On Bhagat Singh, His Vision And Jinnah’s Support For His Struggle
A few days ago, Irfan Habib, a noted researcher and author of TO MAKE THE DEAF HEAR – Ideology and Programme of Bhagat Singh and His Comrades sent his thoughtful piece on the legendary Bhagat Singh.
Incidentally, Bhagat Singh was hanged on Pakistan’s Republic Day – March 23 though nine years prior to that – in Lahore – thereby adding another dimension to the symbolism of March 23 for Pakistanis. Bhagat Singh for his principles, struggle for just causes and valour is a shared hero.
I am quoting some of the passages from Habib’s article below. Citing a Tamil newspaper editorial of 1931, Habib writes:
One of the most articulate and strong reaction was seen in far away Tamil Weekly called Kudi Arasu, where Periyar E.V. Ramasami wrote an editorial on March 29, 1931. Besides being critical of Gandhi and the Congress for failing to save him, Periyar saw in young Bhagat Singh an ally who stood for rationalism and spoke against caste oppression. He began by writing there is no one who has not condoled the death of Mr. Bhagat Singh by hanging. There is none who has not condemned the government for hanging him.
The above lines reflect the widespread acceptance of Bhagat Singh as a national hero, much beyond the limits of Punjab, and more significantly, within this short political life. There is no reason to believe that his persona was created by scholars through their exploration and interpretation of historical records.
Habib concludes with these words:
Bhagat Singh was not only against communal and divisive politics, he hated and mocked at the Indian caste system, which makes the people untouchable on the basis of their birth in a particular caste. He reiterated in his writings and statements that all exploitations-economic, social or cultural, had to go if we want to build a strong nation. Echoing these views in his own way, Periyar wrote further in the editorial that “to abolish untouchability we have to abolish the principle of upper and lower castes. In the same manner, to remove poverty we have to do away with the principle of capitalists and wage-earners. So socialism and communism are nothing but getting rid of these concepts and systems. These are the principles Bhagat Singh stood for.” Periyar concluded his piece by saying that Bhagat Singh had not fallen sick, suffered and died as it normally happens with people. He gave his life for the noble cause of showing to India, nay to the world, the path of real equality and peace. He has reached a great height, a feat never achieved normally by any one else.
Bhagat Singh’s ideal and supreme sacrifice has the potential to enliven millions of struggling lives. Like Che Guevara, Bhagat Singh will continue to inspire all those who are committed to secular socialist values and reject the caste based hierarchical society.
As I was about to publish this post, Umer Chauhdry the bright student sent me another article on Bhagat Singh. I had faintly known of Quaide Azam’s respect for Bhagat Singh but Umer made the whole incident so accessible and immediate:
Bhagat Singh, nevertheless, found a supporter in the mainstream politics and that was in Jinnah. Jinnah who was himself isolated by the encroachment of religion in politics at that time and considered it undesired rose in support of Bhagat Singh. In his incisive speech to the Constituent Assembly on September 12 and 14, 1929, Jinnah harshly condemned the criminal colonial rule and the Government’s actions against revolutionaries:
“The man who goes on hunger-strike has a soul. He is moved by the soul and he believes in the justice of his cause; he is not an ordinary criminal who is guilty of cold-blooded, sordid, wicked crime.
“What was he driving at? It is the system, this damnable system of Government, which is resented by the people.
“And the last words I wish to address the Government are, try and concentrate your mind on the root cause and the more you concentrate on the root cause, the less difficulties and inconveniences there will be for you to face, and thank Heaven that the money of the taxpayer will not be wasted in prosecuting men, nay citizens, who are fighting and struggling for the freedom of their country.”
In our part of the sub-continent, we conveniently forget the role played by non-Muslims in the struggle of liberation from the British colonialism. All non-Muslims are grouped in one category to be completely rejected by the rulers of Pakistan irrespective of their message and their history. The same fate met Bhagat Singh. That he was supported by Jinnah is a fact never mentioned in the corridors of power or in the text-books of Pakistan Studies. It is not surprising, though. Bhagat Singh, a symbol of resistance, could never be the hero of the government that is not based on the will of the people..
Amazing, I have to thank Umer again. His article can be accessed here.
Another article (“When Jinnah defended Bhagat Singh“) by the indefatigable A. G. Noorani goes thus:
On a recent visit to Pakistan, a controversy surrounding the renaming of a roundabout in Lahore after Bhagat Singh caught my attention, not least because the freedom fighter was the subject of a book I had authored.
My thoughts though focused on a different aspect: Jinnah’s staunch defence of Bhagat Singh and his colleagues in the Central Legislative Assembly which met in Simla.
No two persons could have been more dissimilar in their political views, culture and personal traits than Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Bhagat Singh. But they shared a deep commitment to freedom from British rule and a firm resolve to fight for it; Jinnah constitutionally, Bhagat Singh by recourse to violence.
Most enjoyed reading this material….brilliantly written and cogent.
But Raza, thanks for sharing!
Thank you Raza for sharing this. In addition, I want to add- though my comment is not related to Jinnah’s support to his cause-that Bhagat Singh was extremely fond of reading. This is something that the self-proclaimed inheritors (in India and especially in Punjab) of his legacy always forget in their zeal of shouting “Inquelab Zindabad”.
Some articles related to Bhagat Singh’s life and times and his hundredth birth anniversary that have been published recently in The Tribune, Chandigarh, can be accessed at:
– http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080105/saturday/main1.htm
– http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070311/spectrum/book1.htm
– http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070318/spectrum/main1.htm
– http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080322/saturday/main1.htm
Thanks Raza for writing this post. If you are interesting in reading Jinnah’s speech in A. G. Noorani’s book ‘The Trail of Bhagat Singh’. A friend told me that Kuldip Nayar’s text is also very well-written and well-researched.
