Inder Kumar Gujral

Date of Birth : Dec 4, 1919
Date of Death : -
Place of Birth : Punjab
Political party : Janata Dal
Took Office : Apr 21, 1997
Left Office : Mar 19, 1998
Successor : Atal Behari Vajpayee

Early life

Born in the town of Jhelum in Western Punjab, now in Pakistan, he actively took part in India’s freedom struggle, and was jailed in 1942 during the ‘Quit India Movement’. He belongs to a famous Khatri family of Gujral clan.

Son of Late Shri Avtar Narain Gujral and Late Smt. Pushpa Gujral, Shri Gujral is M.A., B.Com. Ph.D. & D.Litt. (Hons. Causa). He was born at Jhelum (in undivided Punjab) on 4 December 1919. He and Smt. Shiela Gujral were married on May 26, 1945.

Shri Gujral belongs to a family of freedom fighters: both his parents participated in the freedom struggle in Punjab. At the young age of eleven, he himself actively participated in the freedom struggle in 1931 and was arrested and severely beaten by the police for organising movement of young children in the Jhelum town. In 1942, he was jailed during the Quit India Movement.

He was leader of the House, Rajya Sabha from June 1996; Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce & Textiles, 1993 to April 1996; Member of Parliamentary Standing Committee for External Affairs – till April 1996; Member of Parliament 1964 to 1976, 1989 to 1991; re-elected to Rajya Sabha in 1992 from Bihar; Member, Committee on Petitions, Public Accounts Committee, Committee on Rules, Rajya Sabha; Committee on Subordinate Legislation, Rajya Sabha; General Purposes Committee, Rajya Sabha; Standing Committee on External Affairs.

He was the chairman of Indian Council of South Asian Co-operation; Member of the Capital Plan Monitoring Committee; former President of the Institute of Defence Studies & Analysis (IDSA); Chairman of the official Committee for the Promotion of Urdu (Gujral Committee); Vice-President of the New Delhi Municipal council 1959-64; President Lahore Students Union; General Secretary of the Punjab Students Federation; Convenor and Spokesman of United Front of the Opposition Parties Conclave at Calcutta, Srinagar and Delhi.

Sri Gujral was the Minister of External Affairs from June 1, 1996 and held additional charge of the Ministry of Water Resources from June 28, 1996. He was the Minister of External Affairs earlier during 1989-1990.

He was Ambassador of India to U.S.S.R. (Cabinet Rank) from 1976-1980. He was the Minister of Communications & Parliamentary Affairs; Minister of Information & Broadcasting and Communications; Minister of Works & Housing; Minister of Information & Broadcasting; Minister of Planning.

He left the Congress Party in the mid-1980s and joined the Janata Dal . In 1996, it was the largest party of the bloc of regional parties which formed the United Front coalition to lead the Government. H. D. Deve Gowda was the JD chief and became the Prime Minister, and Gujral became the Minister for External Affairs. But when the Congress Party objected and threatened to withdraw its vote of support to the UF, the UF elected I.K. Gujral to lead the Government. His tenure ended just after 10 months when the Congress Party again decided to withdraw support to the UF.

He speaks fluent Urdu and spends part of his leisure time writing Urdu couplets. His wife, Sheila is a poet and author and his brother Satish Gujral is a prominent painter and architect.

Personal life

Gujral speaks fluent Urdu, and spends part of his leisure time writing Urdu couplets, a poetic form that traces back to India’s Mogul emperors. His brother Satish Gujral is a prominent painter and architect. Gujral and his wife Shiela Gujral, a poet and the author of several books have two sons; Naresh and Vishal Gujral. He has two granddaughters; Deeksha and Diva Gujral and a grandson; Anichya Gujral.

He is a member of the Club of Madrid.
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Indian Prime Ministers

Indian Prime Ministers

• Indira Gandhi • Jawaharlal Nehru • Gulzarilal Nanda
• Lal Bahadur Shastri • Morarji Desai • Charan Singh
• Rajiv Gandhi • Vishwanath Pratap Singh • Chandra Shekhar Singh
• P.V. Narasimha Rao • Atal Bihari Vajpayee • •H D DEVE GOWDA
• Dr. Manmohan Singh

Dr. Soundram was the founder of the Gandhigram Trust. She was simple and selfless and dedicated her life for the poor and needy. She considered that her mission in life was to serve women and children of the rural areas in the fields of health, education, welfare and building up self-confidence. She believed that only education could irradiate all the evils from the society. She was given the Padma Bhushan Award for her selfless service.

