Respected Teachers and my dear friends,

Today I am going to talk about one person, who lived for just 24 years, but kept on inspiring millions of Indians, even  86 years after his death. Yes he is none other than Bhagat Singh.

Bhagat Singh was an iconic Indian revolutionary who is considered as one of the most influential figures during the Indian Freedom Movement. He was born in 1907 to Kishan Singh and Vidyavati in the Punjab Province. At the age of 12, young Bhagat visited the Jalian Wallah bagh massacre site, where hundreds of unarmed Indians  participated in a peaceful protest were mercilessly butchered by General Diar. He was deeply perplexed with the traditional nonviolence struggle and was deeply attracted to the revolutionary ideas of fighting against the mighty British. In 1922, he joined the Young Revolutionary Movement and began to advocate in favor of the violent overthrow of the British Government in India. In March 1925,the Naujawan Bharat Sabha was formed with Bhagat Singh, as its secretary. Bhagat singh also joined the Hindustan Republican Association, a radical group along with fellow revolutionaries Chandrashekhar Azad and Sukhdev. Initially, Bhagat Singh’s activities were limited to writing aggressive articles against the British Government, printing and distributing pamphlets outlining principles of a violent uprising, aimed at overthrowing the Government. Young, aggressive and influential among youth, Bhagat singh soon became a focal point for the government and police and was arrested in a bombing case. He was later released after five months. On 30 October 1928, Lala Lajpat Rai led a massive protest and marched towards the Lahore railway station to protest against the arrival of the Simon Commission. The march was brutally trashed down by the government sevearly injuring lala lajpat Rai  who later died . As a revenge for the death of Lala Lajpat Rai, Bhagat Singh and his associates plotted the assassination of James A. Scott, the Superintendent of Police, believed to have ordered the lathi charge but mistakenly killed JP Saunders. In response to the formulation of Defence of India Act, the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association planned to explode a bomb inside the assembly premises, where the ordinance was going to be passed. On April 8 1929, Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw a bomb onto the corridors of the assembly, shouted 'Inquilab Zindabad!' and threw pamphlet  into the air. The bomb was not meant to kill or injure anyone and therefore it was thrown away from the crowded place, but still several council members were injured in the commotion. Following the blasts Bhagat Singh and his associated were arrested and put on trial and was later sentenced to death. On March 23, 1931, 7:30 am, Bhagat Singh was hanged in Lahore Jail with his comrades Rajguru and Sukhdev. His sacrifice fueled Indian freedom movement which ultimately met success in 1947.

The life of Bhagat Singh remains as one of shining examples of patriotism, commitment and sacrifice.

Vande Matharam

Thank you.