Biography

The Biography of Famous Personalities of India will tell you about the controversies, the dark sides of a person that you may have never heard of.

The Formation of the Forward Bloc and Dangerous Revolutionary of Bose

The Formation of the Forward Bloc

On 3rd May 1939, Subhashbabu founded a party named Forward Bloc as a part of the Congress. Subhashbabu was removed from the presidency of the Bengal Regional Congress in 1939, and was prohibited from any official position in the Congress for the next three years. Hence, the Forward Bloc became an independent party. Subhashbabu started a newspaper called ‘Forward Bloc’ and thus publicised his party. He attempted to create public awareness in order to push the freedom struggle forward.

The Second World War began in September 1939 in Europe. Gandhiji was not ready to put the British in a difficult position during this time. Subhashbabu met Gandhiji in 1940 and requested him to begin the fight against the British. Gandhiji refused to do so.

In March, 1940, convention of the Forward Bloc and the Kisan Sabha was held at Ramgadh (Bihar), where a resolution was passed that India would not assist the British in the War. This resolution was approved at the Nagpur All India Forward Bloc meeting in June, 1940. The Forward Bloc demanded the formation of an immediate provisional (interim) government for India. During this time, Subhashbabu travelled all over the country, holding meetings, and delivering anti-war speeches. His popularity was at its peak at this time.

Subhashbabu believed that Britain was in a difficult position due to the Second World War. India should make the most of this, and use the opportunity to drive the British out. India should not assist Britain or any of the allied nations in this war. He thus made a strong attack against the British Empire.

A Dangerous Revolutionary

The British government considered Subhashbabu a very dangerous revolutionary. They arrested Subhashbabu and his companions on 27th July 1940 and imprisoned them. Not only this but they were also maltreated in prison. Subhashbabu was not ready to lose the opportunity to gain independence while the Second World War was going on. So he informed the government that if he was not released, he would begin a fast unto death.

He began his fast unto death on the 29th of November 1940. In a letter to the governor of Bengal, he wrote that a person should be ready to give up his life in order to keep his nation alive; so he was ready to bring an end to his life for the dignity and honour of his country.

With his health worsening, Subhashbabu was released from prison on 5th December 1940 and kept under surveillance at his Calcutta residence.

During the freedom struggle from 1912 to 1941, Subhashbabu was imprisoned eleven times.

Subhashbabu was of the opinion that India should play an active role against Britain in the world war in order to attain independence. For this, India should join the countries that were fighting against Britain. He thought that people ought to take the opportunity that was available at the international level and thus serve the country.

If he wished to go out of the country and help the country, then he could not adhere to the principles of Congress. One needed to forego the principles of violence and non-violence, religion and politics, and cling on to the idea of achieving independence for India.

The Biography of Famous Personalities of India will tell you about the controversies, the dark sides of a person that you may have never heard of.

Subhash Chandra Bose Marriage and Conventions

His Marriage with Emilie Schenkl

Subhashbabu returned to Vienna on 18th November 1937 for further treatment. He wrote the book ‘An Indian Pilgrim’ here at this time.

During his earlier visit to Vienna, he had developed an intimate relationship with Emilie Schenkl. They fell in love and Subhashbabu married Emilie according to Hindu rites.

On 8th January 1938, he went to England. Here he met various political leaders. In 1938, he was unanimously elected as the president of the Congress Convention even though he was absent.

On 25th January 1938, Subhashbabu returned to India. The Congress workers in Calcutta gave him a hearty welcome.

The Haripura Convention

The Indian National Congress held its 51st Convention at Haripura in Gujarat, in 1938. Subhashbabu presided over this convention and Sardar Patel was its convenor.

Since this was the 51st convention, Subhashbabu was welcomed in a carriage drawn by 51 bullocks. There were 51 decorated archways, and 51 flags unfurled. In the speech delivered here, Subhashbabu spoke about radical means to oppose the British government. He also spoke about the issues of poverty, language, increasing population, financial developmental planning, education and other matters of national importance.

The Tripura Convention

Subhashbabu wished to have the presidency of the Congress even in 1939. Gandhiji was of the opinion that Subhash was militarising the Congress. He thought that if the Congress remained under Subhash’s leadership for a longer time, the basic ideology of the Congress would change. So, Gandhiji did not wish for Subhash to become Congress President now.

Gandhiji wanted to nominate Abul Kalam Azad as candidate for this position against Subhash. However, Azad did not consent, and instead Pattabhi Sitaramaiya was nominated. An election was held after a long time for this position. Most of the workers believed that since Sitaramaiya was backed by Gandhiji, he would easily win the election. But to everyone’s surprise, Subhashbabu won the election by a margin of 203 votes and remained the Congress President for the second consecutive year.

Gandhiji considered Sitaramaiya’s loss as his own loss and did not co-operate with the formation of the working committee, it was not easy for Subhashbabu to work without Qandhiji’s support. Vallabhbhai Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajendra Prasad and Abul Kalam Azad – all handed in their resignations from the Congress working committee on 22 February 1939.

The annual Congress Convention was held at Tripura (Madhya Pradesh) in 1939. Gandhiji and his supporters boycotted this convention. Here, Subhashbabu proposed that, looking at the international situation of an impending Second World War, the Congress should give an ultimatum to the British demanding India’s independence. The Gandhians present here did not agree with this step.

Subhashbabu made many attempts to reach an accord of sorts with Gandhiji, but he was not successful. Without Gandhiji’s backing, it was not possible to continue working as Congress President. So, on 29th April 1939, Subhashbabu resigned from his position, and Rajendra Prasad was appointed President of Congress.