She was born on 1905 into an affluent family of Madurai. Her father was in transport business. Her mother actively participated in the constructive work initiated by Mahatma Gandhi. The family took keen interest in the welfare of poor laborers. Soundram was married to her mother`s brother`s son. Her husband was a medical doctor. She had a very happy married life but it did not last long as she became a widow at a very young age. So she decided to become a doctor and continue her husband`s work, dedicating her life for humanity. She passed Matriculation and joined Lady Hardinge Medical College in Delhi. After her graduation she went to Madras and joined Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy. The two of them started the Avvai Home for children and Avvai Health Services for the villagers.

Soundram remarried G. Ramachandran of Kerala. During the Quit India Movement she toured the villages of Kerala for the promotion of constructive work. She was expelled from Kerala and as a result, she went to Madurai to her parents` home. They did not approve of her marriage with Ramachandran as he was a non-Brahmin but her parents gave her equal share of the wealth along with her brothers. She spent it in developing the Gandhigram Institute in Authur block, which stands today as a monument of her hard work and organizational ability.

Her main concerns were developing heath and family planning services for villagers, promoting khadi and other village industries to provide employment to the people and to relieve rural poverty. She also started cottage industries for soap making and preparation of Ayurvedic medicines and a home for orphans and for women in distress at Gandhigram. She became the Vice Chairman of Khadi and Village Industries Board

Soundram was elected to the Madras Legislative Assembly and she took charge of community development work in Madurai district and worked as Honorary Community Project Officer for Madurai. She represented the backward constituency called Veda Soundur and helped the residents of the constituency in developing facilities for education, health, bus transport and electricity, with the full cooperation of the people. Soundram organized one of the four Gandhi Museums at Madurai She visited China as a delegate of the Indo-China Friendship Association and studied the rural development activities in China. Soundram served as the Deputy Minister of Education for five years. As Deputy Education Minister she started rural institutes for women.

She was a living legend, who dedicated her life for the people. She breathed her lat on October 1984. Her death was a big loss for the country. The Gandhigram Institute stands as a living monument to her memory. She will ever live in the heart of all Indians.

Jayashri Raiji was a freedom fighter who dedicated her life for Indians. She was mainly concerned of the poor and downtrodden masses of India. Her doors were always open to anyone who came to her for help. She was born to help and serve and she did not expect for any reward or recognition. She lived according to the precepts of the Gita. According to her, serving mankind was the best offering a person can make to God.

Jayashri was born on 26 October 1895 as the daughter of Sir Manubhai Mehta, the Dewan of Baroda. She was a student of the Baroda College and graduated with philosophy. She married N.M. Raiji, a Chartered Accountant, and moved to Bombay. After settling in Bombay she engaged herself into social work. She considered that her mission in life was to uplift women through education and employment. She was deeply concerned about the welfare of children and of Harijans. She was elected as the cooperator of the Bombay Municipal Corporation. She was also a member of the Bombay University Senate.

Jayashri was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi`s call to women, inviting them to join in India`s struggle for freedom. Ever since she came under the influence of the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, simplicity became her way of life and she discarded all ornaments and took a pledge to wear only Khadi. She went picketing shops selling foreign cloth and liquor. She took part in the freedom marches actively. As a result, she was arrested and produced before the Commissioner of Police. At that time, her youngest daughter was just three months and she had to take the baby with her. The Commissioner told her that she would be released if she swears that she would not take part in the freedom movement again and if not she would be moved to the prison and would not be permitted to take the baby with her. So she handed over the baby to her sister and sternly informed him that she would not apologize.

During the freedom struggle, she actively devoted her time for social work. She was elected as the head of the Women`s Wing of the Bombay Congress, she organized a mass parade of women for arresting the leaders and as a result she was arrested and imprisoned for six months. She was interested in social work and she never aspired to be a politician. Seeing her dedication the Congress High Command offered her a ticket in the first Lok Sabha elections. She was to contest against a socialist candidate, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya. As Kamladevi was her friend and colleague she was not interested to oppose her. But the Congress Committee was not ready to accept any excuses from her and against her wishes she was dragged into politics. Once she came into politics, she worked with enthusiasm. She visited every nook and corner for election campaign and she defeated Kamaladevi by 12800 votes.

