This very day, eighty four years back, Bhagat Singh was hanged in Lahore by the then British colonial rulers along with his two comrades: Rajguru and Sukhdev. (See: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagat_Singh#Controversy> and <http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bhagat-singh-death-warrant-martyrdom-anniversary/1/425237.html>.) At the time of hanging he was only 23 years old. Even then the news of his hanging made it to the front-page of the March 25 edition of The Tribune, published from Lahore (see: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bhagat_Singh%27s_execution_Lahore_Tribune_Front_page.jpg>). At least another national newspaper, The Hindu, published from another corner of the country, Madras, on March 24 1931 carried a l3-paragraph editorial: <http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/a-grave-blunder/article7020964.ece>. (The concluding line of The Hindu editorial, in the context of subsequent historical controversies, is especially noteworthy: "As Gandhiji says, the Government "have lost a golden opportunity of winning over the revolutionary party. It as their clear duty, in view of the settlement, at least to suspend indefinitely the execution. By their action they have put a severe strain upon the settlement and once more proved their capacity for flouting public opinion".") As the years rolled on, the legend of Bhagat Sigh appeared to grow even stronger.
As the old saying goes, success has (too) many fathers but failure is an orphan. So, in due course, there emerged three major claimants to the legacy of Bhagat Singh: the Khalistanis; the Hindutva Brigade; and the CPI and its various offshoots. On the basis of the fact that Bhagat Singh had been born a Sikh, he would be claimed by the Khalistanis as one of the Sikh heroes. (See: "Bhagat Singh was initially an atheist but few days prior to his hanging wished to take Amrit and become a Sikh." at <http://www.sikhfreedom.com/in-defense-of-sikhism-and-khalistan2>.) And, in the process, the ubiquitous image of a clean shaven Bhagat Singh donning hat, as one can see on the facsimile of the front-page of The Tribune, Lahore, March 25 1931 edition gradually yielding place to a properly turbaned Singh (or another one without turban but showing his long hair tied in a knot atop his crown.) Even then, of the three, the Khalistanis may be the least enthusiastic one. As far as the Hindutva Brigade is concerned, it identified great potential in Bhagat Singh, or, for that matter, Subhas Bose, to pose him as a counter to Gandhi and a very useful stick to beat Gandhi with. It is quite another matter that neither Singh nor Bose had nothing to do with the Hindutva ideology - both, in their own ways championed the values of composite Indian nationalism. (For a brief discussion on the Hindutva Brigade's attempt at misappropriation of Bhagat Singh, see: <http://www.countercurrents.org/shamsul121013.htm>.) As regards the CPI and Bhagat Singh here is an interesting account, apparently on a Hindutva affiliated website: <https://natnewsnet.wordpress.com/2011/10/13/bhagat-singh-was-never-a-communist-by-chander-pal-singh-vasudhaiva-kutumbakam/>. So, it won't be out of place to look into the most authoritative biography of Bhagat Singh, penned by a comrade of his in the HSRA and a co-accused in the Lahore Conspiracy csae - J N Sanyal, hosted on a website maintained by Singh's nephew - sister's son, Jagmohan Singh: <http://www.shahidbhagatsingh.org/index.asp?linkid=34>. Here is a long excerpt. CHAPTER XIV REMINISCENCES AND REFLECTION Sardar Bhagat Singh was a handsome young man, tall--5 ft. 10 inches, and well-built. He had a musical voice and could sing with emotion. One day, just after the sentences in the Assembly Bomb Case had been pronounced, his counsel, Mr. Asaf Alt with his wife, went to interview him. Bhagat Singh was locked up in a cell, and was in fetters. While they were approaching the cell, they heard a soft sweet voice singing in accompaniment of a twinkling metallic sound. Softly they approached, and lo ! They found Bhagat Singh the anarchist singing like a child and ringing his fetters in tune with the song. He had a heart, full of emotion and sympathy. Even in the characters of a fiction he used to take extra-ordinary interest, and used to suffer and enjoy -with them. In the Special Magistrate's Court, he began to read aloud to us the beautiful novel, "Seven that were han-ged" by Leonoid Andrieve. There is one character in it who shuddered at the idea of execution. He used to utter the words, '*'I shall not be hanged", and began to believe in it. When Sardar Bhagat Singh was reading out the last scene in the life of this weak condemned man, who was uttering the words, "I shall not be hanged" even while being led to -the scaffold, he smiled and was full of tears. We listeners could not help being affected by the sympathetic tears of one, who had triumphed over the "idea of death, for one who was succumb-ing before it. Bhagat Singh was an extremely well-read man and his special sphere of study was socialism. The batch of youngmen that figured in the Lahore Conspiracy *Case was essentially an intellectual one. But even in this group Bhagat Singh predominated for his intellectual ascen-dancy. Though socialism was his special subject, he had deeply studied the his-tory of the Russian revolutionary move-ment from its beginning in the early 19th century to the October Revolution .of 1917. It is generally believed that very few in India could be compared to him in the knowledge of this special sub-ject. The economic