Modern Indian History

Getting it right: a historian’s effort to document the life of Bhagat Singh

Context: The 23rd of March is commemorated as Martyrs Day in honour of Bhagat Singh and his comrades Rajguru and Sukhdev. The day is also known as Shaheed diwas.

Early life of Bhagat Singh

Born on September 27, 1907, in the Lyallpur area of the Punjab, now in Pakistan.
Bhagat Singh's uncle Ajit Singh was prominent in politics. Ajit Singh led the establishment of the radical Anjuman-i-Mohisban-i-Watan in Lahore and oversaw the publication of its newspaper, Bharat Mata.
Ajit Singh also participated in the protests against the Canal Colonization Bill in 1907 and the Ghadar Movement in 1914–1915. His uncle Ajit Singh had an impact on Bhagat Singh.

Participation in the Indian Independence Struggle

He enrolled in the Lahore National College in 1923, which Lala Lajpat Rai established in reaction to Mahatma Gandhi's non-cooperation movement.
He also contributed to pamphlets issued by the Naujawan Bharat Sabha and wrote for publications in Punjabi and Urdu. He also contributed to Kirti, the publication of the Kirti Kisan Party.
Affiliation with Hindustan Republican Association Army or HRA/ Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA):
- The organisation operated throughout the Bihar, Punjab, and United Provinces region.
- It was founded in October 1924 in Kanpur.
- Founded by: Ramprasad Bismil, Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee, and Sachin Sanyal.
- Objective: Plan an armed uprising to depose the colonial administration and install a federal government based on the basis of adult franchise in India.
- During a meeting held in Delhi's Ferozshah Kotla ruins in September 1928, the younger revolutionaries reorganised the group under the new name Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA), with socialism as its stated objective.
- Reorganised by: Chandra Shekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Bhagwaticharan Vohra, Bejoy Kumar Sinha, Shiv Verma, and Jaidev Kapur.
The killing of Saunders (Lahore, December 1928)
- Cause: The death of Sher-i-Punjab Lala Lajpat Rai as a result of blows from a lathi charge during a procession against the Simon Commission.
- Saunders, the police officer in command of the lathi charge in Lahore, was shot dead by Bhagat Singh, Azad, and Rajguru.
- Defended the murder by stating that it was "an dishonour to the country" that a leader who was revered by millions of people was killed by an unqualified police officer.
Bomb in the Central Legislative Assembly (April 1929)
- On April 8, 1929, Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw a bomb in the Central Legislative Assembly to protest against the adoption of the Public Safety Bill and the Trade Disputes Bill.
- Objective: To get arrested using the trial court as a platform for propaganda.

The Lahore Conspiracy Trial, which took place in 1929, saw the trial of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru.
Gandhi-Irwin Pact: On February 14, 1931, Viceroy Irwin and Gandhi agreed to a pact in Delhi. Gandhi's requests for a public investigation into police abuses and a life sentence instead of the death penalty for Bhagat Singh and his companions were both rejected by the viceroy.
The Congress's Karachi session: Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru were executed six days prior to the session on March 23 (the session actually took place on March 29).
- The Punjab Naujawan Bharat Sabha demonstrated with black flag protests throughout Gandhi’s trip to Karachi in retaliation for his failure to achieve the commuted death sentence for Bhagat and his companions.

Rethinking in Bhagat Singh's ideologies

Bhagat Singh transitioned his belief from violence and individual heroic action to Marxism and a popular broad-based movement.
This is why Bhagat Singh helped found the Punjab Naujawan Bharat Sabha (1926) as an open wing of revolutionaries to conduct political work among the youth, peasants, and workers.
For students to engage in open, legal work, Bhagat and Sukhdev jointly established the Lahore Students' Union.
He also understood that organising a mass movement of the exploited was necessary for a revolution to be successful.
The aim of the revolution was not just to end imperialism but also to stop "exploitation of man by man," and to establish a new socialist system.
He was a secular. The members of Punjab Naujawan Bharat Sabha were not allowed to be associated with sectarian organisations and were to promote tolerance in society.
Books by Bhagat Singh: Why I am an Atheist and Ideas of a Nation.

