The Martyr Who Married Death

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The Martyr Who Married Death

Bhagat Singh never bowed before imperialists

Munish Nagar (munish1107)   "If I had to marry as a slave in India,

then definitely death would be my bride and my country's martyrs

would be guests at my marriage."

 

The words were said by Bhagat Singh who is widely known as

the "Prince of Martyrs" in the history of India's liberation

struggle. This young man sacrificed his life at the young age of 23,

following in the footsteps of Kartar Singh Sarabha who was just 19

when he attained martyrdom while fighting against imperialism.

 

Bhagat Singh was born on Sept. 27, 1907 in Layalpur, but his

ancestral village was Khatkar Kalan of Punjab (India). Singh's

father, Kishan, was a peasant and his mother Vidyavati was a

housewife. His uncle Ajit Singh was also a known personality in

Punjab because he started the peasant movement -- "Pagri Sambhal

Jatta" -- in Punjab with Kishan Singh against the whites who were

ruling at that time. Ajit revolted against the British because

because they were exploiting the farmers with heavy taxes.

 

The roots of patriotism ran very deep in the family and Bhagat Singh

internalized that spirit from his family members. The Jallianwala

massacre, also known as the Amritsar massacre, in which many innocent

unarmed Indians were killed by the English, proved to be a turning

point in his life. He came to know that the struggle for liberation

can't be completed without an armed revolution against the

imperialist power. In those days, Punjab was a politically charged

state and this provided much inspiration for him.

 

Singh attended Dayanand Anglo Vedic School, Lahore and then joined

the National College, Lahore. He was very intelligent and even his

teachers were astonished with his performance. He studied a lot and

the impact of Russian literature was clearly seen in his life. He

didn't limit his life only to books. The more he read and the more he

became inspired to participate in the liberation struggle. Singh was

also inspired by Kartar Singh Sarabha that he always kept his

photograph in his pocket.

 

He was so dedicated to his soul's aim "to liberate India" that he

rejected the idea of marriage given to him by his grandmother. He ran

away and went to Kanpur. There he came into contact with some

revolutionaries who were spreading political awareness in India

secretly because in those days anti-British activities were banned in

the country.

 

He met great revolutionaries like Chandrashekhar Azad and formed an

association to liberate India from the British and spread political

consciousness among Indians. The association was known as "Hindustan

Socialist Republican Army." Its members printed pamphlets, handouts,

posters and they used to distribute this material at night.

 

In 1927, a commission was sent to India under the leadership of Mr.

Simon, which became known as the Simon Commission. Its main objective

was to report on political happenings in India, but there was not a

single Indian on the commission. It soon became clear that it was

merely an eye wash for the Indians. Massive protests followed

throughout in the whole country. In Punjab, Lala Lajpat Rai, a famous

personality of Punjab and founder of the National College, Lahore,

also organized a peace rally and HSRA members also participated. But

the police confronted the rally with bamboo sticks and Rai was

injured badly by the police and later died.

 

The HSRA planned to take revenge. Police officer Scotts was

responsible for the whole scene at the rally so he became their

target. Scotts' murder was planned, but at the time of execution

Bhagat Singh and his fellow comrades made a mistake. They killed

Saunders instead of Scotts. In order to escape from the police, Singh

fled.

 

The British government was planning to present some bills in the

central assembly in New Delhi on April 8, 1929. The HSRA planned to

surrender without arms and drop bombs in the assembly to open the

deaf ears of the British. Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt were

chosen to execute the plan.

 

In April 1929, Singh and Dutt entered the assembly clandestinely and

when the session started they dropped two bombs and chanted "Long

live revolution!" before surrendering themselves peacefully. The two

bombs were not meant to cause any destruction. They were meant for

noise only.

 

Singh and Dutt were sent to jail. In those days, Indian prisoners

were not treated properly in jail. So Singh and his comrades revolted

against the authorities and went on a hunger strike. At last, the

authorities had to bow in front of these fires.

 

The trial of Singh started and he and his companion said, "We wanted

to open the deaf ears of the British so that they can leave our

country. We also wanted the government to know that we can also use

arms. We are not cowards and we are not terrorists."

 

Singh received the death sentence and was hanged in Lahore's central

jail on March 23, 1931 with his two fellow comrades, Sukhdev and

Rajguru. He kept his word to show that he married death and it has

been rightly said that death salutes those who welcome it boldly.

 

Once Bhagat Singh could have escaped from the assembly, but he wanted

to prove "It's better to die on your feet than to live on your

knees."

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