On this day in history, Bhagat Singh became Shaheed Bhagat Singh. We have all read about India’s Independence Movement for years and possibly the name most closely associated with the struggle and the tragic loss of life is that of martyr Bhagat Singh. So on the anniversary of his death, we have brought you some facts that you may not know about this young man who had a love for his country running in his veins.
As a child, he dreamt of ‘growing’ guns
The legendary freedom fighter
When Bhagat Singh was just a child, he wanted to grow guns in fields to fight off the British.
Affected by the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
Showing his patriotism
At the time of the Jallianwala Bagh incident, Singh was only 12 years old. Young as he was, Singh actually collected a bottle of blood filled dirt from Jallianwala Bagh and worshipped it every day.
He was a great actor
An actor at heart
Bhagat Singh took part in many college plays, with one of the most notable play being Samrat Chandragupta.
He gave birth to ‘Inquilab Zindabad’
The colours of freedom fighters
He coined the phrase ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ that became the slogan of India’s freedom movement.
The term ‘Political Prisoners’ was also coined by him
Fighting for freedom
A word still used, the term ‘Political Prisoners’ was first coined by Bhagat Singh, while he was spending his time in jail. This term was coined while he was demanding basic amenities for himself and his associates so they could be treated at par with other British criminals.
He scared the British enough for them to hang him sooner than the official time
Shaheed Bhagat Singh
To prevent further public outrage, jail authorities actually carried out Singh’s sentence an hour earlier than the official time and even secretly cremated him on the banks of River Sutlej.
His body died but his words never did
Man who lives in our hearts
“They may kill me, but they cannot kill my ideas. They can crush my body, but they will not to crush my spirit.” A sentence quoted many times after his death.
Author - Tushar Nayyar