Dayanand Saraswati’s life is an inspiration for Modi government : Shah

Context: “The Prime Minister is working for national awakening, a concept originally based on the philosophy and teachings of Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati,” said Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the 148th Foundation Day celebrations of Arya Samaj.

Basic information about Dayanand Saraswati

Born in 1824 at Tankara, Gujarat.
Associated Movement: Arya Samaj, Shuddhi Movement, Back to the Vedas
Relevant Publications: Satyarth Prakash (1875 & 1884); Sanskarvidhi (1877 & 1884); Yajurved Bhashyam (1878 to 1889)

Early Life and Education

As a Brahmin, he was taught religious rituals, piety and purity, importance of fasting from a very early age.

Spiritual Indoctrination

After his sister’s death, he began asking questions about life, death and the afterlife to his parents, to which they had no answers.

On being asked to get married following societal traditions, Mool Shankar ran away from home. He wandered all over the country for the next 20 years.

At last he arrived at Mathura where he met Swami Virajananda. Mool Shankar became his disciple and Swami Virajananda directed him to learn directly from the Vedas. He found all his questions regarding life, death and afterlife answered during his study of Vedas.

His belief system

He was a believer in Hinduism just as the Vedas have outlined, devoid of any corruption and embellishments.
Preserving the purity of the faith was of utmost important to him.
He advocated the concepts of Dharma which he believed to be free from any partiality and as an embodiment of truthfulness.
To him Adharma was anything that did not hold true, was not just or fair and was opposed to the teachings of the Vedas.
He believed in reverence of human life irrespective of anything and condoned the practice of Ahimsa or non-violence. He advised people to direct their energy towards betterment of mankind as a whole and not waste away in unnecessary rituals.
He revoked the practice of idol worship and considered them a contamination introduced by the priests.
He was against other social evils like superstitions and caste segregation.
He advocated the concept of Swarajya, meaning a country free of foreign influence, resplendent in the glory of fair and just participants.

Arya Samaj

When: On 7 April 1875 at Bombay.
What: A Hindu reforms movement, meaning "society of the nobles".
Objective: To move the Hindu religion away from fictitious beliefs.
Moto of Samaj: 'Krinvan to Vishvam Aryam" meaning "Make this world noble".

Views of Arya Samaj:

God is the efficient cause of all true knowledge.
God is existent, intelligent, blissful, formless, omniscient, just, merciful, unborn, endless, unchangeable, beginning-less, unequalled, the support of all, the master of all, omnipresent, immanent, un-aging, immortal, fearless, eternal and holy, and the maker of all. He alone is worthy of being worshiped.
The Vedas are the scriptures of all true knowledge.
One should always accept truth and renounce untruth.
Every action should be based on Dharma.
Promote the physical, spiritual and social good of everyone.
Conduct should be guided by love, righteousness and justice.
We should dispel Avidya (ignorance) and promote Vidya (knowledge).
Condemn ritualistic practices like idol worship, pilgrimage and bathing in holy rivers, animal sacrifice, offering in temples, sponsoring priesthood etc.

Important contributions of Samaj:

Working to promote widow remarriage and women education.
Launched programs to support widow remarriage in the 1880s.
Maharishi Dayanand also underlined the importance of educating the girl child and opposed child marriage.

Shuddhi Movement

By: Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati
Meaning: Purification
Objective: to bring back the individuals to Hinduism who were either voluntarily or involuntarily converted to other religions like Islam or Christianity.

Educational Reforms

Maharishi Dayanand set up a number of Gurukuls to teach his followers the knowledge of the Vedas and for them to spread the knowledge further.
His disciples established the Dayanand Anglo Vedic College Trust and Management Society, after his death in 1883.
The first DAV High School was established at Lahore on June 1, 1886 with Lala Hans Raj as its headmaster.