The title – Shaheed (martyr) – has become synonymous with an inspirational icon born in the Khatkar Kalan village in Punjab. Bhagat Singh's family was passionately patriotic and had participated in numerous movements supporting independence of India. However, it was the Jalianwala Bagh Massacre of 1919 that deeply impacted young Bhagat's mind. At the tender age of 13, he turned freedom fighter. In his teens, Bhagat ran away from home to escape marriage, and enrolled with Naujawan Bharat Sabha.
Bhagat was a voracious reader and a very expressive writer. He read a lot of poetry and literature which was written by Punjabi writers. At the age of 16, Bhagat's essay grabbed the attention of the Punjab Hindi Sahitya Sammelan and professor Bhimsen Vidyalankar. At the latter's request, Bhagat joined the Hindustan Republican Association . He wrote for and edited Urdu and Punjabi newspapers . Along with Chandrashekar Azad, Ramprasad Bismill, Ashfaqulla Khan, Bhagat's revolutionary activities became the stuff of folklore.
In 1928, Lala Lajpat Rai succumbed to injuries inflicted by the violent lathi charge on a non-violent march. Bhagat vowed to take revenge. Along with Rajguru, Gopal and Sukhdev, he plotted to kill the police chief, Scott. However, in a case of mistaken identity, Saunders, instead of Scott, was shot. He quickly left Lahore to escape the police. To avoid recognition, he shaved his beard and cut his hair.
To counter the revolutionaries, the British enacted the draconian Defence of India Act. To voice their protest, Bhagat and Batukeshwar Dutt threw non-lethal bombs in the assembly on April 8, 1929 . Whilst shouting "Inquilab Zindabad!" they also threw leaflets stating that it takes a loud voice to make the deaf hear. Bhagat's leaflet stated that "It is easy to kill individuals but you cannot kill the ideas. "
While in jail, Bhagat launched a hunger strike advocating the rights of prisoners. His philosophical and political thinking is well documented in the diary he wrote in jail. When accused of vanity of not seeking salvation in the face of death, Bhagat wrote a pamphlet entitled "Why I am an atheist". On March 23, 1931, Bhagat, Rajguru and Sukhdev were hanged . He was just over 23 years then, but he had developed an immortal dimension of inspiration for the youth…
Bhagat Singh has shown that the length of the road does not matter…
We must "develop new dimensions" NOW, don't wait to do it later…
Regards
Pravin
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