Today is freedom fighter Shaheed Bhagat Singh’s 114th birth anniversary. He was born in 1907 in Lyallpur district of Punjab in present day Pakistan. He had a multi-faceted personality that encompassed deep thinking, extensive reading, self-sacrifice and a single minded devotion to free India from colonialism.
Let us have a look at lessons Bhagat Singh’s life have for modern day India.
- GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE TO FULFILL YOUR DREAMS – A young Bhagat Singh left the comfort of his home, visited the scene of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre at the age of 12, where the seeds of the revolutionary path were sown in him and his resolve to make India free from oppression was strengthened.
- HAVE THIRST FOR KNOWLEDGE / BE A VORACIOUS READER / DEVELOP CRITICAL THINKING– Bhagat Singh did not live beyond his early twenties and yet he was able to think and write profoundly about the complex social, philosophical, economic and political issues. It was perhaps because he was a voracious reader, he read anything that helped him to unravel the complexities of life. Even during his days in jail he read books on various topics.
- KEEP QUESTIONING / BE FLEXIBLE IN YOUR APPROACH– Bhagat Singh actively participated in the Non-cooperation movement but got disillusioned after Gandhiji’s decision to call off the movement. So he chose a different path of “individual heroic action”. Later realising that individual heroics is not the correct approach so moved to a method of mass involvement of people. To pursue this he preferred to surrender after throwing a bomb in the Assembly and used courts to propagate his ideas to the public through press. So, in order to achieve his goal he constantly questioned himself and changed course which was best suited.
- DEDICATION AND DETERMINATION- Even though Bhagat Singh’s methods were not accepted by all, his dedication to the cause is worthy of emulation. His fearlessness came from an inner determination and which was perhaps reinforced by his extensive reading.
- HAVE SINGLE MINDED FOCUS – Despite facing many challenges and atrocities at the hands of the British he was steadfast on his path of “freedom from colonial rule”.
- BE FEARLESS– He said “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”.
- COMMITMENT TO RATIONALITY AND LOGICAL REASONING- He said, “mere faith and blind faith is dangerous: It dulls the brain and makes a man reactionary. A man who claims to be a realist has to challenge the whole of the ancient faith. If it does not stand the onslaught of reason, it crumbles down.He also believed “If religion is separated from politics, then we can all come together in politics even if we belong to different religions.”
- STAND UP AGAINST OPPRESSION & INEQUALITY
- STAY AWAY FROM DIVISIVE FORCES LIKE COMMUNALISM AND INTOLERANCE – According to him freedom implies not only emancipation from political bondage but also equal distribution of wealth, abolition of caste barriers and social iniquities and destruction of communalism and religious intolerance.
- NATIONALISM AND LIBERALISM SHOULD GO TOGETHER
- QUESTION ILLOGICAL RELIGIOUS PRACTICES -He was an atheist. He once said: A branch of peepal tree is cut and religious feelings of the Hindus are injured. A corner of a paper idol, tazia of the idol-breaker Mohammedans is broken, and ‘Allah’ gets enraged, who cannot be satisfied with anything less than the blood of the infidel Hindus. Man should receive more attention than the beasts and yet, in India, people break their heads in the name of ‘sacred beasts’.”
- KEEP TRUE TO YOUR IDEALS– went on 63 days long hunger strike for getting the equal treatment as political prisoners.
- HAVE CLARITY OF PURPOSE – Bhagat Singh’s intention behind throwing the bomb in assembly was not to cause injury but “to make the deaf hear”. Through this act, he wished to draw the attention of the Indians towards the draconian bills that the British were trying to push through.
- BE COURAGEOUS -was not intimidated by hard tactics of Britishers.
- GENUINE LOVE FOR THE COUNTRY – not based on symbolic gestures like mouthing certain slogans, or militant patriotism or dangerous vigilantism but based on rational ,scientific vision to get it free from ills of inequality and injustice. For that he was ready to make supreme sacrifice.
