Would you like to become Bhagat Singh? - Anonymous Writer

WARNING

Would you like to become Bhagat Singh? Why someone should become Bhagat Singh? If we want to answer this question, then we have to think properly whether we do even know Bhagat Singh or not? How would someone like Bhagat Singh be made, by holding a gun or by his thoughts?

Today, on the occasion of his birthday, you will be watching the leaders of every political party remembering Bhagat Singh, tweeting about it. We can ask all these leaders a question - whether any youth in your parties is on his way to become Bhagat Singh? If they do not have talent, have you ever provided an opportunity to any youth of your party to become Bhagat Singh? Is there any leader in your party who is also around Bhagat Singh in his thinking?

Taking a picture of Bhagat Singh and tweeting and messaging on WhatsApp it all looks good that someone is remembering him but is this enough?

Advertisements have been published in newspapers on the birthday of Bhagat Singh. People of different parties will be participating in full swing to offer flowers to the statue of Bhagat Singh at the crossroads of different cities of the country. It is true that Bhagat Singh is definitely a popular figure, but if he inspires , why Bhagat Singh is not born?

Or Bhagat Singh is around us but we don’t want to see him. In the shops of internet Bhagat Singh and Che Guevera are present on the colorful shirts. We have celebrated the birth anniversary of Bhagat Singh for many many years. So much as that we pasted him on our t-shirts but have we really understood him ?

Bhagat Singh is just a product in the shops through which people get excited, but do those young people see him with emotion?

We do not need to put too much pressure on our mind for this question. Today people of every political party pay respects to Bhagat Singh. They elebrate his birthday and pay homage on Martyr's Day. But have we ever thought if he was alive today, which party would have given him the position, would have given him the leadership.

Bhagat Singh said in the manifesto of the Naujawan Bharat Sabha, Lahore on 6-April-1928 –

 “Religious superstitions and bigotry are a great hinderance in our progress. They have proved an obstacle in our way and we must do away with them. “The thing that cannot bear free thought must perish.” There are many other such weakness which we are to overcome."

Imagine if the same thing is said today by a student leader in his/her university campus, “The thing that cannot bear free thought must perish.”

So we the people who love Bhagat Singh so much, shall we say that this university should be closed or will we come in support of that student leader? Think about it.

In the manifesto further, Bhagat Singh says that the world is developing so fast -

“ While, we Indians, what are we doing? A branch of peepal tree is cut and religious feelings of the Hindus are injured. A corner of a paper idol, tazia, of the idol-breaker Mohammedans is broken, and ‘Allah’ gets enraged, who cannot be satisfied with anything less than the blood of the infidel Hindus. Man ought to be attached more importance that the animals and, yet, here in India, they break each other’s heads in the name of ‘sacred animals’ .

This was said by Bhagat Singh in 1928, which is relevant even after 90 years, but if the people wearing Bhagat Singh's t-shirt thinking of him as their icon, are they thinking as loudly as Bhagat Singh today? Can a young man enter politics by saying that religions have screwed India?

Bhagat Singh says in the article 'Communal riots and their treatment' printed in 'Kirti' on June 1928 -

 “ Today India’s future seems extremely bleak. These religions have screwed India and one does not know when India will be freed from these communal riots. During these riots people pick up rods, sticks, swords and knives to maintain their dominance and eventually kill each other in this pursuit of dominance.

During these times, the role of communal leaders and newspapers have also been observed in instigating these riots. In these times of communal hatred, the leaders of India have decided to remain quiet. These are the same leaders who claim to pioneer the great responsibility of liberating the country and these are the very same leaders who had been talking about “common nationality” and had been vociferously demanding “Swaraj” (self-rule), and these are the same leaders who have decided to remain mum with their heads bowed down in shame. “

This was the year of 1928, at that time, what would have been his age when Hindu Muslim riots were taking place? His entire life was some 23 years and a few months.

In 1928 Bhagat Singh commented on the media that -

 “ The other instrument of fomenting and inciting communal violence are the people writing for the newspapers. The profession of journalism was once considered to be respectable but today it is in a dirty mess. These people write against another community with big bold headlines which provoke the constant feeling of hatred and enmity among communities. It is not a stray accusation, one can look at numerous examples where communal riots have taken place as provocations from writings in these newspapers. There were very few reporters who could boast of a balanced poise in their minds and hearts during these turbulent times. “

He further writes that –

“ The real duty of the newspapers was to educate, to cleanse the minds of people, take them out of the rut of narrow sectarian grooves of thought and perception, and to wash and scrap out communal feelings in order to invest them with feelings of amity and communal harmony, to bridge the gap and build mutual trust, bring about real rapprochement for advancing the cause of “common nationalism” but they have been doing exactly opposite, leading to the division in the objective of “common nationalism”. This is the very reason that makes me cry tears of blood when I think of present India and wonder “What will happen to India? “

Will a TV anchor on the eve his birthday, will shout and share Bhagat Singh ideas, so that it reaches you?

I-M-M-P-O-S-S-I-B-L-E !  

We have weakened our ideals so much that their ideas do not provoke us any more. It is such a competition that it has become difficult to understand that the leader who had told him his inspiration on someone's birth anniversary yesterday, today he is also telling his inspiration to Bhagat Singh. Then the next day on someone else's birth anniversary he will tell someone else as his inspiration.

These are the leaders who claim to follow the ideas of Gandhi ,Ambedkar, Patel to Bhagat Singh, Lohia and Deendayal Upadhyaya. However, the question arises - if our country is full of leaders inspired by so many legends, then we must be living in a golden age of politics? Right?

When the JNU-Jamia incident arose, some politicians said –

There should not be any politics inside the university. Students come there to study. It is possible that the same people will be telling their inspiration to Bhagat Singh today. They must be tweeting too.

Bhagat Singh wrote an article in 1928 printed in "Kirti" .

In the first paragraph, he writes -

“ Too much noise is heard these days about the opinion that the youth (students) who are studying should not participate in political activities. The view of Punjab government is quite unique. According to them, before the students take admission in a college, they are supposed to sign the condition that they would not participate in political activities. “

 “We understand that the main task of the students is to study, they should pay full attention towards it; but is it not a part of the education to gather knowledge regarding the situation that our country is in and develop the ability to think about measures to improve it?

They should study, surely study! But along with it, they should also acquire political knowledge and when required they should not hesitate to jump into the fray and dedicate their life to this work. Sacrifice their life for the cause.”

Today, those Vice Chancellor will be tweeting too, who does not allow student union elections in their universities.

If the student of India cannot get the basic right to vote in his university?  Is eligible to wear his Bhagat Singh t-shirt and roam?

Political parties who do not conduct a debate or discussion on social issues within their party, do they have the right to use Bhagat Singh's birthday or Martyr's Day?

How can it be that Bhagat Singh has become dear to every party while no one has the courage to follow his views?  Have you ever heard that any party is openly debating communalism, even once?

Bhagat Singh had said “It is easy to kill individuals but you cannoy kill the ideas”. Is it not the opposite happening in today's era where Bhagat Singh and other people has been kept alive as a person so that they can be used for someone’s political motive, but their thoughts are being buried slowly.

You have been warned!