had immense love for mankind.
Refuting the allegations of being terrorists, Bhagat Singh and BK Dutt said: ‘Humans consider life sacred and have immense love for mankind. Those who committed barbarism are neither against the country nor are they mad…. We hate hypocrisy. Our aim was not to shed blood in the assembly, but to make our voice heard to the deaf and to warn them in time.
Bhagat Singh considered revolution essential for the establishment of a socialist society. Like Marx, Engels and Lenin, he laid emphasis on the revolutionary organizations of the working people, laborers and farmers. Just as Lenin believed that for revolution it was essential to have the support of professional revolutionaries. Similarly, Bhagat Singh considered revolution impossible without professional revolutionaries as well as mass movement and people power. He wrote in a letter to the Superintendent of Lahore Central Jail:
‘I firmly believe that we will not get much benefit from bombs and pistols. Bombing is not only useless but also harmful. However, it may be permitted under certain circumstances. Our main objective should be to organize the workers and farmers.
On December 17, 1928, Saunders was shot dead and he took revenge for the death of Lala Lajpat Rai. But even in this spirit of revenge, the spirit of raising the revolutionary voice and sacrifice to protect the national honor was at its peak. On the posters distributed and posted on December 18, 1928, it was written ‘Tyrannical Government Beware’. Bhagat Singh’s companion Ajay Ghosh wrote in his book (‘Bhagat Singh and his companions’ (Delhi, 1979)) that ‘Bhagat Singh did not show even a single trait of a traditional terrorist leader and his religious beliefs were similar to those of the earlier terrorists. But there was not even the slightest effect.
On 8 April 1929, the Public Safety Bill was to be debated in the Central Assembly. Bhagat Singh and BK Dutt also threw bombs and red pamphlets into the Central Hall of the Central Legislative Assembly (present-day Savidhan Sadan). The purpose of throwing bombs in the assembly was not to kill anyone. The bombs thrown in the assembly were not going to cause harm to human life. In this case, this was accepted by Bhagat Singh and BK Dutt themselves.
Apart from this, slogans like ‘Long live the revolution’, ‘Long live the revolution’, ‘Down with British imperialism’ and ‘Workers of the world unite’ were also raised. Bhagat Singh and BK Dutt could have shot the members present there with bullets and also ran away from there, but they did not do so. Instead of running away, he surrendered. The revolutionaries of Bengal had advised him to run away by throwing bombs and pamphlets so that he could avoid being hanged. But Bhagat Singh and BK Dutt did not want to die unknown. They wanted to burn British imperialism to ashes by fanning the flame of people’s revolution with their sacrifice. He wanted to ignite the flame of mass revolution through sacrifice.
Although initially, Bhagat Singh was a ‘romantic idealistic revolutionary’, after deep study his old ideas were replaced by ‘rationalism’. Thoughts took over. There was no place for ‘mysticism and superstition’ in these new ideas. In the words of Bhagat Singh, ‘Realism became our basis. Violence is justified only when it is resorted to in dire need. Non-violence should be the essential principle of all mass movements. Bhagat Singh and his comrades used violent means only twice – killing JP Saunders and throwing bombs in the Central Assembly.
In other words, the non-violence and non-violent methods adopted by Bhagat Singh and his comrades included Satyagraha, hunger strikes, sloganeering, statements in the judiciary, poster games, publication of articles in newspapers, writing letters, publicity among the public, Important day – May Day. , celebrating Lenin’s Day, etc., establishing contact with revolutionaries of other countries, negotiating and compromising to achieve the objective of mobilizing the public as well as the use of spiritual and physical force. Both can be used for revolution. In short, Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh was not a terrorist but a scientific socialist revolutionary.
In short, Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh was not a terrorist but a scientific socialist revolutionary. Calling Bhagat Singh a terrorist is a grave injustice and insult to him.
Bhagat Singh was moving towards non-violent (Gandhian) methods and Mahatma Gandhi was clearly abandoning Gandhian methods. In other words, the non-violence and non-violent methods adopted by Bhagat Singh and his comrades included Satyagraha, hunger strikes, Sloganeering, statements in the judiciary, poster games, publication of articles in newspapers, writing letters, publicity in public, celebrating important days – May Day, Lenin Day, etc., establishing contact with revolutionaries of other countries, talks and compromises to achieve the objective. Along with mobilizing the people, the use of spiritual and physical force holds the main place. Both can be used for revolution. In the words of Bhagat Singh, ‘Non-violence should be the essential principle of all mass movements.’ If seen on this basis, then Bhagat Singh and his companions were using the same methods based on the use of non-violent methods which were used by Mahatma Gandhi.
