23rd March is not just a date. It's importance is such that it must live within us as a reminder asking us : What are we doing with the freedom we have been given?
Yes, 23rd March is comemorated as "Shaheed Diwas", Martyr's Day, a day we remember three young revolutionaries, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru who chose courage over comfort and purpose over fear. They were barely in their twenties when they joined the freedom movement yet their clarity, conviction and commitment were far beyond their age.
This year, as our staff and I gathered at Maharashtra Sadan to pay tribute to them on Shaheed Diwas, I felt something different. As their life details were read aloud, it did not feel like history, it felt like a mirror reflecting who they were and who we are becoming.
Let's remember Sukhdev. Born in Ludhiana, he wasn’t just a freedom fighter, he was a thinker and an organiser. He built strong networks, stood firmly against injustice and played a key role after the tragic death of Lala Lajpatrai. Even when offered a chance to become witness and save himself during the trial, he refused. His courage wasn’t impulsive, it was a conscious, unwavering decision.
Bhagat Singh, perhaps the most iconic among them, was driven by ideas. He read, reflected and acted. Influenced by revolutionary thought early in life, he chose sacrifice over a conventional future, even vowing to remain unmarried so he could dedicate himself entirely to the nation. As part of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association, alongside leaders like and Sukhdev, ChandrashekharAzad, Batukeshwar Dutt and JatinDas, he carried out acts meant to awaken and not just destroy. His powerful call of “Inquilab Zindabad” still echoes across generations.
And then we all know of Rajguru, but not many would know he was a scholar, a linguist who knew Sanskrit, Kannada, Malayalam apart from Hindi, Urdu. He was a fearless patriot. Known for his precision and bravery, he played a crucial role in the assassination of Saunders. And beyond that moment, his life reflected discipline, focus, and commitment qualities we often struggle to build even today.
All three were imprisoned in Lahore and were executed together on 23rd March 1931.
If we pause for a moment and think about them we will realise that all three were in their early twenties. They were at an age when many of us are still figuring out our paths but they had already found a purpose worth dying for. That realization is both inspiring and discomforting as well.
Because today, we are more connected, more informed, and full of opportunities. Yet, we often find ourselves distracted, demotivated, and unsure. We hesitate to put in effort. We fear failure. We give up too easily. Sometimes, we even lose hope when faced with challenges.
So the real question is not whether times have changed.
The question is have we changed?
A visit along with my friend to the National War Memorial at the India Gate made this even more real. The names of the martyred soldiers engraved there are not just names they are stories of courage, sacrifice, and love for the nation. Each day the spouse or a family member lays a wreath in memory of martyrs at the memorial. Watching the spouse of a brave soldier laying wreath with quiet strength was an eye opener, a moment that has stayed with me.
Because sacrifice is not just history.
It is happening even now.
Even today, while we scroll endlessly on our phones, laugh with friends, chase our goals, or sleep peacefully at night, there are soldiers standing at our borders. In freezing cold. In unbearable heat. In silence. In danger.
Some of them will never come back.
They give up their today so that we can live our tomorrow.
And then a question which we just cannot ignore, "If they can give their lives for the nation, can we not give our best to our own lives?"
This is where the lesson lies.
We are not being asked to sacrifice our lives.
We are being asked to value them.
We are not being asked to fight wars.
We are being asked to fight our weaknesses ,our distractions, our fears, our excuses.
We are not being asked to become revolutionaries.
We are being asked to become responsible, resilient and purposeful individuals.
Because today, real courage looks different:
• It is waking up and showing up, even when you don’t feel like it
• It is staying focused in a world designed to distract you
• It is choosing effort over excuses
• It is learning from failure instead of fearing it
• And it is refusing to give up on yourself
The truth is, this generation has everything it needs ,talent, access, awareness. What it needs more of is discipline, direction, and determination.
Bhagat Singh once wrote with quiet confidence that he would prove his strength when the time came.
Dear youth of today, that time is not in the future.That time is now.
Yes, this is your time, to rise above mediocrity, to move beyond excuses, to build a life of meaning and impact. Not just for yourself, but for the country that countless people have given everything for.
Because somewhere, not too long ago and even today someone your age chose sacrifice so that you could have a chance.
So don’t waste it.
And let's not just remember their courage. Lets's Live in a way that honours it...Jai Hind...
R.Vimala, IAS,
Resident Commissioner & Secretary,
Government of Maharashtra &
PhD Scholar at IIT Bombay
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