In the General Body meeting of the Congress in August, 1942, Gandhiji used the same ideas that Subhashbabu had used at the Tripura Convention, and started the Quit India Movement. The clarion call of the revolt of 1942 echoed Subhashbabu’s voice.

The Biography of Famous Personalities of India will tell you about the controversies, the dark sides of a person that you may have never heard of.

Subhash Chandra Bose Trip To Europe

The Trip To Europe

Subhashbabu found Vienna comfortable and pleasing. His health began improving slowly. Vitthalbhai Patel too was undergoing treatment in Vienna. Both these patriots lived there together. He could think of different ways to work for the freedom of the nation, apart from the workings of Congress.

On the 6th of March, 1933, Subhashbabu arrived in Italy. He was welcomed by the Indians living here as well as the journalists. He propagated the aspiration for India’s independence here. He met the Italian leader, Mussolini, who promised to help India in the fight for freedom.

Vitthalbhai had to continue his treatment in Switzerland. Subhashbabu met him there and both of them held a ‘Patel- Bose’ convention. Here, they criticized Gandhiji’s leadership. Vitthalbhai introduced Subhashbabu to the Irish leaders who were fighting for the independence of Ireland. Of these, De Valera, a prominent Irish leader, became a close friend to Subhashbabu.

Vitthalbhai’s health worsened. Subhashbabu took great care of him, but finally Vitthalbhai passed away.

Vitthalbhai left his huge inheritance of millions of rupees to Subhashbabu. However, his brother, Vallabhbhai, did not accept this will and filed a case against Subhashbabu in court. Vallabhbhai won the case and went on to donate all this inheritance for Gandhiji’s Harijan welfare programme.

During his stay at Vienna, Subhashbabu wrote a book titled The Indian Struggle’, which was published in November 1934. The daughter of a close friend, Emilie Schenkl, helped him in the publication of this book.

Subhashbabu’s father, Jankinath, fell very ill in 1934. The government released his other son, Sharadchandra, from prison, and permitted Subhashbabu to visit India for one month. Subhashbabu began his journey to India by flight. However, when he reached Karachi, he got to know about the demise of his father. One month later, the government asked him to leave the country again. He returned to Vienna.

Subhashbabu was impatient to return to India. His friends and well-wishers too wanted the same for him. In 1936, the British government announced, in answer to a question raised in the Parliament, that Subhashbabu should not nurture any hopes of returning to India. If, in spite of this, he returns to India, he will be arrested.

In May 1936, when Subhashbabu arrived by steamer at Bandra port in Mumbai, he was immediately arrested and sent to the Arthur Road prison. After this, he was sent to the Yerawada prison, and then to the Karsong prison. The whole country opposed his imprisonment. Jawaharlal Nehru too strongly condemned it.

Subhashbabu’s health deteriorated in prison, and so he was released. He was kept under surveillance in his brother, Sharadchandra’s house in the Kersiong hills. His physical condition worsened day after day. When his health deteriorated further, he was admitted to the Calcutta Medical College hospital.

But his condition did not improve. The government was under pressure to release him from his sentence. So, on 17th of March, 1937, the government released him from surveillance on the condition that he will not participate in politics.

Mow that he was released from surveillance, he went to Dalhousie for further treatment. Shortly, his health improved and he returned to Calcutta to live with his brother.

The Biography of Famous Personalities of India will tell you about the controversies, the dark sides of a person that you may have never heard of.

Subhash Chandra Bose In The Congress General Meeting

In The Congress General Meeting

Subhashbabu and Jawaharlal Nehru were chosen as the General Secretaries at the Annual Congress Assembly at Madras (Chennai) in December 1927. Everyone present there recognized Subhashbabu’s fighting spirit and clarity of thought.

Jawaharlal and Subhashbabu played an important role in politics in 1928. Subhashbabu was elected as the president of the Maharashtra Youth Parliament and he roused the spirits of the youngsters at a meeting in Poona.

In 1928, Subhashbabu came to the Sabarmati Ashram at Ahmadabad and stayed with Gandhiji for two days. He wished that Gandhiji lead the move to oust the British government. He gave a report about the public awareness in Bengal, the United Provinces, Punjab, Maharashtra, Central Provinces, and other places. He explained to Gandhiji that the time was ripe to fight the British directly.

The labour class of the entire country had become restless. There were strikes at various places. Gandhiji should take the support of, the youth and other workers in the country and head the fight against the British. Gandhiji did not agree with Subhashbabu, and clearly stated that he was unable to take on this leadership at the moment. Subashbabu thus became ready to take on a direct fight against the British government. He had already imparted military training to thousands of Congress workers. Thus, Gandhiji and Subhashbabu had their difference of opinion.

In 1928, the committee formed by Motilal Nehru presented the Nehru Report, which was approved by the Calcutta Congress Summit in the same year. However, the report recommended a ‘status of a Dominion, subject to certain temporary reservations’ to India, which Jawaharlal and Subhashchandra did not agree with.

They insisted on complete independence. Gandhiji mediated between them and they reached a compromise. If the government did not accept their recommendations by 31st of December 1929, Gandhiji would adopt the viewpoint of the youth and demand for ‘Poorna Swaraj’ or complete independence.

The revolutionaries were consolidating themselves by 1929 into a group. The radical revolutionaries believed that individual freedom was not possible without national freedom. So they did not believe in any compromise or middle path. Subhashbabu used to publish these revolutionary ideologies in the daily ‘Forward’.

In order to reduce the impact of Subhashbabu, the Bengal Congress Committee nominated a Gandhian ideologist, Sengupta, against him in the elections for the post of regional president. However, Subhashbabu won the presidency with a large majority.