But on the contrary, before the start of the Quit India Movement (1942), no clarification was given by Mahatma Gandhi regarding violence. Such terminology was used which does not appear Gandhian in any way. The terminology used by Mahatma Gandhi included Revolt, Rebellion, Open Rebellion, Conflagration, and ‘As short and as swift as possible’. Possible), Biggest Movement, and Do or Die are the main ones.
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “If I cannot influence the British Government or the Allied Powers, I will not hesitate to go to extreme limits”. In other words, Bhagat Singh was moving towards non-violent (Gandhian) methods and Mahatma Gandhi was clearly abandoning Gandhian methods. Contrary to all this, the Government of India and the royal courtiers of the Government of India consider Shobha Singh and Shadi Lal Bhagat Singh, who testified against Bhagat Singh, as terrorists.
On March 23, 2023, when the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev was being celebrated across the world, Khalistani supporters burnt the portrait of Bhagat Singh in London. In this picture, Bhagat Singh has been shown as ‘anti-Sikh’, ‘anti-Punjab’, and ‘Hindustani comrade’. This despicable act was done by supporters of ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief and fugitive Khalistani supporter Amritpal Singh. Such heinous acts have been committed earlier also by those who worship Godse and celebrate by dramatizing the murder of Mahatma Gandhi by shooting his effigy. These heinous acts do not insult the revolutionaries Mahatma Gandhi or any other patriotic devotee. Strict action should be taken by the government against such people because these derogatory actions are not in the social interest and hurt social harmony and integration.
Martyrdom of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh; Propagation of lies to tarnish the image of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru
In order to tarnish the image of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, it is propagated that Mahatma Gandhi did not make effective efforts to save Bhagat Singh and his comrades from a death sentence. Those who make this accusation include Governor-General Lord Irwin, Herbert Emerson (member of the Viceroy’s Council), Yashpal, Manmath Nath Gupta, GS Deol, AG Nooranaji, etc are the main ones.
They believe that Mahatma Gandhi and the Congress Party have only played a formality in saving Bhagat Singh and his comrades and have not taken any concrete steps. Mahatma Gandhi only talked and wrote letters to Lord Irwin. Although he insisted on changing the death sentence, in the terms of the Gandhi-Irwin Pact, the condition of saving Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev from the death sentence was not kept. On January 18, 1931, he wrote in Roj Namcha- ‘Daily Dairy’:
‘The agreement reached in Delhi was different and in the end, Mr Gandhi mentioned Bhagat Singh. He did not lobby for the death sentence to be canceled but at the same time, he did not say anything about postponing the death sentence in the current circumstances.
On 20 March 1931, Mahatma Gandhi met Herbert Emerson (a member of the Viceroy’s Council). In this regard, Emerson wrote in his diary:
‘Mr. Gandhi did not seem to be very concerned about this matter. I told him that it would be a big deal if there was no order as a result of the hanging. I asked him to do something so that meetings do not take place in the next few days and also to stop the aggressive lectures from people. He agreed to this and said, “I will do whatever I can.”
This allegation is unwarranted, unfair, completely wrong, and not based on historical facts. Mahatma Gandhi’s letter to the Viceroy, in which there was a demand to reduce the hanging of Bhagat Singh. Netaji Subhash Chand Bose, Dr. Pattabhi Sitaramayya, Meera Ben, Advocate Asif Ali, Historian VN Dutta, etc. are the main ones who support this point of view. By connecting the historical links, we are trying to write that Mahatma Gandhi first wrote on 4 May 1930. Criticized the formation of the tribunal related to the case. On 11 February 1931, the appeal made to save Bhagat Singh and his comrades from death sentence was rejected by the Privy Council (London). After this, Mahatma Gandhi – Irwin For the agreement, meetings were held from 17 February 1930 to 5 March 1930 and correspondence also took place. On 18 February 1931, Mahatma Gandhi talked to the Governor General of India, Lord Irwin, about reducing the hanging. On March 7, 1931, Mahatma Gandhi, while addressing a public meeting in Delhi, said: “I cannot completely agree to the hanging of anyone. Certainly not for a brave man like Bhagat Singh.”
