Twenty-one days stay at home and Martyrs at twenty-three....

 Twenty-one days stay at home and Martyrs at twenty-three.......

Yesterday , on "Shahidi Diwas " we paid tributes to Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru who sacrificed their lives for our country. Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev were just twenty three and Rajguru was twenty four yet they walked to the gallows daringly and with a smile. At such an age most youth are on the threshold of their lives, completing education or joining a new job. In contrast the trio were great people fiercely committed and wedded to a cause. They also held on to values and principles. The three may have had an opportunity to run away after shooting at Mr.Saunders yet they chose to stay on only because they wanted to ignite the desire of the Indians to fight for freedom  by sacrificing their lives. It was a clarion call. They wer not bothered about their lives but wanted to ignite the fire of freedom.
That is why the three martyrs are revered not only in India but also in Pakistan which also celebrates Martyrs day in their memory.
Bhagat Singh was born in Lahore now a part of Pakistan in 1907. Sukhdev was born in the same year at Ludhiana and Rajguru in the previous year near Pune. They were hanged to death in Lahore by the British government for resisting and struggling against their colonial rule in the Indian subcontinent.
A lot of research has been done and documents are available reflecting that Bhagat Singh was a well read scholar. His prison diary reveals that he was inspired by the writing of authors like Karl Marx, Freidrich Engels, Bertrand Russell, Thomas Paine, Upton Sinclair, V I Lenin, William Wordsworth, Tennyson, Rabindra Nath Tagore, Bukharin, Trotsky and Swami Vivekanand among others. He was a prolific writer and at the age of seventeen he had the maturity of thought to write on Universal Brotherhood, Rarely does one find someone at that age talking about all of us being one where none is the other. However Bhagat Singh not only spoke about it but also stated that it will really be a comforting time when the world will have no strangers. He was not just a martyr , he was person with lofty ideals to unite fellow citizens.
He was also very bold when he stated, "‘We are chagrined about discrimination against Indians in foreign lands, and whine that the English do not give us equal rights in India. Given our conduct do we really have any right to complain about such matters?’' Amidst the ongoing freedom struggle and colonial oppression only an individual with great moral courage and clarity of thought could take such a stand. Bhagat Singh’s ideological commitment was reflected even in his revolutionary action when he and B.K .Dutt bombed the Assembly on 8 April 1929 against the passing of anti-people bills. The Trade Disputes and Public Safety Bills were brought by the colonial government to suppress the struggle being waged against the establishment by workers and revolutionaries. Bhagat Singh, while commenting on these bills said: There is no place for justice in British imperialism. They do not want to give even a breathing space to the slaves and instead, want to suppress them. They want to rob them and kill them. More and more oppressive laws will be passed and we need to oppose them.
While in jail he also wrote an article on ‘Why I am an Atheist’ rebutting blind faith and defending reason.
Therefore Bhagat Singh more than a raw nationalist or a right wing activist. His nationalism was deeply critical of the caste system, untouchability and communalism. Much to our discomfort all the three evils remain serious threats even now.
Of course among the three, Bhagat Singh has always been more known with even Bollywood films being made on him. The history of Rajguru and Sukhdev remain relatively less known.
Our nation was facing a crisis then, hundreds had lost their lives at Jallianwala Bagh, Lala Lajpatrai had died. The revolutionary spirit in the trio, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru had ignited them to fight against the British.
We are faced with a similar unprecedented situation today. Only that our opponent is a virus, the Corona virus causing a disease, Covid 19 which is highly contagious and capable of taking many lives. This can be prevented by isolating ourselves from other affected people. As directed by our Honble Prime Minister all that is expected from us is to be remain in isolation in our homes for 21 days and help in reducing the possibility of contagion. Our nation is not asking us for our lives but just 21 days to protect our own lives and the lives of our own kith and kin.
This too is Sarfaroshi , but of a different kind. The song sung by the martyrs sounds relevant even today.
Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamara dil me hain, Dekhna hain zor kitna baazu-e-kaatil mein hain.
They further went on to say , "Waqt Aane Pe Bata Denge Tujhe Hai Aasmaan, Hum abhi se
Kya Baatein kya hamare dil mein hain!"
Their mission was a secret and so they chose to say that they would speak when the time comes. However for us the time to act is now, we have to be aware and conscious of isolating ourselves and flattening the bulge.
"Dooriyaan Umeed Ki , Na Aaj, Humse Choot Jaaye
Milke Dekha Hai Jinhe , Woh Sapne Bhi Na Rooth Jaaye
Hausle Woh Hausle Kya , Jo Sitam Se Toot Jaaye
Hausle Woh Hausle Kya , Jo Sitam Se Toot Jaaye."
They were in their youth and had a gone a long way to go yet they went to the gallows happily and willingly. Today our nation is not asking for our lives . In fact it is working hard to protect our lives by asking us to devote and sacrifice 21 days of our life by being at home....Let us all just do that....21 days just stay at home.....