On 23rd January 1930, a huge rally was organised by Subhashbabu. The British government thought that Subhashbabu was instigating the farmers and artisans against the government. So they arrested him and sentenced him to one year of imprisonment. One day, there was a fight between the prisoners and the jail authorities. Subhashbabu got injured in this scuffle and became unconscious for some time. Many people spread the rumour that Subhashbabu had died. The government got nervous and released him from prison in September.

Subhashbabu contested and won the elections for the position of Mayor in 1930, while he was still in prison.

In March, 1930, Gandhiji began the Civil Disobedience Movement. Subhashbabu went to meet Gandhiji. This was a very moving meeting. Subhashbabu took part in the Movement as Gandhiji’s soldier. The government arrested Subhashbabu in April 1930 and imprisoned him in the Alipur prison.

On 26th of January 1931, Subhashbabu organized a huge rally celebrating Independence Day, as president of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation. The government sent their infantry to stop this rally. Many people were injured. Subhashbabu was badly wounded; his body was blood-spattered. And once again he was sent to prison. He was released on 7th of March 1931.

The Congress General Assembly was held in Karachi in 1931. Sardar Vallabhbhai was presiding over this assembly. Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were to be hanged to death the next day, the 23rd of March, 1931, for the murder of the British police officer, Saunders. The youth became aggressive. Subhashbabu was a supporter of the revolutionaries. The youth were enraged because neither the Congress nor Gandhiji could save Bhagat Singh. Subhashbabu passed a resolution at the Congress Assembly regarding the death of Bhagat Singh.

When the Second Round Table Conference failed in 1931, the Civil Disobedience Movement and the Satyagraha movement restarted. Someone wrote a letter to Gandhiji alleging that Subhashbabu was supporting the revolutionaries. This letter fell into the hands of the government. Subhashbabu was arrested on 2nd of January, 1931, and imprisoned in the Alipur jail.

Once again, he suffered an attack of tuberculosis. His body became very weak. Colonel Buckley examined him in January, 1933, and recommended that he go to Vienna, Austria, for further treatment. The government accepted this recommendation. He was released on 23rd February, 1933, with the condition that he would not go to England, and sent off in a steamer to Vienna.

The Biography of Famous Personalities of India will tell you about the controversies, the dark sides of a person that you may have never heard of.

Calcutta Municipal Corporation of Subhash Chandra Bose

Calcutta Municipal Corporation

After Subhash was released from prison, Calcutta faced severe floods. Much of life and property were lost. Subhash carried out relief work with his colleagues. He believed that helping the poor and the needy was his religion.

Dasbabu established the Swaraj Party in 1922, under the patronage of the Congress. This party entered the electoral race and won a thumping majority in the Calcutta Municipal Corporation elections. Dasbabu was appointed Mayor of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation, and Subhashbabu was the chief executive officer of the Municipal Corporation.

He made the use of khadi clothing compulsory for the employees of the Municipal Corporation and developed its education and health services. Subhashbabu took many memorable steps for public welfare. He brought about changes in the workings of the Municipal Corporation at the grassroots level and replaced the English names of roads and streets with Indian names. Most importantly, he did the noble task of employing at the Municipal Corporation, a family member of those who had laid down their lives in the freedom movement.

Subhashbabu became an active pillar and forerunner of the Swaraj Party. He joined the revolutionary freedom fighters, and thus became a thorn in the side of the British government. On 25th October 1924, Subhashbabu was accused by the British government of indulging in terrorist activities and sentenced to imprisonment. Dasbabu resigned from his position as Mayor in protest. The public demand for Subhashbabu grew stronger. So the authorities permitted him to carry on his task of running the Municipal Corporation from the Alipur prison.

The British government was on the lookout for ways in which they could connect Subhashbabu with the revolutionaries. A revolutionary named Gopinath Saha came to Calcutta in 1924 and wanted to kill the British police chief, Charles Tegart, but instead killed an English businessman named Ernest Day in a case of mistaken identity. He was sentenced to death for this.

Subhashbabu performed the last rites and the cremation ceremony of Gopinath’s body. This gave the British government the proof of connection they wanted to associate and connect him with the revolutionaries. Therefore, they imprisoned him in Mandalay (Burma) on 25th January 1925 without even trying him in court. Many freedom fighters were imprisoned here.

Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das passed away at Calcutta on 5th November 1925. Subhash heard about this on radio, and was extremely shocked and grieved.

The Rajya Parishad elections were conducted at Bengal in 1926. Subhashbabu contested this election from prison and won with a thumping majority.

Subhashbabu’s health deteriorated in the Mandalay prison. He was diagnosed with tuberculosis. The government refused to release him from prison. His condition worsened there. The government was afraid that he might die in prison, and so they sent him to the Almora prison in Uttarakhand. His health did not improve here either. His medical reports were sent to Darjeeling to the governor, who ordered an immediate release for him. This news brought a wave of joy to Calcutta.

In 1927, Subhashbabu won the election for the presidency of the Bengal Regional Congress Committee with a huge majority.

The Biography of Famous Personalities of India will tell you about the controversies, the dark sides of a person that you may have never heard of.

Bose Entering The Freedom Movement and The First Imprisonment

Entering The Freedom Movement

Subhashbabu’s national fervour was highly intensified by the martyrdom of revolutionaries like Khudiram Bose, Kanai Dutta and Satyen Bose, who were hanged to death, and thus, sacrificed their lives for the sake of the freedom of the nation.