Mahatma Gandhi’s writings have been included in the book ‘Based on Bhagat Singh Special Issue and Other Issues of Abhyudaya’ published by the National Archives. Although in this article Mahatma Gandhi criticized violence and murder. But he praised Bhagat Singh’s qualities – patriotism, love for the country, courage, sacrifice, and labor incomparably. While criticizing the British government, he wrote that the British government had a ‘golden opportunity’ to win the hearts of the revolutionaries but the government failed in this. It was unsuccessful. He praised Bhagat Singh and his comrades and further wrote, ‘Bhagat Singh and his comrades have died to win our freedom’. In this regard, the public sentiment that arose after the death of Bhagat Singh, Mahatma Gandhi said, ‘The family Apart from this, till date there has never been so much emotion regarding the life of anyone as has been done for Sardar Bhagat Singh. Mahatma Gandhi had ‘involved’ himself in the emotion of patriotic memory of the young youth. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in his autobiography – ‘The Indian Struggle, 1920-42’, p. 184) It is written that Mahatma Gandhi tried his ‘best’ to save Bhagat Singh.
The news of the ongoing fast unto death in the jail was being published regularly in ‘The Tribune’ (Lahore). Jawaharlal Nehru and Dr. Gopichand talked to journalists on 8 August 1929 after meeting Bhagat Singh and his comrades. Nehru’s interview was also published in The Tribune (Lahore) on 10 August 1929. The headline of this interview is, “Pt. Jawaharlal interviews hunger-strikers”, (‘The Tribune’, 10 August 1929, page 1). In this interview, Nehru gave details of the fast of Bhagat Singh and his comrades strongly condemned the forced feeding of these revolutionaries and asked the British government to provide facilities for political prisoners to these revolutionaries. As a result, the British government again had to provide facilities to these revolutionaries in jail. Jawaharlal Nehru, while describing this meeting in his ‘Autobiography’ (p. 204), has written very clearly:
“When I went to Lahore, this hunger strike was already a month old. “When I went to Lahore, this hunger strike was already a month old. I was allowed to go and meet some prisoners in the jail. I took advantage of this opportunity. I saw Bhagat Singh for the first time and Jatin Das and others were also there. All of them had become very weak and were lying on the bed, so it was very difficult to talk to them. Bhagat Singh appeared to be a charming and intellectual man who was extremely calm and carefree. I did not see even the slightest anger on his face. He looked very gentle and spoke politely. But I was thinking that someone who has been on hunger strike for a month would look like a spiritual person. Jatindas looked even more gentle, soft, and girlish.
It is important to tell the readers here that although there was a fundamental change in the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhash Chandra Bose, and Bhagat Singh. Despite this, all of them were fans of each other. This mutual respect is also evident from the fact that Bhagat Singh told his lawyer Prannath, a few hours before his execution, to thank Jawaharlal Nehru and Babu Subhash Chandra Bose for taking an interest in his case.
Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru were to be hanged in Lahore Central Jail on 24 March 1931. Bhagat was not happy with this decision. On March 20, 1931, he wrote a letter to the Governor of Punjab asking him to be treated like a prisoner of war and instead of being hanged, he should be shot.
In his last letter written to his revolutionary comrades on March 22, 1931, Bhagat said, “I also have the will to live, I do not want to hide this. I never had the temptation to escape from the gallows in my heart. I am eagerly waiting for the final examination.” On 23 March 1931, 12 hours before the scheduled time, at 7.30 pm, Sukhdev, Bhagat Singh and Rajguru were hanged.
Why is Shaheed-e-Azambhagat Singh so popular?
This is an important question. Even after 92 years of martyrdom, Bhagat Singh is still the ’emperor of the heart’ of the people and the ‘prince of the youth’. The basic reason for this is that the then leaders who led the Indian independence movement, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhash Chandra Bose, and others were in the category of economically rich people of that time and they had received education from Europe. In contrast, Bhagat Singh was from a revolutionary farmer family and his education was first in his village Banga (now in Pakistan) he completed his matriculation and F.A. If seen on this basis, then due to his connection with rural life, then and contemporary public and the youth were and are more connected with him because he had more practical knowledge of the problems of the rural environment. There was a huge difference between the educated leaders and the common man. That is why it was possible for the common man to connect with Bhagat Singh.
