Introduction
He is the symbol of the heroism of the youth of India. A revolutionary He threw a bomb when the Legislature was in session to warn the British Government. He was put to death but lives in the hearts of his countrymen.
Bhagath Singh
One evening a boy of three was out for a walk with his father. There was also an elderly man with the father. Chatting they walked on and went beyond the village. Green crop delighted the eyes. The elders were walking along the edge of a field. Not hearing the footsteps of the boy, the father looked back. The boy was sitting on the ground and seemed to be planting some thing. The father became curious.
"What are you doing?" said he.
"Look, father, I shall grow guns all over the field" was the innocent reply of the boy. His eyes shone with the strong faith that guns would grow in the field. Both the elders were struck with wonder at the little boy's words.
The boy was Bhagat Singh who later fought like a hero for India's freedom and sacrificed his life.
Banga was a village in Layalpura district of Punjab province. A brave man, Sardar Kishan Singh by name, lived there. Vidya vati was his wife. Kishan Singh's family was noted for bravery and love of adventure. Many heroes of his family had fought to free India from the British. Such fighters are called revolutionaries. Kishan Singh too was a revolutionary. His younger brothers, Ajit Singh and Swaran Singh, too, had fought to drive the British out of India. Kishan Singh, Ajit Singh and Swaran Singh had all been sent to prison by the Government.
In those days such a revolution hadspread all over the country. People were full of determination to win freedom. It was at such a time that Bhagat Singh was born (on September 28, 1907). He was the third son of Sardar Kishan Singh and Vidyavati. At the same time, Kishan Singh and the Uncle Swaran Singh were freed from the jail. It was learnt that another uncle of his, Ajit Singh, too, would be freed. As he thus brought good fortune to his family the child was named Bhagat Singh. 'Bhagat Singh' means 'the fortunate'.
A Friend to All
Bhagat was a lovely child. His smile was charming. People used to say that he would become very famous.
His mother Vidyavati's life had been full of sorrow right from the beginning. The revolutionary husband would always be away. Always lurking in Vidyavati's mind was the fear that he might at any time be sent to jail. It was a family of fighters for freedom and one or the other would always be in jail. Vidyavati herself had to look after the affairs of the family. At such anxious times, her children were her only comfort. They were intelligent and brave and this made her forget her misery. Bhagat Singh was her favorite.
Bhagat Singh was admitted to the primary school. From his childhood he was highly interested in studies. He was ahead of the others in his class. He used to write a beautiful hand. He was the favorite pupil of his teachers. Very much liked by his class- mates, he was their leader. Big boys used to carry Bhagat Singh on their shoulders to the school and back home. His childhood itself indicated that later he would become a leader of revolutionaries.
Bhagat Singh easily made friends with one and all. His companions were naturally his friends. But cartmen and coolies, and the very men who swept the streets were his friends.
Once clothes had to be stitched Bhagat Singh. The old tailors who stitched clothes delivered them at the house and went away. "Who is that who brought the clothes?" asked mother, Vidyavati.
"My friend," replied Bhagat Singh.
"What! Is the tailor, too, your friend?"
Vidyavati asked, surprised.
"Yes, every one in the village is my friend" was Bhagat Singh's reply.
Thus the ability to win the hearts of men grew in Bhagat Singh right from his childhood.
The Lion's Cub
Bhagat Singh had two uncles. Of them, Swaran Singh had again been sent to prison by the British. Life in prison was wretched and he fell ill. His health did not improve even after his release and he died. When Ajit Singh came out of the jail, he left the country. Bhagat Singh's aunts would often recall their husbands' misery, and lament over it. Seeing this, Bhagat
Singh would bravely say, "Don't weep, aunt. When I grow up, I will drive out the British and bring back my uncle. I will take revenge upon the British who are the cause for my uncle's illness." On hearing the heroic words of the little boy, the weeping women would burst into laughter. At least for the moment they would forget their sorrow.
When he was in the fourth class, Bhagat Singh asked his classmates, "What do you wish to become when you grow up?"
Each boy gave a different answer. "I intend becoming a doctor," said one. Another said, "I will be a government officer." Still another would become a merchant; while another 'would marry'. Bhagat Singh remarked, "is marriage a big achievement? Anybody can marry. On the other hand, I will drive the British out of India."
Thus patriotism flowed in his veins from the days of his childhood.
By the time he completed his secondary education, Bhagat Singh knew everything about the revolutionaries of his family. He had read all the records about them at home. And the desire to fight for the country's freedom grew strong in him.
Bhagat Singh finished his primary education at Banga. Next he went to Lahore to join a secondary school. The patriot Kishan Singh did not want to admit his son to a school run by the followers of the British. So Bhagat Singh continued his studies in a private school.
Bhagat Singh was a village boy. His father was afraid he would lag behind in his studies. So he engaged a teacher to teach him at home. But within two days the teacher saw how intelligent the boy was. "What can I teach this boy?He has already learnt everything," said the teacher to Kishan Singh.
Bhagat Singh took to his studies with great zeal. His teachers wondered at his intelligence. He scored good marks in subjects like history, geography and arithmetic. But he had a bad score in English - 68 out of 150! It must have been because he had always hated the British! His words in his letter to his grandfather are really interesting: "My score in English is 68 out of 150.
A score of 50 is enough for a pass.Thus I have passed with credit." That was how the clever boy stated his low score in a round about manner.