After returning to India from England, Subhashbabu entered the freedom movement. At this time, Gandhian ideology had spread and pervaded Indian politics. Subhashbabu observed how Indians living in the remotest places had immense faith in Gandhiji. Looking at the passion and the enthusiasm on the faces of the people simply by the presence of Gandhiji, Subhashbabu realized that irrespective of whether one agreed or disagreed with Gandhiji’s ideals, it was not possible to maintain the crowds of people without him. Therefore, Subhashbabu went to Gandhiji for guidance. Gandhiji talked to Subhash and advised him to meet the Bengali leader, Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das, who was also known as Dasbabu.

Subhash met Dasbabu. Dasbabu had renounced everything for the sake of the country. He was well-known as an eminent leader in Bengal, and was the President of Bengal Congress as well. He believed that some of Gandhiji’s ideals were excessive and severe, and that Gandhiji laid too much of insistence on non-violence, which was unacceptable. Subhashbabu was impressed by Dasbabu’s thoughts, and expressed his desire to work with him. So he joined political activities under his guidance.

At this time, Gandhiji was leading the Non-cooperation movement (1920-1922). Dasbabu was heading this movement in Bengal. Subhash joined him in this movement. Dasbabu assigned Subhash the responsibilities of the principalship at Calcutta’s National College. Here, the students were taught the lessons of nationalism together with their academics.

Dasbabu also handed over the responsibility of the newspaper called ‘Swarajya’ to Subhashchandra. The newspaper enabled Subhashchandra to express the mindset and understanding behind the freedom movement, and this earned him popularity among people.

The First Imprisonment

England’s heir apparent, the Prince of Wales, visited India on 17th of November 1921. According to the directive of the Congress, different programmes of hostility were organised at this event of his arrival. Calcutta was declared totally shut down on this date. When the Prince visited Calcutta on 24th of December 1921, there were many demonstrations of protest and strikes all over the city.

Dasbabu and Subhash Chandra were sentenced to six months imprisonment on 10th December, 1921, for the act of protesting against the visit of the Prince of Wales. Both of them were jailed together, and thus they became closer during this time. Finally, Subhash’s quest for a Guru which began when he was fifteen, was fulfilled when he became close to Dasbabu. They were both released on 24th August 1922. This was Subhashchandra’s first imprisonment.

Following the violent incidents at Chauri Chaura in February, 1922 during the Non-cooperation movement, Gandhiji decided to withdraw this movement. Subhashbabu did not approve of this. Subhashbabu’s political outlook began differing from that of Gandhiji at this point. Gandhiji wished to win the hearts of the enemy.

Subhashbabu wished to grab the power from their control. He believed that one should take advantage of every mistake committed by the enemy. We should win as many battles and movements as possible. The fight should go on, the enemy should be cornered, and Indians should be redeemed from negative forces. One should never miss out an opportunity to win a mental combat against the enemy. He used to say, ‘There will soon come a time when we will have to fight like Shivaji for Swaraj. Weapons and bravery are the only means to free our motherland from slavery.”

The Biography of Famous Personalities of India will tell you about the controversies, the dark sides of a person that you may have never heard of.

A Fearless Revolutionary, Birth, Childhood And Education of Bose

A Fearless Revolutionary

The Quit India movement of 1942 was the final struggle for independence in India. The entire country resounded with slogans and cries of ‘Go away, Britishers !’ At this time, the eastern border of India saw the Azad Hind Fauj proceeding forward with the rallying cry, ‘Chalo Delhi !’ (‘Onward to Delhi !’) under the leadership of Subhashchandra Bose. Both these movements contributed significantly towards the attainment of India’s independence.

The creation of the Azad Hind Fauj, its attempts to lead India to independence and its brave crusades against British Raj, are passionate, inspiring and unmatched events in the history of the Indian freedom struggle. Gandhiji wished to lead India towards freedom on the path of non-violence, whereas Subhashchandra wanted freedom for the country by any means and at all cost. He used to say, ‘Give me your blood, and I shall give you freedom.’

Talking to an American journalist Louis Fischer in 1944, Gandhiji had described Netaji as The Patriot of all patriots’.

Even today, India remembers, reveres and respects Subhashchandra, the fiery warrior of Indian independence, and the fearless revolutionary warrior who pledged to shed the last drop of his blood in the fight against injustice, terror and oppression.

There were innumerable men and women involved in the fight for the freedom of the Motherland. They shone brightly in the history of India’s freedom, like stars in the Milky Way. One bright star in this Milky Way was Subhashchandra. Youngsters were ready to lay down their lives with just one nod from him. He had different ways of achieving freedom. He firmly believed that one could not drive away oppressors politely, and it took a needle to pluck out a thorn.

The non-violent path that Gandhiji was advocating did not sit well in the mind of the radical and revolutionary Subhashchandra. And yet, Gandhiji held an esteemed and revered position in his heart. He had said, “Mahatma Gandhi is my Gum. He is a modem day sage. His ideal of non-violence is a ray of hope for the entire human race. I bow down to him. However, non-violence is the weak link for this enslaved nation.”

These words of Subhashchandra show his admirable humility: I have fought with Gandhiji and come abroad. This does not mean that I want to blow my own tmmpet. If I can succeed in removing the cormpt and evil British raj from my country, then I will immediately lay the control of my free country at the feet of Mahatmaji.”

Subhashchandra Bose is well-known in history as Netaji (Leader). The Indian government conferred the ‘Bharat Ratna’ on him posthumously in 1992.

Birth, Childhood And Education

Subhashchandra was born in Cuttack, Orissa, on the 23rd of January, 1897. His father was Raibahadur Jankinath, and his mother was Prabhavati Devi. He was the ninth among fourteen children. His father was a well-known lawyer and his mother was a religious housewife. Prabhavati Devi’s father was Ganganarayan Dutta. The Dutta family was considered dignified in Calcutta for generations.

