The Rebel

When faced with a series of setbacks, one's hope wanes and one loses enthusiasm in pursuing action. A person's despair and melancholy can be exacerbated by repeated defeat. Can we envision a young man working on a chapter of a book while awaiting his execution in a matter of hours?

This was an example of a remarkable Indian revolutionary's character, wit, courage, and power. It is surprising that he was still interested in pursuing his hobby of reading a book even on the last day before his hanging. One and only one such extraordinary incident occurred in India. This incident pertains to one of India's greatest freedom fighter, Sardar Bhagat Singh.

The young man who willfully chose death and was hung by the British government at the age of 21. He asked the British government to shoot him instead of hanging him since he considered himself to be a freedom warrior and revolutionary. His demand, however, was denied. Sardar Bhagat Singh's bravery at the age of 21 is unparalleled in history.

Will our country ever see this type of youth again? Our nation is commemorating Republic Day. Simply participating in the Flag March at India Gate is insufficient. Youth should be reminded of the long freedom battle in which many Indian youth participated at the time.

In fact, Republic Day serves as a reminder of those who have given their lives to make this goal a reality. It is because of their sacrifices that we have this freedom. Among the many independence warriors, the name of Sardar Bhagat Singh is held in high regard.

These sacrifices should be reminded in the mind of Indian young population in order to enable them to comprehend the price of our independence. Sardar Bhagat Singh's storey is one of those enthralling tales that may inspire any Indian kid.

Sardar Bhagat Singh is regarded as one of India's Great Revolutionaries, having played a crucial part in the country's war for independence. Many rebels played crucial roles in the war for Indian independence. Among all of these rebels, Sardar Bhagat Singh's personality stands out. Readers will be startled to learn that Sardar Bhagat Singh survived only 21 till years.

From the outset, he saw his family members struggle against the British government's atrocities. His uncle continued to struggle against the injustice against Indians. Sardar Bhagat Singh was troubled by the plight of the oppressed from the start. Bhagat Singh has never believed in the presence of a merciful God.

Bhagat Singh's faith was severely shaken after seeing the Britishers' atrocities against the poor and weak Indians. He couldn't think God could be kind while yet allowing the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre to take place.

The brutal attack by British Police against Indian freedom fighter Shri Lala Lajpat Roy on 17.11.1928 sparked the fire in him that led him to become a revolutionary. As a result of a lathi charge carried out on him by Britishers in Lahore, Lala Lajpat Roy died. Sardar Bhagat Singh chose the path of violence to avenge the brutal murder of Lala Lajpat Roy.

Later, he decided to kill Deputy Inspector General Scott, who had been responsible for Lala Lajpat Roy's death, but he killed Assistant Superintendent Saunders instead. After that he dramatically escaped from Lahore to Calcutta after killing Assistant Superintendent Saunders and reached Agra where he was instrumental in establishing bomb factory.

Bhagat Singh cast considerable doubt on God's existence.He was an outspoken atheist who remained so till the end of his days. Bhagat Singh was a firm non believer in the presence of God. People's pain and misery shook his trust in God. He also wrote an article that was published after he passed away. WHY I AM AN ATHEIST was the title of the piece.

The following are key portions from that essay, penned by Sardar Bhagat Singh in his said article. Bhagat Singh , being atheist asked questions to the follower of God in following manner.

 ” 1. If, as you believe there is an Almighty, Omnipresent, Omniscient God, who created the earth or universe, please let me know, first of all, as to why he created this world. This world which is full of woe and grief, and countless miseries, where not even one person lives in peace.

2. Pray, don’t say it is His law. If He is bound by any law, He is not Omnipotent. Don’t say it is His pleasure. Nero burnt one Rome. He killed a very limited number of people. He caused only a few tragedies, all for his morbid enjoyment. But what is his place in history? By what names do we remember him? All the disparaging epithets are hurled at him. Pages are blackened with invective diatribes condemning Nero: the tyrant, the  heartless, the wicked.

3.One Genghis Khan killed a few thousand people to seek pleasure in it and we hate the very name. Now, how will you justify your all powerful, eternal Nero, who every day, every moment continues his pastime of killing people? How can you support his doings which surpass those of Genghis Khan in cruelty and in misery inflicted upon people? I ask why the Almighty created this world which is nothing but a living hell, a place of constant and bitter unrest. Why did he create man when he had the power not to do so? Have you any answer to these questions?

4.You will say that it is to reward the sufferer and punish the evildoer in the hereafter. Well, well, how far will you justify a man who first of all inflicts injuries on your body and then applies soft and soothing ointment on them? How far the supporters and organizers of Gladiator bouts were justified in throwing men before half starved lions, later to be cared for and looked after well if they escaped this horrible death. That is why I ask: Was the creation of man intended to derive this kind of pleasure?"

One thing was certain: Bhagat Singh was adamant in his beliefs. This is significant since he had an extremely short life span. He died while he was only 23 years old. He harbored severe doubts regarding God's existence.

Another aspect is that he was unable to obtain the correct response. He was unable to find the right Spiritual Guru. He would have reached the pinnacle in spiritual field also if he had met a great spiritual Guru and received proper guidance.