experiment in Russia under the Bolshevik regime also greatly interested him. He read fiction also with interest. But .his favorite works of fiction were of apolitico-economic nature. He had no interest in novels of high society life, or those merely confined to love or other human passions. In the jail he had-begun to read the works of Charles Dickens which he liked very much. Some of his favorite works of fiction were : "Boston," "Jungle", "Oil", "Cry for Justice" ( not fiction ) by Upton Sinclair ;"Eternal City" by Hall Caine, of which. many portions of the speeches by Romily he had by heart; Reed's "Ten Day's that shook the world" ; Ropshin's "What never happened" ; "Mother" by Maxim Gorky ; "Career of a nihilist" by Stepniak whose "Birth of Russian Demo-cracy" he regarded as the best of the early Russian revolutionary history ;, Oscar Wilde's "Vera or the Nihilists", and so forth. *Ever since he began to read communistic literature, Bhagat Singh tried to adapt his life to communistic principles* (emphasis added :ed).Kropotkin's "Memoirs" had great influence on him; but it was Michail Bakunin who really transformed his life. [Kropotkin and Bakunin were both well-known Anarchists: Sukla.] As all ideas of God are antagonistic to communistic principles, he tried to banish from his mind any belief in the existence of God. Outwardly he always declared. himself to be an atheist. Whether he was really so from the bottom of his heart is a question that can be definitely settled now. Perhaps he was successful in gaining victory over the idea of God. When he was arrested in connexion with the Dussehra Bomb Outrage in 1926, and was locked up day and night in a small cell, and subjected to all sorts of refined torture, his faith in atheism was put to a severe test. Further studies for the next three years, only confirmed his ideas about the non-existence of God. ( Read Bhagat Singh's "Why I am an atheist?" on this web site in letters and documents :ed) *Except for a short period as a reaction against the executions in theKakori Conspiracy Case, Bhagat Singh was never .a, terrorist. His whole faith consisted in mass action, action for the masses and by the masses. He believed that the 'Congress, consisted as it was of landlords, capitalists and rich lawyers, could never launch that action which would lead to complete economic freedom for the masses. "Gandhiji is a kind-hearted philanthropist," he used to say, "and it is not philanthropy that is needed, but a dynamic scientific social force." According to him what was needed most was a band of selfless young men who would organize and work for that social revolution.* ( emphasis added :ed) He further believed that in order to initiate the young men in the gospel of this mission, an appeal would have force only when it was delivered from the platformof the gallows, and he himself undertook to deliver that appeal. His statement in the Assembly Bomb Case was only that appeal, and it went straight to the hearts of thousands of young men, .and women too. While in the jail and in the condemned cell, Bhagat Singh passed his time in reading books and writing. He prepared a comprehensive almanac of those whohad ended their lives in the gallows, giving a short account of all the individuals, with suitable mottos for all. The mottos were written from memory, and show how well read Bhagat Singh was; they also testify to his habit of committing to memory all noble and inspiring pieces of literature. He had by heart the whole of the first number of the first volume of his "Revolutionary" closely printed four full pages of matter, written, printed and published by the Hindusthan Republican Association and distributed throughout India and Burma in February, 1925. Another big and painstaking book that he commenced and finished in the jail was a detailed history of the revolutionary movement in India. It is marvelous how he procured contraband and rare literature even inside the jail. It was a big book, and if it is published, it will show how deeply studied he was in this sphere. For this purpose he had learnt Bengali and he utilized for his book the revolutionary literature in Bengali to the fullest extent. Even from his condemned cell he was able to send out an important message to the Youth Leaguers in the Lahore Session in 1929. He was also able to send out drafts for some of the revolutionary pamphlets, notably the "philosophy of the Bomb' Only a short time before his execution, he drafted and sent out a statement for "Young Political Workers," which may be regarded as his last will and testament to the nation. As a socialist, Bhagat Singh had a true international outlook. That there was no tinge of provincialism in him is a fact that is common to all revolutionaries. But he had gone beyond that and left nationalism also behind in his stand as a man ;free from the shackles of Geography and language. For the Indian revolutionaries, the appeal of nationalism and patriotism have a supreme charm, and it was no small matter for Bhagat Singh to have come out of the confines of nationalism to take his stand as an internationalist. From the moment of his arrest till the twilight on the evening of 23rd March, when Bhagat Singh stepped out of his cell to commence his glorious and finaljourney, there was not a moment in his life when any gloomy thought ever entered into his mind. When pressed by his relatives and even Government Officials to submit a petition for mercy, Bhagat Singh not only refused to do anything of the sort but in a dignified letter to the Local Government, maintained that he was