His father’s hometown was a village called Kodilia, from 24 Parganas of West Bengal. He worked very hard to become a lawyer. He came to Cuttack to practice Law, and settled here. He also became a government lawyer. The government gave him the title of ‘Raibahadur’ in appreciation of his successful legal practice, which he returned to the government during the freedom struggle of 1930. He also became a member of the Legislative Assembly of Bengal in 1912.

In spite of being a government administrator, Jankinath was a true patriot. He encouraged students of a missionary school, where he delivered a speech during a prize distribution function, to fill their hearts with the desire to free their motherland from foreign rule, to fight against injustice and to work hard to create good governance after the attainment of self-governance in India. Subhash had inherited the quality of fearlessness from him.

His mother was a great woman. She was a devotee of Ramakrishna Paramhans. Her religious ideologies created a strong conscience in Subhash, the child. The cultured parenting of Prabhavati Devi ensured that all her children were intelligent and academically sound.

Subhashchandra’s elder brother was a businessman. He owned the Prabha Mill at Viramgam, which he had named after his mother.

Subhashchandra was admitted into the Baptist Missionary School in 1902 for his primary education. It was a very strict school, and Subhashchandra liked it to be so. He became the favourite student of all the teachers very quickly.

In 1909, he was admitted to the Ravenshaw Collegiate School. This was a school steeped in Indian culture and nationalism. The seeds of patriotism were planted here in Subhashchandra’s heart. Here, he encountered a teacher named Beniprasad Madhavdas, who had a lasting influence on Subhash. Beniprasad, the then Headmaster of the school, lectured him about serving the afflicted and distressed people.

At this time, there was an outbreak of Cholera in Cuttack, and many were dying because of it. So, under the influence of Beniprasad, Subhashbabu collected a group of friends and went around the poor areas of the city, distributing medicines and helping to clean up dirty areas. Reading the teachings of Swami Vivekananda and hearing about them, made Subhashchandra’s own life very dignified. The brilliant light of such books lit up the darkness when he was faced with difficult times.

Subhash passed his Matriculate examination in 1913. Then he went to Calcutta and entered Presidency College. This was a westernised college. A renowned professor named Oaten taught here. He was a staunch racist, and would often insult Indian students. He considered Indians worse than animals. Once, he got angry with an Indian student, used foul language and slapped him. Subhash’s tolerance reached its limit when he witnessed this deliberate insult.

An enraged Subhash slapped the professor back. The whole college was taken aback. Subhash was expelled from the college by the University for such unprecedented, bad behaviour. He had to return to Cuttack and face his father.

Subhash’s mind was drawn towards spirituality as well as patriotism. His mother’s religious culture and Vivekananda’s ideology aroused a deep desire of self-knowledge. At the tender age of fifteen, Subhash left home in search of a Guru and went to the Himalayas. He met quite a few sages and yogis at different holy places on the way, but he could not find a Guru for himself. He roamed around on the Himalayas for six months and then returned home.

Two years later, during the tenure of Ashutosh Mukherjee, the Vice-chancellor of Calcutta University, Subhash’s education was terminated. He then took admission into the Scottish Church College, and passed his B.A. in Philosophy in 1919, ranking second in the University.

His father advised him to appear for the Indian Civil Service examination. At this time, this examination was held at London. Subhash did not wish to work for the British government. He believed that the ICS was a golden leash around the neck of a person, nevertheless, he still decided to appear for the ICS exam, just in order to respect his father’s wishes.

Subhash left for England on The City of Calcutta’ ship on 15th September 1919. He reached London in October, 1919, and entered the Cambridge University in order to prepare for the exam. Subhash passed the ICS exam which was taken in March, 1920, ranking fourth overall. The happiness of the Bose family knew no bounds ! After the examination, he needed to take a year of training.

He finished his apprenticeship in February, 1921, and was to be given his appointment within a month, when Subhashbabu quit ICS because his desire to serve the country was greater. Thus, he became a shining example of the renunciation of power and wealth at a very young age, to innumerable youngsters all over the country. His father was very upset. Subhash returned to India on 16th of July 1921, after experiencing severe racial discrimination in England. His patriotism and his extreme dislike for the British increased after his stay at England.

The Biography of Famous Personalities of India will tell you about the controversies, the dark sides of a person that you may have never heard of.

Gandhi’s Efforts for Bhagat Singh

Gandhi’s Efforts for Bhagat Singh

Bhagat Singh was not a devotee of non-violence, but he did not subscribe to the religion oF violence. He took to violence due to helplessness and to defend his homeland. These heroes had conquered the Fear oF death. Let us bow to them a thousand times For their heroism. —MK Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi had met Lord Irwin, the Viceroy of India on 19 March 1931 and pleaded for the remission of the death sentence of Bhagat Singh and his comrades.

But the fact of Gandhiji-Irwin meeting was immediately brought to the notice of the Punjab Governor along with Punjab wing of the colonial administration who strongly felt that Gandhiji might succeed in saving these youthful lives. Hence, setting aside its earlier decision to take these revolutionaries to the gallows on 24 March 1931, they were secretly hanged on 23 March 1931 itself.

Gandhiji also wrote a long letter to Lord Irwin, pleading such remission on 23 March 1931. Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, Jawaharlal Nehru and Tej Bahadur Sapru had also joined hands to save the lives of these revolutionaries.

In his address at the Karachi Congress on 26 March 1931, Gandhiji made a detailed reference to his various efforts for saving these young lives. He also told the delegates that he had been hopeful that his efforts would bear fruits. The truth is that Gandhiji was to meet the family members of Bhagat Singh on 23 March 1931. On the same date he had written a long letter to the Viceroy in which he had poured out his heartfelt feelings in their entirety. The colonial administration clearly frustrated his efforts by predating the hanging of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev.

