On the 86th Anniversary of the

Martyrdom of
Bhagat Singh and his comrades,
Revisiting his Idea of India
Friends,

It was 86 years ago on 23rd March that Bhagat Singh and his comrades Sukhdev and Rajguru achieved

martyrdom in course of their struggle for an independent and egalitarian India. In a life of mere 23 years

he shaped the course of India's future by his radical ideas and valiant struggle. Today when our society is

reeling under the pains of poverty and animosity; when we see budget cut in Public Sector Education,

fellowship cuts in research, stifling of academic freedom in campuses, communal polarisation, the iconic

figure of Bhagat Singh becomes more relevant than ever.

Also those who are responsible for the above mentioned issues are trying to misrepresent and appropriate

Bhagat Singh because they are aware the true exposition of his ideas will uncover heir hypocrisy. In this

situation it becomes imperative to recall the ideas and writings of Bhagat Singh.

Bhagat Singh was a revolutionary who inspired the entire nation to struggle against communalism and the

Brahminical caste system . Bhagat Singh wanted a radical change in our system and he would not have been

satisfied by mere transfer of power. Bhagat Singh warned against a replacement of a white rule at Delhi by

a Brown rule, saying that such a rule once installed on the thrones runs the risk of being petrified into a

Tyranny.(To the Young Political Workers, Bhagat Singh).

Bhagat Singh and his idea of Revolutionary Patriotism: Revolution is not the cult of the bomb and the

pistol. By Revolution we mean that the present order of things, which is based on manifest injustice, must

change. Producers or Labourers in spite of being the most necessary element of society are robbed by their

exploiters of the fruits of their labour and deprived of their elementary rights. The peasant, who grows corn

for all, starves with his family, the weaver who supplies the world market with textile fabrics, has not enough

to cover his own and his childrens bodies, masons, smiths and carpenters, who raise magnificent palaces, live

like pariahs in the slums. The Capitalists and exploiters, the parasites of society, squander millions of on their

whims,-( from the text of Bhagat Singh and B K Dutts statement, read in the court by Asaf Ali on June 6,

1929). From these texts we get to know Bhagat Singhs understanding of Capitalism and its deep rooted

consequences on the working classes.

Bhagat Singh on Caste System and Untouchability: Bhagat Singh, in June 1928 issue of the magazine Kirti,

wrote two articles titled Achoot Ka Sawal (On Untouchability) and Sampradayik Dange Aur Unka Ilaj

(Communal riots and their solutions). In On Untouchability, Bhagat Singh writes, If Hindu Society refuses

to allow other Human beings, fellow creatures at that to attend public schools, and if the President of the

local board representing so many lakh of people in his house, refuses to allow his fellow and brothers, the

elementary Human right of having water to drink, what right have they to ask for more rights from

bureaucracy? Before we accuse the people coming from other lands, we should see how people
Bhagat Singh wished for a Casteless-Egalitarian society where there is no caste-class divide and this is evident

through his writings which gives us insight to caste question which is a contemporary social issue.

Bhagat Singh on Communalism : Bhagat Singh was an Atheist, but more importantly, he and his comrades

were firmly against Communalism. In April 1928, Bhagat Singh and his comrades made it clear at the

Naujawan Bharat Sabha Conference that youth belonging to communal organisations were not allowed to

become members of the revolutionary Naujawan Bharat Sabha. In his article, Sampradayik Dange Aur Unka

Ilaj, Bhagat Singh firmly identified the role of Communal Politicians and newspapers in formenting riots.

He ridiculed so-called nationalist leaders who were either too timid to speak up against Communalism or

themselves got carried away by the communal tide.

Today when we see some Media Outlets who are working as propaganda machines for communal forces, we

must recall what Bhagat Singh wrote about Journalism ethics: The business of journalism, once considered

noble, has become most dirtythe real duty of the newspapers is to educate, to cleanse minds of people, to

save them from narrow sectarian divisiveness, and to earadicate communal feelings to promote the idea of

Nationalism. Instead, their main objective seems to be spreading ignorance, preaching and propagating

sectarianism and chauvinism, communalising peoples minds leading to the destruction of our composite

culture and shared heritage. ( Bhagat Singh, Sampradayik Dange Aur Unka Ilaj, Kirti, June, 1928).

Lets hope the media platforms who are working as foot-soldiers of Communal-fascist forces learn few lessons

from Bhagat Singh.

Today when we see rise of communal forces who were at fringes some years back, now becoming more

mainstream, let us draw solidarities across the country of the secular-socialist forces and counter these fascist

tendencies in our Campuses, in our cities, in our Country.

Lets pledge for India of Bhagat Singhs dreams.

ALL INDIA STUDENTS' ASSOCIATION