a revolutionary soldier fighting for the emancipation of his country, "If the Government thought that a truce had been effected between itself and the people of India," he wrote-- "then it is legitimate that the soldiers of freedom should be set free. But if it thought that the state of war continued, then they may easily kill us." His only request was that instead of being hang-ed, they might be shot dead by a squad of soldiers, as was only befitting Soldiers of war. As has been truly said in the "People" :--"Bhagat Singh is not only one more martyr, for thousands to-day he is The Martyr. And that tribute is de-served, too. But few can embrace martyrdom rejoicingly. Those who can keep-their spirit at top-notch week after week, month after month for a protracted period of two years, with vicissitudes of all sorts, are rare even amongst martyrs. Mere youthful impulsiveness or enthusiasm, or a momentary idealistic conquest could not carry one through such an ordeal. Bhagat Singh remained as indifferent to legal appeals and to those for a reprieve as he remained to the trial itself. It needed a martyr's mettle with a good deal of a tough philosophy of life. Bhagat Singh had both of these in abundance. "Nothing in recent memory so cap-tured the popular imagination as did theromance of Bhagat Singh. He has already become a legend and a short of legendary 'hero. Indian youth justly feels proud of him. His unique courage, his lofty idealism, his undaunted spirit would .remain a light-house to guide many a ..straying soul. "Bhagat Singh's fearlessness and sacrifice electrified the political atmosphere at a time lethargy had set in. The cry "Long Live Revolution" was popularized by him. He raised it in a British court of law, and the echoes are heard to-day every day in every Indian street. Though Bhagat Singh is dead, when people cry or hear 'Long Live Revolu-tion,' the other cry, 'Long Live Bhagat Singh' is ever implied therein." [Source: <http://www.shahidbhagatsingh.org/index.asp?linkid=34#CHAPTER XIV>.]. Also relevant: By 1924 we again see the springing up of secret revolutionary organizations. In Bengal, as usual, the old revolutionaries began to organize again, but a heavy blow was dealt to them by the Bengal Ordinance of 1925. In U. P. and the Punjab, the different parties organized by Sachindra Nath Sanyal, Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee, Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil etc., combined and formed one party. At a meeting at Allahabad, a constitution was adopted and the name of the party became "Hindusthan Republican Association." It was this organization that Bhagat Singh joined when he shifted to Cawnpore. His party-name then became "Balwant," under which name he used to contribute articles occasionally to the magazines .***Cawnpore was then the head-quarters of Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee, or Mr. Roy as his party-name was, was the Chief Organizer of the party and it was under Jogesh Chatterjee that Bhagat Singh-began to work.*** [Emphasis added now.] [Source: <http://www.shahidbhagatsingh.org/biography/c2.htm>.] And, here is brief note on the HRA: <http://www.gktoday.in/hindustan-republican-association-hra-1924/>. The Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) (founded in 1924) subsequently became the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association/Army (HSRA) in 1928. And Jogesh Ch. Chatterjee was the central figure. Kanpur was was the main hub. The organisation moved towards Marxist socialism (of the non-Stalinist variety). The Anushilan Samity would transform itself into the Revolutionary Socialist Party in 1940. (Ref.: <https://www.marxists.org/archive/bhattacharya/1982/origins-rsp/index.htm>.) ***And Bhagat Singh himself became a Marxist. (See.: <http://www.marxists.org/archive/bhagat-singh/1931/02/02.htm>.)*** Also see: <https://www.marxists.org/archive/bhagat-singh/1930/10/05.htm>. ***It is worthwhile to note that the CPI was also founded (in India) in 1925, and Kanpur was a major hub where it was founded.*** (Ref.: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_Party_of_India>.)<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_Party_of_India>.) In fact, the CPI had originally been founded by MN Roy and others, even earlier, at Tashkent (USSR) in 1920. (Ref.: <http://www.cpimwb.org.in/history_details.php?history_id=6>.) ***What is of importance here, that the HRA/HSRA/Anushilan Samity had no organisational truck with the CPI. These were two distinctly different streams. (During the Quit India Movement in 1942, they'd take diametrically opposite positions. While the former was deeply engaged with the anti-colonial uprising, the CPI would act as a collaborator of the British colonial rulers.)*** To repeat, the important point not to be lost sight of is that that the CPI was born in 1925 in Kanpur. Bhagat Singh had strong links with that city. But had nothing to do with the CPI. Conversely, the Stalinist "Communists" had always termed Bhagat Singhs or the likes as "terrorists" very much like the colonial masters. Nothing positive one'd be able to dig out from the early - presumably earlier than 1953, CPI literature about Bhagat Singh and the likes. ***It'd be quite interesting to find out what were the reactions of the CPI and the Comintern to Singh's hanging, if at all any, in its immediate aftermath.*** The Khalistanis, the RSS, the "Communists" - all are trying to appropriate Bhagat Singh! Sukla -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. 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