The Karachi Congress passed a resolution drafted by Gandhiji paying glorious tributes to Bhagat Singh and his comrades. The resolution had also expressed deep feelings of condolence and sympathy for the bereaved families of these revolutionaries.

Jawaharlal Nehru had recorded in his autobiography that Gandhiji had tried his level best to save the lives of these revolutionaries but he could not succeed. Gandhiji’s letter to the Viceroy is also available in the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi.

Timeline

• 1907 : 28th September, Birth of Bhagat Singh
• 1919 : 13 April, Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
• 1921 : Non-Cooperation Movement Began
• 1922 : 20th February, Chauri-Chaura Massacre, end of Movement
• 1922 : 13th March, Gandhiji Arrested for Movement
• 1922-23 : Akali Movement
• 1925 : 9th August, Kakori Train Robbery by HRA
• 1926 : Dussehra Bomb Case in October
• 1926 : Organised Naujawan Bharat Sabha
• 1926 : Joined Hind Republican Association
• 1928 : 8, 9 September, Transformed HRA into HSRA in Delhi
• 1928 : 30 October, Simon Commission Demonstration
• 1928 : 17 November, Lala Lajpat Rai Martyred
• 1928 : 17 December, Shooting of Saunders at Lahore
• 1929 : Hunger Strike in Jail for several days
• 1929 : 8th April, Bomb Explosion at Assembly
• 1930 : 7th October, End of Trial
• 1931 : 27 February, Chandra Shekhar Azad attained Martyrdom
• 1931 : 23rd March, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru hanged

The Biography of Famous Personalities of India will tell you about the controversies, the dark sides of a person that you may have never heard of.

Bhagat Singh’s Last Message, Ideology and Legacy

The Last Message

Every tiny molecule of Ash is in motion with my heat, I am such a Lunatic that I am Free even in Jail.

Bhagat Singh, a brave and selfless soldier of Indian independence, never wanted any kind of remission in his own death sentence. Nor did his comrades. That is why they did not even participate in the fake trial and never put up any legal defence or mercy petition for themselves. Desire to offer their life on the altar of Indian independence was the driving force behind their death-defying actions.

It is because of his martyrdom that his life and thought became the source of inspiration and a symbol of beacon light for millions of our countrymen. He not only wanted freedom for the country but also worked for a new social order in which all its members could live in peace, free from all discrimination and deprivation. It was a clarion call for a socialist society.

It is to be noted that Bhagat Singh did not put up any legal defence in the course of his trial. When questioned about it, he unequivocally stated that his aim of human liberation could be achieved by his martyrdom. It would also inspire other people to fight more vigourously for the freedom of the country.

When, asked about his message to his countrymen, just before he was being taken to the gallows, Bhagat Singh said that his last message and testament is inherent in his two clarion calls-Death to Imperialism and Hail the Revolution.

In the same vein, when asked about his last wish, he said that he would like to be born in this very land so that he could serve it once again in his next life. In response to the request for offering his prayer to God before he was to be taken to the gallows, he said that he had never offered religious prayer in his entire life. So if he asked to be forgiven now, then God might consider him to be a coward and a fearful person.

It was during these last moments of his life that he delivered a stirring speech in which he said:

‘Our people are the real revolutionary force in the country. But our upper class leaders could not take them along with themselves. They had neither the will nor the courage for that. Hence let us put an end to our little interests. Let us not aspire for little pleasure and move forward with courage and determination. We have to move forward inch by inch. Let no obstacles come in the way to your final destination. Let no acts of failure or betrayals deter you from your heart cherished goal. Success could be achieved only through suffering and sacrifices. This is how the ultimate goal of revolution would be achieved.’

In his own characteristic way, while referring to his impending martyrdom, he added:

‘This is the highest award for my patriotism for the love of my country. I feel proud of the fact that I am the person chosen for such highest award. If the British think that they could feel secure in this country after destroying my body, they would be proved wrong by history. They could kill me, but they could never destroy my ideas. They could easily trample over my body but they could never succeed in killing my feelings and thoughts. My thought would continue to work as a haunting curse, till they are forced to leave this country.’

He further added: ‘For the British, Martyred Bhagat Singh would be more dangerous than the living one. My revolutionary ideas would grip the youth and put a new consciousness of freedom in them. I am waiting for the day when my services to the country and my love for the people would be widely recognized and respected. That would be the highest award for me. My ideas would never perish.’

Ideology and Legacy

It is easy to kill individuals but you can not kill the ideas. Great empires crumbled, while the ideas survived.

From a very young age patriotism had taken its seed in Bhagat Singh’s conscience. He grew up to appreciate nationalism and crave a British-free independent India. Extensive reading of European literature propelled him towards forming a socialist outlook strongly desiring a democratic future for his beloved country.

Although born a Sikh, Bhagat Singh veered towards Atheism after witnessing several Hindu-Muslim riots and other religious outbreaks.

He believed that something as precious as Independence can only be achieved by a thorough cleansing of the exploitative nature of imperialism. He opined that such change can only be brought forward by means of an armed revolution, in similar lines to the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. He introduced the slogan “Inquilab Zindabad” which sort of transformed into the war cry of the Indian Independence movement.

Being hungry for more action, more fruitful action, Bhagat Singh, Chandra Shekhar Azad and other revolutionaries established, after the prolonged deliberations made on 9th and 10th September, 1928, in the midst of the living ruins of the historic Feroze Shah Kotla in Delhi, the HSRA (Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (Army). This HSRA does not only indicate the growth of Bhagat Singh’s stature as a leader but also indicates his revolutionary progress to military atheism via Marxian socialism.