Due to the complete influence of socialist and communist ideology on Bhagat Singh’s thinking, his outlook was in favor of reforms for farmers, laborers, Dalits, and people living on the margins of society. It was very clear in the thinking of Bhagat Singh that his aim was not only to achieve political independence but also to establish such a system in independent India which would be under the control of farmers and laborers and would provide freedom from exploitation of man by man. This approach sets Bhagat Singh apart from other leaders and facilitates his connection with the common man.
Why am I an atheist? In this article, Bhagat Singh openly opposed the concepts of soul, God, religion, birth-death, rebirth, ghosts, etc., since he was a complete atheist and was not tied to any particular religion like other leaders and revolutionaries, His ideology is absolutely perfect for Hindu-Muslim-Sikh unity and integration and goodwill. This is the reason why Bhagat Singh is popular among Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs in India and Pakistan. In short, his idea was to establish a completely secular state and with this determination, Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs had no objection to joining together. At a time when various politicians were mobilizing the followers of their respective religions and were engaged in organizing programs like’ Tablighi’ and ‘Shuddhikaran’ which resulted in hurting communal harmony and promoting communal riots. In such a situation, Bhagat Singh, being contrary to religious fanaticism, started appearing as an ideal for the followers of different religions. As a result, followers of Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism had no hesitation in associating with Bhagat Singh.
Apart from this, the general public also liked Bhagat Singh’s indomitable courage, eagerness to make sacrifices and not being distracted. On the contrary, the liberal or Gandhian leaders of the national movement were ready to compromise with the British government. They believed that if you have to take ₹1 from someone and he gives one anna, then you should take it and fight for the remaining 15 annas. Bhagat Singh criticized this compromise policy, which had a greater impact on the youth of different religions because the youth is not always a supporter of the status quo but is a radical change.
Bhagat Singh did not hesitate to make sacrifices due to his indomitable courage, independent thinking, and scientific thinking. After throwing the bomb in the Central Assembly, he remained there even though he knew that he would be imprisoned for life or could even be given the death sentence. His statement in the Saunders murder case and letters written from jail prove that he was a young man eager to make sacrifices. In order to ensure good treatment of prisoners in Central Lahore Jail, he made them realize the spirit of sacrifice by going on a long strike. Bhagat Singh died on 20 March. In 1931, he wrote a letter to the Governor of Punjab that he should be treated like a prisoner of war and instead of being hanged, he should be shot. On March 22, 1931, he wrote a letter to his revolutionary comrades, ‘I also have the desire to live, I do not want to hide it. The temptation to escape from the gallows never came into my heart. I am eagerly waiting for the final examination. Not only this but when Bhagat Singh’s father wrote a letter to the Special Tribunal for Bhagat Singh and his comrades to clarify, then Bhagat Singh criticized his father and wrote this letter saying that he was fighting a battle of principles. And his principle is more precious than life. Bhagat Singh clearly wrote, ‘If anyone else had behaved like this with me, I would have considered it a betrayal. But all I can say for you is that this is a weakness and there is no weakness worse than this.
In short, the main reason for Bhagat Singh’s respect and honor among the youth is his scientific thinking, struggle, complete secularism, excellent spirit of sacrifice, and followers of Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh religions like him even today. Apart from this, Bhagat Singh belonged to the rural area, whereas most of the national leaders, Gandhians or liberals, belonged to the urban class. In such a situation, he is still an ideal for the youth and this is the reason for his popularity. In other words, Bhagat Singh will always remain popular among the youth due to his ideals, scientific ideas, sacrifice, future planning, and the slogan’ Inquilab Zindabad’. The slogan ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ will always keep the popularity of Bhagat Singh alive.
According to former Finance Minister of Punjab, Manjit Singh Badal, due to the movement launched by Bhagat Singh to mobilize the students, operation of the collective kitchen, discussions, establishment of Naujawan Sabha, secular values, prudence, and the importance of discipline and work the feeling emerged among the middle class and poor youth that they too could contribute to the national struggle by rising above caste, class, and religion.
How is Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh different from other politicians, revolutionaries, and communists?
This is an important question that comes to the mind of every Indian that there were thousands of people who sacrificed their lives for the country. But how is Bhagat Singh different? The answer to this question is a systematic description of the goals of Bhagat Singh’s predecessors and contemporary leaders and revolutionaries. It is mandatory to do.
