The ignored or otherwise misperceived footprints of Sardar Bhagat Singh.
The inherent traits with that the young Sardar Bhagat Singh walked proudly can be traced back to his parents and grandparents. Such was the Coincidence of events that the day he took his first breath upon the sacred ground of the village of Banga. His father, Kishan Singh Sandhu, along with two uncles, Ajit Singh & Swaran Singh, was released from prison.
My life has been dedicated to the noblest cause, that of the freedom of the country. Therefore, there’s no rest or worldly desire that can lure me now
Shaheed Bhagat Singh
The beginning of the liberation of India from British shackles gained momentum on that day. The genetic composition has been so profoundly robust that the intensity has been at its peak at just a young age. This peak has gained more height than this spirit is revamped in the course of hostile and other interactions with the social environment. Bhagat Singh was the disciple of Mahatma Gandhi. He always praised this man with lathi on every facet of his movements and peaceful or cunning tact to achieve the target of freedom.
The incident of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre left such an impact on his soul that he picked up this blood-soaked soil in a bottle and used it to communicate with himself about the fate of his country. The famous anecdote of his young self about sowing weapons in the soil. So that he could hunt Britishers with indomitable would never fail to fascinate any Indian.
NON-COOPERATION MOVEMENT
The non-cooperation movement, a great mass initiative of Mahatma Gandhi, had spread throughout, and optimism was growing in the minds of people. The young Sardar Bhagat Singh adored the movement equally as he adored Mahatma Gandhi from an early age. However, fate had different plans for Sardar Bhagat Singh. In February 1922, Mahatma Gandhi called off the Non-cooperation in the wake of the Chauri Chaura incident. Mahatma Gandhi said that people had misinterpreted the essence of this movement. Moreover, he stated that freedom would come, but even before that happens, the Indian people need to be mentally prepared for how free India should look like as.
When news of the calling off of the Non-Cooperation movement was broadcast on the radio, the news reached the eardrums of young Sardar Bhagat Singh. He could not bear the idea that India would not rid itself of the contentious Britishers. It was then that its revolutionary instincts gained momentum. For a short period, neurons heated up a bit. Although, the intellect inside Bhagat Singh did not allow the lava to come out at the wrong time.
REVOLUTION OF SARDAR BHAGAT SINGH
During his studies at the National College in Lahore, he also played the theatre, also aware of the fact that amount of theatre power stored had in the roadmap to transform the masses across a large society. It was only then that he met Shaheed Sukhdev Thapar. The comrade who would soon walk to the gallows with Sardar Bhagat Singh for a worthy cause. As the saying goes, decisions determine fate. It was the same with Sardar Bhagat Singh, who had become a potential nightmare for the British crown at the time.
Let put the genetic mettle & revolutionary instinct of Bhagat Singh on one side of the table. He was a passionate book reader and had the habit of spending most of his time in college in the established library. He insisted on the fact that the Indians were not victims of directives of god. It was military power and divide and rule, a policy that kept the British holding their foot firmly on Indian soil. Bhagat Singh regarded the policy of divide and rule as the most pernicious of all. This mindset led him to acquire the capacity for logical reasoning charged with heart kindled knowledge that would reason everything and help approach the British with a double-edged sword.
IMPACT OF SARDAR BHAGAT SINGH
The same can be derived out from the very words Sardar Bhagat Singh uttered – “The romance of militancy dominated our predecessors, now serious ideas ousted this way of thinking. No more mysticism! No more blind faith! Now realism was our mode of thinking. At times of terrible necessity, we can resort to extreme methods, but violence produces opposite results in mass movements.”
Shaheed Bhagat Singh
His above words must find a passage in the minds of the younger generation, but as seen from the practical domain. The majority of people glorified Sardar Bhagat Singh as the epitome of sheer violence and neglected the major intellectual faction of his life that led him to become the exceptionally extraordinary revolutionary that the world has ever seen. The revolutionary who smiled even at the gallows, intentionally knocking on the door of a glorious death. Today, Sardar Bhagat Singh is praised as a symbol of violence and often politicized for selfish gain. It wasn’t the scenario he’d expect from his ultimate martyrdom.
His following words knock in my mind whenever I think about Sardar Bhagat Singh. “The day shall usher in a new era of liberty when a large number of men & women, taking courage from the idea of Serving Humanity & Liberating them from Sufferings and Distress, decide that there is no alternative before them except devoting their lives for this cause. They will wage war against their oppressors, tyrants, or exploiters, NOT TO BECOME KINGS, or get a reward here or in the next birth or after death in paradise.” But to rid themselves of the yoke of slavery, to establish liberty and peace, they will follow this precarious but glorious path.
WAS BHAGAT SINGH AN ATHEIST?
Every time those words strike me from within my skull, I am on the higher hump of high emotion. Each time the romanticism of logical reasoning was such that when Bhai Sahib Randhir Singh, another revolutionary, came to meet him in prison in 1927 and tried to influence him to believe in god. He wrote an essay in response to the same, “Why am I an atheist?”
Many of his colleagues considered his atheism. As a result of the glorious image, he had gained because of his activities & named the same, his vanity. What he scribbled in the essay was beyond all counter-arguments and was perfectly logical. The following excerpt in the letter is worth contemplating.
A god believing Hindu may expect to be reborn a king; A Muslim or a Christian might dream of the luxuries he hopes to enjoy in paradise as a reward for his sufferings & sacrifices. What hope should I entertain? I know that will be the end when the rope is tightened around my neck & the rafters move from under my feet. To use more religious terminology, that will be the moment of utter annihilation. My soul will come to nothing. If I take the courage to take the matter in the light of ‘Reward’. I see that a short life of struggle with no such magnificent end shall it be my ‘Reward’, that is all.
A letter to Bhai Randhir Singh
SHAHEED-E-AZAM
A deep contemplation has to be carried out and a question has to be asked to yourself. Do we follow the same ethical and intellectual path which Bhagat Singh desired for free India? After asking for that, every buried emotion will spread, and the answer will introduce a person to himself. Sardar Bhagat Singh and his comrades sang patriotic songs when they arrived in court. The torture he and his comrades suffered in the jail and never dropped their spirits by an inch. The mind of Jatin Das led him into martyrdom, but could not break his mind. Finally, The British crown fulfilled the demands. Sardar Bhagat Singh once again met his colleagues, the books, and he read on Lenin. Even on the eve of the hanging, he read and read.
The hanging is scheduled for 29 March 1931, but the British play another strategy as always. Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar, and Shivaram Rajguru were led to the gallows on March 23, 1931. Even in this last epoch, Bhagat Singh was busy reading the book of Lenin. That day, at 1930 hours, they passed away towards glory, with a smile.
A SMILE THAT EVERY INDIAN MUST EMBRACE, A SMILE SO STUFFED THAT CAN NEVER BE SUMMED UP INTO A BUNCH OF FEW WORDS.
AUTHOR’S POINT OF VIEW
The ideas of Sardar Bhagat Singh have survived till today. Even when I write this article, those are his ideas, make my fingers write the thoughts he charged with them. The ideas started with the dream of an independent and self-sufficient India. The same ideas subsequently became the invaluable assets of the revolution. He will always be the intellectual compass of our country, for all eternity.
GREAT EMPIRES CRUMBLED WHILE THE IDEAS SURVIVED.
KAUMI EKTA ZINDABAD, INQUILAB ZINDABAD
Thanks for Reading!!!
If you like our intellectual story. Kindly, keep checking out the Blog on life-related & travel stories at Travliv360. Show your love and support in the comment section.
Composed By: Ajay Bhanwala