They killed Saunders because “the death of the great Punjabi leader Lala Lajpat Rai was seen by the youthful leadership of the HSRA as a direct challenge”. In a poster, put up by the HSRA after the assassination, they justified the assassination of Saunders:

The murder of a leader respected by millions of people at the unworthy hands of an ordinary police official….. was an insult to the nation. It was the bounden duty of young men of India to efface it.
………… We regret to have had to kill a person but he was part and parcel of what inhuman and unjust order which has to be destroyed.

Bhagat Singh and BK Dutt bombed the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi to protest implementation of the Public Safety Bill. The bombs they carried allegedly were not intended to kill but to scare as no one was killed, though there were some injuries. The bombers planned to get arrested and stand trial so they could further promote their cause.

The actions of the young revolutionaries were soundly condemned by followers of Gandhi, but Bhagat Singh was delighted to have a stage on which to promote his cause. He offered no defense during the trial but disrupted the proceedings with rants of political dogma.

Bhagat Singh, his intense patriotism coupled with cultivated idealism, made him an ideal icon for the youth of his generation. Through his written and vocal admonition of the British Imperial Government, he became the voice of his generation. His vehement departure from the Gandhian non-violent route to Swaraj has often been criticized by many, yet through the fearless embracing of martyrdom he inspired hundreds of teens and youths to join the freedom struggle wholeheartedly.

The next time the British would face so grave a problem and so fierce an enemy would be 10 years later in 1941. There would be a much more developed and well organised army then lead by none other than Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, an ardent supporter and sympathizer of Chandra Shekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh.

Subhash Chandra Bose said : “Bhagat Singh had become the symbol of the new awakening among the youths.” Jawaharlal Nehru acknowledged that Bhagat Singh’s popularity was leading to a new national awakening, saying : “He was a clean fighter who faced his enemy in the open field …. he was like a spark that became a flame in a short time and spread from one end of the country to the other dispelling the prevailing darkness everywhere.

Four years after Bhagat Singh’s hanging, the Director of the Intelligence Bureau, Sir Horace Williamson, wrote : “His photograph was on sale in every city and township and for a time rivaled in popularity even that of Mr. Gandhi himself.

His eminence in current times is evident from the fact that Bhagat Singh was voted as the Greatest Indian, ahead of Subhash Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi, in a poll conducted by India Today in 2008.

In Pakistan, after a long-standing demand by activists from the Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation of Pakistan, the Shadman Chowk square in Lahore, where he was hanged, was renamed as Bhagat Singh Chowk.

The inspiration that Bhagat Singh still ignites within the soul of Indians can be felt in the popularity of the films and theatrical adaptations on his life. Several films like “Shaheed” (1965) and “The Legend of Bhagat Singh” (2002) were made on the life of 23-year old revolutionary. Popular songs like “Mohe rang de basanti chola” and “Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna” associated with Bhagat Singh are still relevant in inspiring patriotic emotions in the Indians. Numerous books, articles and papers have been written about his life, ideologies and legacy.

The Biography of Famous Personalities of India will tell you about the controversies, the dark sides of a person that you may have never heard of.

The Great Martyrdom and Post Martyrdom of Bhagat Singh

The Great Martyrdom

They may kill me, but they cannot kill my ideas. They can crush my body, but they will not be able to crush my spirit.

The trial of Bhagat Singh and other accused commenced. In those days political prisoners were not treated properly in the jail. They were not given proper food. They were made to suffer in every possible way. Bhagat Singh and his companions decided to fight against the wretched conditions.

They launched a hunger strike advocating for the rights of prisoners and those facing trial. During the hunger strike that lasted 63 days and ended with the British succumbing to his wishes, he gained much popularity among the common Indians. Before the strike his popularity was limited mainly to the Punjab region. However, a revolutionary Jatin Das died during the hunger strike in Jail.

Owing to the slow pace of the legal proceedings, a special tribunal consisting of Justice J. Coldstream, Justice Agha Hyder and Justice G. C. Hilton was set up on the directives of the Viceroy, Lord Irwin on 1 May 1930. The tribunal was empowered to proceed without the presence of the accused and was a one-sided trial that hardly adhered to the normal legal rights guidelines.

The trial of Bhagat Singh and his companions began; it drew the attention of the whole world. The court was heavily guarded by the police. No spectators were allowed inside the court. The prisoners were brought to the court in chains. They used to shout ‘Long Live Revolution’ and only then enter the court hall.

Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt stated, “If the deaf are to hear, the sound has to be very loud. When we dropped the bomb, it was not our intention to kill anybody. We have bombed the British Government. The British must quit India and make her free.” They also explained the objects of their association. The whole world came to understand their aim and activities because of the press reports.

The tribunal delivered its 300-page judgement on 7 October 1930. It declared that irrefutable proof has been presented confirming the involvement of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru in the Saunders murder case. Bhagat Singh admitted to the murder and made statements against the British rule during the trial. The three were sentenced to be hanged till death, some were to undergo life imprisonment, some were to be kept in jail for five years, some for seven, some for ten years.

Warrent of Execution on Sentence of Death

Bhagat Singh was to be hanged! When the news spread, the people all over the country were mad with rage. Thousands of appeals were sent to the Government, pleading that he should be saved. Several leaders of public life joined in the appeal. But all attempts failed. It was decided to hang them on the 24th of March 1931. Even the members of the prisoners’ families were not allowed to meet them. Moreover, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were hanged a day before the appointed day, that is, on March 23, 1931.

