Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil

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    Recently, the Ministry of Culture has held a special ceremony at Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh, the birthplace of Ram Prasad Bismil, to mark his 124th birth anniversary.

    • This event was held as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

     

    About Ram Prasad Bismil

     

    (Image Courtesy: IE)

     

    • Birth: Born to a Brahmin family on 11th June, 1897 in Shahjahanpur (Uttar Pradesh).
    • Early Life
      • He was associated with the Arya Samaj from an early age and joined it despite his father’s disapproval.
      • The ideals of freedom and revolution got first ingrained in his mind after he read the death sentence passed on Bhai Parmanand, an Indian nationalist and Arya Samaj missionary.
      • He started writing powerful patriotic poems in Urdu and Hindi under the pen names of ‘Bismil’, ‘Ram’ and ‘Agyat’ from the age of 19.
      • He used to sell his books to buy weapons needed for the revolution.
    • Contributions
      • He was among the most notable Indian revolutionaries who fought British colonialism.
      • He was a revolutionary personality and an inspiration to the youngsters of the country.
      • His ideals of freedom struggle stood in stark contrast to that of Mahatma Gandhi’s non violence.
      • He attended the 1921 session of the Indian National Congress at Ahmedabad.
      • After conflicting views and growing resentment with the Congress party, he formed the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) with leaders like Bhagat Singh and Chandrasekhar Azad, in 1924.
        • The association was based on equal rights and an end to discrimination.
      • He participated in the Mainpuri conspiracy of 1918 and the Kakori conspiracy of 1925 with Ashfaq Ullah Khan and Roshan Singh to protest against the British Rule.
    • Literary Works
      • He expressed his anger on the death sentence of Bhai Parmanand in the form of his poem ‘Mera Janm’.
      • He had a good command of Urdu and Hindi and was also a multilingual translator.
      • His poem Manipuri’s Pratigya became very famous.
      • While in jail, he wrote ‘Mera Rang De Basanti Chola’, ‘Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna’ and his autobiography which is considered as one of the finest works in Hindi literature.
        • It was later published under the cover title of ‘Kakori ke Shaheed’.
    • Death
      • For his role in the Kakori conspiracy, the British government executed him at the age of 30, on 19th December 1927 in Gorakhpur Jail, Uttar Pradesh.
      • He was cremated on the banks of Rapti river and the site later came to be known as Raj Ghat.
        • Rapti joins Ghaghara river, which is a major left bank tributary of the Ganga.

    Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav

    • It is an initiative of the Government of India to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of progressive India and the glorious history of its people, culture and achievements.
    • The celebration commenced on 12th March 2021 which started a 75 week countdown to the 75th anniversary and will end post a year on 15th August 2023.
    • The plan is to look back at achievements of the previous 75 years and draw a framework for the next 25 years i.e. 2047 when India will be celebrating its centenary since independence.

     

    Mainpuri Conspiracy

    • Bismil along with Genda Lal Dixit, a school teacher from Auraiya, organised youth from Etahwah, Mainpuri, Agra and Shahjahanpur districts to strengthen their organisations, ‘Matrivedi’ and ‘Shivaji Samiti’.
    • He published a pamphlet titled ‘Deshwasiyon ke Naam’ and distributed it along with his poem ‘Mainpuri ki Pratigya’ in January 1918.
    • To collect funds for the parties, they looted government coffers.

     

    Kakori Conspiracy

    • On 9th August 1925, Bismil along with companions Ashfaqulla Khan and others executed the plan of looting the train at Kakori near Lucknow.
    • After the revolutionaries stopped the 8-Down Saharanpur Lucknow passenger train at Kakori, Ashfaqullah Khan, Sachindra Bakshi, Rajendra Lahiri, Thakur Roshan Singh and Ram Prasad Bismil subdued the guard and looted cash meant for the treasury. 
    • Within a month of the attack, the angered colonial authorities arrested more than a dozen HRA members. Bismil, Lahiri, Khan and Singh were awarded death sentences.

     

    Source: AIR

     

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