Perhaps he was not lucky enough to cherish the destiny of an Indian rebel named Aurovindo Ghosh, who was a revolutionary in his younger years but subsequently became one of India's finest saints and established in devotion to Lord Krishna. Sardar Bhagat Singh was, and was, an atheist revolutionary throughout his life, but was certainly having all the basic qualities to tread on the path spiritual peak.

It is because a person has to believe firmly in his ideology to attain spiritual height. Then one can defeat nature's laws. It is imperative to be able to transcend bodily desire. In a sense, Bhagat Singh fulfilled this requirement.

He also threw a bomb in the then Central Assembly Hall to protest the British Government's Trade disputes bills. It was done only to register protest against the implementation of unreasonable laws. During that incident, no one was injured. Even though he had enough time to escape, he instead got himself arrested and sent to jail.

In 1929, in protest of differential treatment of Indian prisoners, he began his fast in jail, which lasted for 116 days. The number of fasting days that he completed exceeded those done by any revolutionary before him. Asceticism is based on conquering the human appetite, which is a prerequisite to treading this path and of course he was one of the most man for this path.

This facet of Bhagat Singh's life should not be overlooked: he was quite honest and serious in what he thought, believed, and did. He was adamant in his beliefs.

Sardar Bhagat Singh denied the existence of God throughout his life. He used to criticize God for the impoverished and downtrodden ordinary man's misery. Even on his dying day, when he was hanged, he remained staunch in his convictions.

Karl Marx's philosophy was a subject that piqued his curiosity. He used to read Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin's works. His vision of India was a country in which no one was separated based on caste or creed.

Bhagat Singh was a vocal opponent of Hindu society's Caste System. He loudly chastised Indian leader Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya for accepting a sweeper's garland and then attempted to cleanse himself with Ganga Water. Any such practises were frowned upon by him.

Despite the fact that his strategy of achieving independence differed from Mahatma Gandhi's nonviolent approach. Both Sardar Bhagat Singh and Mahatma Gandhi, on the other hand, aspired to better the plight of India's untouchables.

Even until his death, his determination to restore social peace to India's many classes and castes remained unwavering.

There was a Muslim Sweeper named Bhoga in Lahore Central Jail when he was about to be executed. Bhoga belonged to the lower caste, whereas Bhagat Singh belonged to the upper caste.

Bhagat Singh referred to him as Bebe (the mother). According to Bhagat Singh, Bhoga used to clean the jail in the same way that a mother cleans a baby's body. That is why Bhagat Singh referred to Bhoga as Bebe (the mother).

Bhagat Singh yearned to eat Bhoga's Roti (bread) in the latter days of his life. Though Bhoga was apprehensive to give Bhagat Singh the meal he made, he did so after Bhagat Singh's repeated requests.

Whatever thoughts Bhagat Singh cultivated in his mind, he carried out in his life. He not only wished for India to be a casteless society, but he also led by example. On the one hand, when one of the Greats, Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya, failed to overcome his conditioning, Bhagat Singh was successful.

The hanging of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru is commemorated as Martyrdom Day every year on March 23. On the night of March 23, 1931, these three sons of the country were hung in Lahore's Central Jail.

Senior prison warden Chhattar Singh urged that Sardar Bhagat Singh sing the praises of God on the day he was to be executed. However, Bhagat Singh disputed this, saying that if he took the name of God on the final day of his life, "they would assume that I was terrified."

When Jail Warden Chhattar Singh arrived to take Bhagat Singh to be executed, he was reading a book about Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin. When Chhattar Singh arrived , while reading the book, Bhagat Singh stated, "WAIT A MINUTE, ONE REBEL IS MEETING THE OTHER."

In fact, Bhagat Singh was a big fan of Lenin's and Carl Marks' works. Lenin was also a revolutionary. On the last day of his life, Bhagat Singh could barely resist the desire to imbibe the thoughts of another revolutionary named Lenin. In this context, he sought Chhattar Singh for permission to read the views of another revolutionary.

The heroism and character displayed by Bhagat Singh are not mentioned anywhere else. He was just 21 years old when he had the ambition to finish his book just hours before he was to be hanged.

What a character, what a height of conviction in one’s belief , what a confidence, what a courage Bhagat Singh embodied. Words cannot adequately depict Bhagat Singh's personality. Actually, he was one of the few people in the world about whom no distinction could be made between his words and deeds.

While celebrating Republic Day, our kids must draw inspiration from the life of this remarkable youth, who not only cultivated extraordinary thoughts and courage, but also practised in his life, even to the end.

We see numerous incidents of mental breakdowns as a result of failures in today's environment. Students are becoming depressed as a result of little concerns. On this Republic Day, they must be reminded of Bhagat Singh's incident. Indian youth must be inspired by Bhagat Singh's life. The life of Bhagat Singh is enough to inspire and drive Indian young.

Let the courage, power, and resolve of Bhagat Singh be ingrained in the minds of Indian teenagers and children on this auspicious day of Republic Day celebration.