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Introduction
One evening a boy of three was
out for a walk with his father. There was also an elderly man with the
father. Chatting they walked on and went beyond the village. Green crop
delighted the eyes. The elders were walking along the edge of a field. Not
hearing the footsteps of the boy, the father looked back. The boy was
sitting on the ground and seemed to be planting some thing. The father
became curious.
"What are you doing?" said he.
"Look,
father, I shall grow guns all over the field" was the innocent reply of
the boy. His eyes shone with the strong faith that guns would grow in the
field. Both the elders were struck with wonder at the little boy's
words.
The boy was Bhagat Singh who later fought like a hero for
India's freedom and sacrificed his life.
Family of
Patriots
Bhagat Singh was
born in a Sikh family of farmers in the village of Banga of Layalpur
district of Punjab (now in Pakistan) on September 27th of 1907. His family
stood for patriotism, reform, and freedom of the country. His grandfather
Arjun Singh was drawn to Arya Samaj, a reformist movement of Hinduism, and
took keen interest in proceedings of the Indian National Congress. Bhagat
Singh's father Kishen Singh and uncle Ajit Singh were members of Ghadr
Party founded in the U.S. in early years of this century to route British
rule in India. Both were jailed for alleged anti-British activities. Ajit
Singh had 22 cases against him and was forced to flee to Iran. Thereafter
he went to Turkey, Austria, Germany and finally to Brazil to escape Black
Water (Kalapani) punishment for his revolutionary activities in
India.
The Jalianwala Bagh Massacre
Young Bhagat Singh was brought up in a politically charged
state of Punjab which was left with a seething memory of the Jalianwala
massacre of more than 400 innocent lives and thousands injured (1919). As
a lad of fourteen he went to this spot to collect soil from the park of
Jalianwala (bagh) in his lunch box, sanctified by the blood of the
innocent and kept it as a memento for life.
Bhagat Singh was
studying at the National College founded by Lala Lajpatrai, a great
revolutionary leader and reformist. To avoid early marriage, he ran away
from home and, became a member of the youth organization Noujawan Bharat
Sabha which had memberships of all sects and religions. He met Chandra
Shekhar Sharma (Azad), B.K. Dutt and other revolutionaries. They used to
print handouts and newspapers in secret and spread political awareness in
India through Urdu, Punjabi and English. These were all banned activities
in India at the time, punishable with imprisonment.
The Simon
Commission, Murder of Lala Lajpatrai and the Revenge
Anti-British
feelings were spreading; Indians wanted some proper representation in
running the administration of their country to which British reciprocated
only on paper. Noticing restlessness was spreading, the British Government
appointed a commission under the leadership of Sir John Simon in 1928, to
report on political happenings. There was no single Indian member in this
commission, and all the political parties decided to boycott the
commission when it planned to visit major cities of India.
In
Lahore, Lala Lajpatrai (picture) and Pandit Madan Mohan Malavia decided to
protest to the commission in open about their displeasure. It was a silent
protest march, yet the police chief Scott had banned meetings or
processions. Thousands joined, without giving room for any untoward
incident. Even then, Scott beat Lala Lajpatrai severely with a lathi
(bamboo stick) on the head several times. Finally the leader succumbed to
the injuries.
Bhagat Singh who was an eye witness to the morbid
scene vowed to take revenge and with the help of Azad, Rajguru and
Sukhadev plotted to kill Scott. Unfortunately he killed Mr. Sanders, a
junior officer, in a case of mistaken identity. He had to flee from Lahore
to escape death punishment.
Bomb in the Assembly
Instead of finding the root cause for discontent of
Indians, the British government took to more repressive measures. Under
the Defense of India Act, it gave more power to the police to arrest
persons to stop processions with suspicious movements and actions. The act
brought in the council was defeated by one vote. Even then it was to be
passed in the form of an ordinance in the "interest of the public." No
doubt the British were keen to arrest all leaders who opposed its
arbitrary actions, and Bhagat Singh who was in hiding all this while,
volunteered to throw a bomb in the central assembly where the meeting to
pass the ordinance was being held. It was a carefully laid out plot, not
to cause death or injury but to draw the attention of the government, that
the modes of its suppression could no more be tolerated. It was agreed
that Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt would court arrest after throwing
the bomb.
It was a forgone conclusion in 1929 April 8th at Delhi
Central Assembly. Singh and Dutt threw handouts, and bombed in the
corridor not to cause injury and courted arrest after shouting slogans
Inquilab Zindabad (Long Live, Revolution!)
Meanwhile the killers of
Sanders were identified by the treachery of Bhagat Singh's friends who
became "Approvers." Bhagat Singh thought the court would be a proper venue
to get publicity for the cause of freedom, and did not want to disown the
crime. But he gave a fiery statement giving reasons for killing which was
symbolic of freedom struggle. He wanted to be shot like a soldier, and not
die at the gallows. But, his plea was rejected, and he was hanged on the
23rd of March 1931. He was 24.
Bhagat Singh became a legendary hero
for the masses. Innumerable songs were composed about him, and the youth
throughout the country made him their ideal. He became a symbol of bravery
and a goal to free India.
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