Bharat Ek Soch: Countless people are born on Earth, every moment. They play their part in Earth and then merge into the five elements (Panchtatva). But there are very few individuals who remain immortalized from their moment of birth to death. One such date is 23 March, 1931; On this day revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were hanged in Lahore Central jail, a day before the scheduled time. The martyrdom of these great revolutionaries reflect our country’s tradition, struggle and belief of serving the motherland without credit. There is path of progress and peace for everyone in the society. There has always been a thought of building a society, where there is no place for negativity, hatred, no place for blind devotion in name of religion, no division on the basis of caste, who do not forget to thank their opponent before hanging.

It is necessary to bring out the martyrdom and belief of such heroes from the pages of history and make the younger generation know them. This should be done to enlighten the light for the future of India. Shaheed Bhagat Singh is one such name, whose 23 years and 176 days of life and thinking are continuously discussed by the people. Why did Bhagat Singh have book in one pocket and pistol in another? Why did he deliberately became a part of Saunders murder team? What kind of strategy was part of not running after throwing bomb in the Central Assembly? How did Bhagat Singh’s cross-examination in the court show new way to lawyers and freedom fighters of the country? For what kind of India, did Shaheed-e-Azam hang himself smilingly? Which aspect of Bhagat Singh’s personality and thinking do the letters written by him in the jail tell to the world?

Life Dedicated To India, Understanding His Atheism

Every moment of Bhagat Singh’s life was dedicated to India. He used to call himself an atheist. He even wrote an article on why he is an atheist, while he was in jail. This article was published in The People, a Lahore newspaper, on 27 September 1931; that is about six months after Bhagat Singh was hanged. He has given strong arguments for it, but Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh’s life and every drop of his blood blood was dedicated to India. His faith was only in India and its people. Just think, 23-year-old, locked in a prison cell, to be executed after a few hours, what would be going on his mind or what should be on his mind.

Love For Books

Bhagat Singh was locked in cell number-14 of Lahore Central jail. His lawyer, Prannath Mehta had come to meet him in a jail, about two hours before his hanging. Upon seeing him, Bhagat Singh asked him whether he has brought the book. He had asked Mehta to bring the biography of the great Russian revolutionary Lenin earlier. As Mehta passed him the book, Bhagat Singh immediately got lost in its pages. Mehta was shocked seeing this and asked him in a choked voice, if he would like to leave any message for the country. Bhagat Singh, without taking his eyes off from the book, replied, “Samarajyavad Murdabad and Inquilab Zindabad.” It is important to mention Bhagat Singh’s letter, which he had written from jail on 22 March, 1931, a day before his hanging.

Bhagat Singh’s Name Was Not In Original FIR

Bhagat Singh chose the option of going to the gallows smiling along with his friends, in his devotion to India. His name was not in the original FIR of the British officer Saunders murder case, in which he, Rajguru and Sukhdev were sentenced to death. An FIR was registered at Anarkali police station in Lahore at 4:30 pm on December 17, 1928 in Urdu. Two unknown people were also mentioned in FIR. It is said that he became a part of the plan to kill Saunders as part of a special strategy/ plan. Even not running after throwing bomb in the Delhi assembly was considered part of the big plan. The revolutionaries awakened the spirit of common man of India against the British rule through a strong cross-examination in the court. Their smiling faces on the noose of death, played an important role in eliminating the fear of British police, jail, and death from the heart of common man.

What Did He Hum During His Hanging?

Bhagat Singh’s upbringing was done in such a way that he used to write letter to his friends asking for books. He used to write letter to his father and say that no compromise should be made for his life. In a letter to his younger brother, 20 days before the hanging, Bhagat Singh said- “Felt sad to see tears in your eyes, study hard with courage.” At the time of hanging, Bhagat Singh hummed, “Dil se niklegi na marker bhi watan ki ulfat…meri mitti se bhi khushbu-e-watan aayegi.” British officers were stunned to see the glowing faces of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev who were standing near the noose.

Dream Of India

Bhagat Singh understood what must be going in the mind of the British officer, so he casually asked, “Well Mr. Magistrate… You are fortunate to be able today to see how Indian revolutionaries can embrace death with pleasure for the sake of their supreme ideal…” Such was the thinking of Bhagat Singh and his friends. It is often put forward that Mahatma Gandhi, if wanted could have stopped Bhagat Singh’s hanging. But this view has been looked from different lenses from time to time. The purpose of Mahatma Gandhi and Bhagat Singh was the same, but their path was different. In such situation, it becomes important to understand what kind of dream of India, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were moving forward with.

Shadman Chowk

The Lahore Central jail, where Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were hanged, was transformed into residential colony on 1961. The jail campus, where hanging took place, is known as Shadman Chowk today. The Bhagat Singh Foundation, which is active in Pakistan, has been demanding to change the name of Shadman Chowk to Bhagat Singh Chowk from a long time now. He was inspired by the Russian revolution and influential leaders associated with the freedom struggle of the country. This includes the names of Subhash Chandra Bose, Jawaharlal Nehru, Jayaprakash Narayan, Acharya Narendra Dev. The graph of his popularity has always been bright and accepted in all the ideologies. The freedom of the country was at the priority in Bhagat Singh’s thinking, followed by the motive of opening the way for everyone’s progress. Communalism and hatred had no place in dream of his India.  In such a situation, several messages emerge from the life of great revolutionary Bhagat Singh for both youngsters and leaders today.

What Kind Of India Did Bhagat Singh Dream Of?

Bhagat Singh wanted to build an India, where the rule of people would be there, but he would have hardly imagined a system in which the objective of political parties would be to win elections and remain in power. He used to call himself an atheist, as he didn’t believe in hiding his limitations under guise of religion. At present, attempts are being made to look at history from new lenses. But we should not forget revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev are the Kohinoor (diamond) who have added richness to our history. We should not forget that this is the thinking of Bhagat Singh 96 years ago, which he had said in the pamphlet thrown along with the bomb in the Central Assembly of Delhi- “We consider the human life sacred.” We believe in a bright future, in which every individual will utilise the complete peace and freedom. We are saddened by the compulsion to shed human blood, but the sacrifice of humans is necessary for any revolution.

This means that Bhagat Singh dreamt of an India where the dignity of a person’s life was paramount. An India where everyone got equal opportunity for progress, where there is peace in society and every person can exercise his freedom. Violence and bloodshed had no place. In such a situation, people involved in politics should take lesson of sacrifice from the lives of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev. Instead of having a thought of eliminating others, one should move forward acknowledging the contribution of the heroes of history.

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