First of all, if we look at the ideas of the national mainstream leaders – liberals and Congress leaders, their initial goal was to get facilities from the imperialist government through legislative reforms and ultimately to achieve political independence. The Congress leaders launched movements, mobilized the public, went to jails, and endured hardships but were not ready to sacrifice their lives. Their aim was only for political reforms and to get seats in the legislatures for their respective sects and were ready to compromise Although communist and socialist leaders also continued to struggle– underground and openly and even went to jail, but they were also not ready to sacrifice their lives. Bhagat Singh was greatly influenced by his predecessors and the contemporary revolutionaries and was also their admirer. He was a supporter of their indomitable bravery and courage, struggle, sacrifice of life, ability to tolerate atrocities, and high spirits. Although the revolutionaries before Bhagat Singh supported socialism and social revolution, they remained stuck in religion and theism. According to Manmath Nath Gupta, the revolutionaries before Bhagat Singh supported socialism but were theists and religious. For example, the revolutionary Sachindranath Sanyal, despite being a supporter of socialism and Russia, was not an atheist. What we mean is that he was a revolutionary but not a communist or an atheist. Bhagat Singh, his contemporary, wrote about the martyrs of Kakori that the four famous martyrs of Kakori – Ramprasad Bismil, Roshan Singh, Rajendranath Lahiri, and Ashfaqullah Khan spent the last hours of their lives in prayer. Ramprasad was a staunch Arya Samajist. Rajendra Nath Lahiri, despite being a keen scholar of socialism and communism, believed in the Upanishads and the Geeta.
Contrary to all this, Bhagat Singh wrote in an article titled ‘Why am I an atheist?’ that he does not believe in soul, God, reincarnation, etc. He believed that “criticism and independent thinking are indispensable qualities for a revolutionary”. With this independent thinking, he wanted to establish a classless exploitation-free society in independent India where farmers and laborers would have rule over the social, economic, and political systems. Such a system where there is neither a beggar nor a beg giver. In other words, there should be an end to the imperialist, capitalist, and feudal systems that exploit humans. Due to all these ideas, Bhagat Singh was completely different from Gandhians, liberals, socialists, communists, and revolutionaries of that time.
According to Bhagat Singh’s companion Shiv Verma:
‘Bhagat Singh, the aim of the earlier revolutionaries was only the independence of the country, but what do we mean by this independence? Before that, his mind was not clear on this. Will the problem of independence be solved by removing the British Viceroy and replacing him with an Indian? Will we be able to enjoy freedom in the true sense of economic equality in society and exploitation of man by man based on it remains intact? There was a lot of ambiguity among the revolutionaries on questions like who would be the government after independence what would be the outline of the future society etc. Bhagat Singh was the first to raise these questions among the revolutionaries and put forward socialism as the aim of the party. He said that the fight for the country’s freedom is only the first step towards the goal and if we stop there then our entire innovation will remain incomplete. In the absence of social and economic freedom, political freedom is actually a result of a few individuals sucking up the majority. Only there will be freedom. Only a socialist society and a socialist state formed on the principle of elimination of exploitation and inequality will be able to achieve all-round development of the nation in the true sense. ‘Socialism was the voice of the era at that time. Bhagat Singh was the first among the revolutionaries to hear and recognize that voice. This is where he was bigger than his other companions.
In short, the change in the political system does not have any major impact on the economic and social well-being of the common people because exploitation continues. The ideas expressed by Bhagat Singh in newspapers and magazines will remain relevant as long as poverty, starvation, unemployment, the gap between the rich and the poor, inflation, etc. reign in India. In the present times, the way print media and electronic media are captured by corporates and the government’s control over journalists is continuously increasing; In such a situation, Bhagat Singh is actually seen shining like a “pole star”, completely different from these journalists and is the ‘greatest source of inspiration’ and ’emperor of the heart’ of the Indian youth.
Ultimately, we are of the opinion that as long as economic disparity and inequality, unemployment, hunger, malnutrition, child disorders, and gender inequality exist in India, the struggle will continue and Bhagat Singh’s scientific socialist thinking will also remain relevant. According to Bhagat Singh, there is only one solution to all these problems and that is that the Indian people – workers and farmers should have control over the national resources and government, and the monopoly of the capitalist class and corporates should end. Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh should be honored with ‘Bharat Ratna’ for his ideology and sacrifice
