The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : On Bhagat Singh

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Monday, Mar 24, 2008
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Opinion - Letters to the Editor

On Bhagat Singh

It was nice to see an article on Bhagat Singh with a photograph (“Bhagat Singh as seen by Ramasami Periyar,” March 22) to mark his martyrdom on March 23, 1931. The Kudi Arasu editorial the article refers to was translated in English in 2006 and has been included in The Jail Notebook and other Writings of Bhagat Singh (Leftword publication). It was Periyar who got the essay “Why I am an Atheist” translated in Tamil by comrade P. Jivanadam in 1933. It was the first-ever translation of Bhagat Singh’s work in any language.

Some minor errors in the article: The bombs in the Central Assembly Hall were thrown on April 8, 1929, not April 9. The picture of Bhagat Singh was taken when he was in police custody, not in jail detention. It was smuggled out of the files of the Lahore police station by a police inspector before Partition. It resurfaced only after independence.

Chaman Lal,

New Delhi

* * *

Many of us know Bhagat Singh as a patriot who fought for independence and was hanged by the British. But his history should not be limited to his martyrdom. He strove all his life for his principles and the enhancement of the nation and its subjects. He was for reorganising Indian society, and the emergence of youth to participate in the struggle for independence. The younger generation should learn from the biographies of such great men. It should be fed with information on the selfless sacrifices of great leaders.

S. Xavier,

Tiruchi

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