Even on the day of their hanging they were fearless. It is said that the trio proceeded quite cheerfully towards the gallows while chanting their favourite slogans like “Inquilab Zindabad” and “Down with British Imperialism”. They competed with one another to be hanged first. It was decided that first Sukhdev would be hanged and then Bhagat Singh and finally Rajguru. All the three climbed the platform. Kissing the rope, they themselves put it round their neck. They died with the name of Bharat Mata on their lips. Such was the glorious end of the three champions of freedom.

That day no one in the jail touched food. Everyone was in tears. The next day, not knowing that the trio had already been hanged, their relatives came to meet them. But it was all over with them. The dead bodies of the martyrs had been secretly burnt on the bank of the river Sutlej. Getting a clue thousands of people raced to the spot; but only the ashes remained. The people sobbed, with the ashes in their hands.

All over the country tributes were paid to the heroes who fought for freedom and sacrificed their lives. Hundreds of songs were composed and sung about the martyrdom of Bhagat Singh. Even today, the heroic spirit of Bhagat Singh is an unfailing source of inspiration to the youth of the country. His courage, spirit of adventure and patriotism are an example to one and all in India and the world.

The place where Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were cremated, at Hussainiwala on the banks of the Sutlej river, became Pakistani territory during the partition. On 17 January 1961, it was transferred to India in exchange for 12 villages near the Sulemanki Headworks. Batukeshwar Dutt was cremated there on 19 July, 1965 in accordance with his last wishes, as was Bhagat Singh’s mother, Vidyawati. The National Martyrs Memorial was built on the cremation spot in 1968 and has memorial of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev. During the 1971 India-Pakistan war, the memorial was damaged and the statues of the martyrs were removed by the Pakistani Army. They have not been returned but the memorial was rebuilt in 1973.

On 15 August 2008, an 18-foot tall bronze statue of Singh was installed in the Parliament of India, next to the statues of Indira Gandhi and Subhash Chandra Bose. A portrait of Singh and Dutt also adorns the walls of the Parliament House.

In 1968, a postage stamp was issued in India commemorating the 61st birth anniversary of Singh. A ₹ 5 coin commemorating him was released for circulation in 2012.

Post Martyrdom

Every year there would be gatherings of the people on the cremation ground of martyrs. That alone would remain a remnant symbol of those patriots who shed their blood For the sake oF the country. —Anonymous

After the arrest of Bhagat Singh and other revolutionaries, Chandra Shekhar Azad successfully evaded arrest for about next two years but on 28 February, 1931 he was surrounded by armed police in Alfred Park of Allahabad. He engaged for long, exchanging fire with the police but shot himself down when he was left with the last bullet in his pistol.

Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev and Chandra Shekhar Azad became cult figures. The war they conducted themselves both in and off the court, both in and off the jail endeared them to the massess. Though Mahatma Gandhi hesitated to plead for them, he pleaded for the commutation of the punishment given to lifelong deportation.

On 17 February, 1931 Lord Irwin signed a pact with MK Gandhi and yet Gandhi could not save the young heroes of India. Though Irwin rose and rose up in the socio-political ladder of England to be raised to an Earldom in 1944, Gandhiji’s popularity plummeted.

Consequently like Khudi Ram and Jatin Das (who fasted in the jail and died on the 64th day of the self-imposed starvation), Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru and Chandra Shekhar Azad became toasts of the entire Hindustan (Undivided).

Bhagat Singh, despite his involvement in 26 terrorist activities alone then in Punjab in one year said, “Revolution to me was not the cult of pistol and bomb”. He, further, expanded: “Revolution is the inalienable right of the mankind. Freedom is the imprescriptible birth right of all”. So he himself and his comrades were glorious in welcoming death.

Further they explicated: “We are content. We await the advent of revolution”. Explaining his own ethical position, in the article “Why I am an atheist?”, he stated that he was “trying to stand like a man with an erect head to the last; even on the galiows”.

Six days before the Indian National Congress met on 29 March, 1931 in Karachi, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were executed allegedly for their terrorist activities. Vallabhbhai Patel, in his presidential address said:

The execution of young Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru has filled the country with deep resentment. I cannot identify myself with their methods, but the patriotism, daring and sacrifice of Bhagat Singh and his comrades, commend my admiration. The heartless and foreign nature of the Govt, was never more strikingly demonstrated than in their carrying out the executions in the teeth of the all but the universal demand for the commutation of the death sentence.

The Indian National Congress Resolved :

The Congress, while dissociating itself from and disapproving of political violence in any shape or form, places on record its admiration of the bravery and sacrifice of the late Sardar Bhagat Singh and his comrades, Sukhdev and Rajguru.

Gandhiji, the apostle of non-violence, salved his conscience by condemning violence but also admired Bhagat Singh’s violent activities for the sake of liberation of India. Yet, his public reputation slumped alarmingly.

For the Indians, Bhagat Singh was not just an ordinary person killing unpopular British officials as well as Indian traitors but was a champion of communism, socialist welfarism, national solidarity, secularism, and emancipatory humanism. So after the execution the entire nation immersed itself in condolence.

After the death of Bhagat Singh, ‘Inqualab Zindabad’, became the battle cry of all the dispossessed and the poor, fighting against every kind of exploitation, injustice and domination. He never intended to indulge in any act violence and murder. He went on to say that the present system based on exploitation would have to be ended. He wanted a society free from exploitation and inequality.

Did not Gandhiji seek the same goal which he called Ramrajya? Did both of them not opt for their martyrdom in the service of the country? Both of them had nourished the feeling that their thought, their labour, their feelings would survive even after the dissolution of their bodies. Both had chosen different paths to their goal of freedom for the country and its people. Their self-chosen motto was not revenge but revolution, bravery not cowardice.