@ MS: I think its very easy to criticize the Left rather than providing with an alternative. From my side of the border, I greatly appreciate the work of my comrades from Eastern Punjab who faced great terror while propagating Bhagat’s message. In this regard, do watch this informative video about the activity of Left in Punjab during the Khalistan movement (it also contains a lot of material on Bhagat Singh): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnVBzWYQ2Ak
This is a 60 minute documentary: In Memory of Friends.
Dear Raza,
I am not able to understand if this article was written to praise Bhagats Selfish Bravery or to criticise Gandhi . COngress tried its best to save Bhagat
Here, Gandhi pays tribute to the patriotism of the young martyr while disagreeing with his revolutionary methods. Excerpted from Gandhi’s article in Young India.
Bhagat Singh and his two associates have been hanged. The Congress made many attempts to save their lives and the Government entertained many hopes of it, but all has been in a vain.
Bhagat Singh did not wish to live. He refused to apologize, or even file an appeal. Bhagat Singh was not a devotee of non-violence, but he did not subscribe to the religion of violence. He took to violence due to helplessness and to defend his homeland. In his last letter, Bhagat Singh wrote –” I have been arrested while waging a war. For me there can be no gallows. Put me into the mouth of a cannon and blow me off.” These heroes had conquered the fear of death. Let us bow to them a thousand times for their heroism.
But we should not imitate their act. In our land of millions of destitute and crippled people, if we take to the practice of seeking justice through murder, there will be a terrifying situation. Our poor people will become victims of our atrocities. By making a dharma of violence, we shall be reaping the fruit of our own actions.
Hence, though we praise the courage of these brave men, we should never countenance their activities. Our dharma is to swallow our anger, abide by the discipline of non-violence and carry out our duty.
March 29, 1931
Excellent article … I must say. Brilliant.
Dear Raza,
your article is very interesting and has now enriched my script as we are doing a play on him and yes we have titled this play as “The young guns of india”……I would like to disagree with Raj, who says the congress tried its level best to save Bhagat Singh…..Gandhi was afraid that if Bhagat Singh would be alive the attention would have shifted towards Bhagat as his ideas and views were more mordern and progressive. If Bhagat Singh and his comrades had carried along their movement, today the history would have been something else. India nad Pakistan would have been one. Nehru was another power hungry person who ruined the country. Lets now not go back into all that. But yes the congress doesnt deserve to be in the country.
Raza thanks as I wanted to know the views of MA Jinnah and I will include those lines in the play.
Vikas ji
Many thanks for dropping by. I am glad that you liked this post. By all means use this material or any other stuff that you like on this blog.
cheers
Raza
I would like to know if there is a book that describes the life of Bhagat Singh, his realizations, his efforts and his ideals in one…If such a book is there which contains chronological details and a mix of the events of his life with his views on those incidents, then please do inform me about that…I want to know what Bhagat himself must be thinking when he was witnessing the events of his life that are not just merely historically significant but so meaningful and relevant even to this date.
Apurwa: here is the book you must read:
TO MAKE THE DEAF HEAR — Ideology and Programme of Bhagat Singh and His Comrades: Irfan Habib; Three Essays Collective, B-957, Palam Vihar,Gurgaon-122017. Rs. 250.
Thanks a lot for the information Sir. I am a big admirer of Bhagat Singh, not only for the sacrifices that he made and his contribution to freedom struggle but also because of his philosophies and ideas that so much fit into the requirement of our society even to this date. It is a shame for us to not have made his dream of HIS INDIA come true and have differences among ourselves. He was a complete visionary and a vigilante who will be missed by only those people who truly understand what critical position our nation is in and how dexterous of him to have realized that in those times when people could not look beyond freedom. His definition of freedom was that of liberation from not only British but from the typical tendency of Indians to separate in the name of religion, caste, color, sex, creed etc
If only he would have survived then our nation would not have to look to Gandhi but him in whom lied the sensibility to realize the gravity of problem that INDIA as a nation was about to follow.
I would also like to put to all the people who admire Gandhi or Congress that it was Congress leaders who said that “the British are the only people who can govern India and if they left us then we would have to call them mid-way from the oceans to rule back on us as those will be the number of days India can run on itself”
If Congress could not believe in the Indians themselves and was running for power and dominion status then how and why should we expect them to rule our nation. The Congress is nothing but a monarchy who have strategically and cunningly used the ” Gandhi ” name for themselves to retain power for more than 55 years now. It will take them another 500 years to realize what Bhagat realized when he was just 23… same age as that of mine…
wonderful put up, very informative. I wonder why the opposite experts of this sector do not understand this. You should proceed your writing. I am confident, you have a great readers’ base already!
Bhagat Singh was largely misunderstood as a freedom fighter whereas he was a political genious who gave objective analysis of facts which were governed in the political arena of India of his times. He believed in the rational that exploitation of man by man & class antagonism is the crux of suffering of the millions of masses in India and world over. He was a warrior who fought ideological & political battle. He lit the tourch of class struggle which was intermingied with freedom movement of India and lost its sheen because his ideogical successors were not grown that mature to imbibe his vision.
My dear , We the nations of subcontinent repect and owe our freedom to freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh , but why we do not support the freedom fighters in Waziristan and other organizations strugggling to distinguish US influence in this region
http://drupal6.artelatino.com/node/16524
Bhagat Singh’s approach had a fundamental flaw: Ends do not justify means. Mr. Rumi, if we can admire his rejection of caste system, we should also point this out, if only for the sake of completeness of the picture.
Did Jinnah (Muslim League) ever tell the British to quit India and/or demand total swaraj like the Congress did?
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