Chandrasekhar Azad: Courageous revolutionary

This revolutionary was involved in the 1925 Kakori Train robbery, an attempt to blow up the India Viceroy’s train, and the shooting of British police officer JP Saunders in 1928 to avenge the killing of the great freedom fighter, Lala Lajpat Rai.

Born to Sitaram Tiwari and Jagrani Devi in Bhabhra village, in the present-day Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh on July 23, 1906, Chandrasekhar Azad was sent to Kashi Vidyapeeth, Banaras as his mother aspired for him to become a great Sanskrit scholar. He was very passionate about India’s freedom struggle from a young age. As a young boy he learned archery from the tribal Bhils of erstwhile Jhabua, a skill that would help him greatly during the armed struggle against the British. The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre of 1919 in which the British army killed hundreds of unarmed civilians and wounded thousands in Amritsar angered him and he was convinced that it was perfectly fine to resort to violence against the British. When he was only 15, he took part in the Non-Cooperation Movement which was launched by Mahatma Gandhi in 1921.

Revolutionary activities

The suspension of the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1922 angered Azad and he took to more aggressive means of protests after this. A It was at this time that he became acquainted with Ram Prasad Bismil and became an active member of the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA), a revolutionary organization established by Bismil. And thereafter, in collaboration with other like-minded revolutionaries, he executed several violent acts against the British, including the Kakori Train Robbery of 1925 and the attempt to blow up the Viceroy’s train in 1926. During this period, he came in contact with another young revolutionary named Bhagat Singh. With Singh and others, he participated in the shooting of Saunders. He made Jhansi the hub for his activities for some time. In a forest near Jhansi he trained other members of his group in shooting practice. Living under the alias of Pandit Harishankar Brahmachari, he was able to establish a good rapport with the local villagers. In 1928, Azad and some of his associates including Bhagwati Charan Vohra, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru reorganized the HRA into Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) after the death of Bismil. He met Jawaharlal Nehru in early 1931 to discuss about the terms of the forthcoming Gandhi-Irwin Pact. Nehru did not agree with Azad on certain points though he gave him some financial assistance for his work.

Death and legacy

Azad shot himself dead at Alfred Park in Allahabad (now Prayagraj) on 27 February, 27 1931. On that day, he was surrounded by police from all sides and a gun battle ensued. Azad killed three policemen but was badly wounded in the process of defending himself and helping his colleague Sukhdev escape. When he realized that he was not in a position to escape, he killed himself. He was rightly elevated to the status of a martyr upon his death. Many schools, colleges, and other institutions across India are also named after him. He was determined never to be captured alive and shot himself dead when he found himself on the verge of being arrested. It is said that he Azad used to keep a bullet to kill himself in the event of being caught by the British. The Colt pistol of Chandrasekhar Azad is on display at the Allahabad Museum.

INTERESTING FACTS

1. Chandrasekhar Azad was born as Chandrasekhar Tiwari. During the Non-cooperation Movement, 15-year-old Chandrasekhar was arrested. When produced before a magistrate and asked to give his personal details, he gave his name as ‘Azad’ (The Free), his father’s name as ‘Swatantrata’ (Independence) and his residence as ‘Jail’. From that day onwards he came to be known as Chandra Shekhar Azad.

2. Chandrasekhar Azad has been depicted in several movies including ‘Shaheed’, ‘23rd March 1931: Shaheed’, and ‘The Legend of Bhagat Singh’ and also the film, Rang De Basanti.

3. Chandrasekhar Azad often used the pseudonym ‘Balraj’ when he was signing pamphlets which were issued as the commander in chief of the HSRA (Hindustan Socialist Republican Army).

4. After Azad’s death there was no central leader to unite HSRA revolutionaries and regional differences increased. The organisation split and they carried out attacks all independently.

Source: Wikipedia, thefamouspeople.org, history.com