In the Parliament she took keen interest in matters relating to the welfare of women and children. The bills she actively supported were the Anti-Dowry Bill, the Indian Adoption of Children Bill, bills for suppression of immoral traffic in women and women`s right to divorce. She strongly opposed the bill to punish unfaithful wives by jail sentences saying that “in a society where we have such evil customs as child marriages prmitting a girl of 10 or 12 to be married to a man of 40 or 50 – old enough to be her grand father how can we expect her to be loyal? In a society where girls are at times sold as slaves by their own parents, how can they be expected to be faithful to their husbands?” She ceased to be the Member of Parliament when the bill for codification of the Hindu law was being debated. She actively participated in the discussions pertaining to women`s right to divorce and legacy.

After her term in the Lok Sabha was over, she did not contest again and reverted to social work. She developed the Adivasi Welfare Centre where over 600 girls were educated and trained. At the age of 85, she started a new project adopting nine villages, which was a programme approved by UNICEF. She was offered the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation`s Janki Devi award for her outstanding contribution to the upliftment of women and children. On receiving the prestigious award, she donated the entire amount to her Udwada project for the welfare of the Adivasis.

Jayashri dedicated her entire life for the upliftment of the poor and oppressed. She never hated anyone and was friendly and compassionate to God`s entire creations. She was balanced in pain and pleasure and forgiving. She breathed her last on 28 August 1985. She would ever remain in the heart of all Indians.

A freedom fighter par excellence Harekrishna Mahtab underwent several terms of imprisonment, suffering enough privation and hardship. He served post-Independence India with distinction in various capacities has been considered as the `Builder of Modern Orissa`. He served as Chief Minister of Orissa, Governor of Bombay and as a Union Minister. Shri Mahtab was also a highly respected literary figure and author of many books, the most important being the “History of Orissa”.

Dr. Harekrishna Mahtab was born on 21st November 1899 at Agrapara, Balasore district, Orissa, to Krishna Charan Das and Topha Bibi. Leter he was adopted by his maternal grandparents Jagannath Mahtab, Raja of Agarpara, and Rani Dhani Bibi. After passing matriculation from Bhadrak High School he was admitted to Ravenshaw College, Cuttack in 1917. He got married to Shrimati Subhadra Devi during the student career in the School. Dr. Mahtab died on 2nd January 1987. In 1921 he actively participated in the National Freedom Movement.

Harekrishna MahatabThus with this active participation he started his political career from the villages. In 1923 he became editor of the Weekly “Prajatantra” published from Cutack, which went on to become a daily newspaper. He became the Chairman, Balasore district board from 1924 to 1929. He has been First and the youngest man from Orissa to become a member of working committee of A.I.C.C. In 1930 he become the President of Utkal Pradesh Congress Committee and the same year he was imprisoned for participating in the Satyagraha movement. During imprisonment he translated the “Balmiki Ramayan” into Oriya and produced the Oriya Prose version of “The Bhagwad Gita”. In 1932 he suffered further imprisonment for participating in the Salt Satyagraha.

From 1933-37 he worked for the upliftment of Harijans in the “Gandhi Karm Mandir Ashram” at Agarpara and also at Jhadapipal village, north Balasore. In 1942 British imprisoned him for speaking publicly against the British raj. He spent some time at Bardoloi with Mahatma Gandhi on his release and published `Rachna`, a periodical advocating Gandhiji`s thoughts and philosophy. During the Second World War, Dr. Mahtab worked to control panic in Orissa due to bombardment near the Orissa Coast by Japan also assisted by Meeraben. During the national Movement he was imprisoned for 7 times and for a total period of about 8 years. Along with other national leaders he was imprisoned from August 1942 to April 1945 and he spent this time writing a history of Orissa, 3 novels and a number of poems.

After that he became the Chief Minister of Orissa from 1946 to 1950 and again from 1956 to 1961. He has also been the Cabinet Minister for Commerce and Supply of the Central Ministry 1950 to 1952 and remains General Secretary of Congress Parliamentary party from1952 to1954. Harekrishn Mahatab was appointed as Governor of Bombay Province from1955 to 56. During 1962 to 1967 he served as the Member of Parliament and Deputy Leader of Congress Parliamentary Party from1962 to 63.

During this period under his Leadership a parliamentary delegation was deputed to African Countries. Elected to the Lok Sabha in 1962, he was also the Deputy Leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party. Chairman of several government committees both at State level and at Centre, President of several social and cultural Public organizations and at one time was the Pro-Chancellor of the Utkal University. The Utkal, Saugar and Andhra Uniersities conferred a permanent fellow of this University Doctorate degree in literature and law upon him. He is not only known as a politician but a famous historian, writer social and cultural organiser, As a writer he is a once poet, Essayist, Novelist and a good Dramatist. He has been the Editor of `Jhankar` the monthly. He was President of Sahitya Academy, Sangeet Natak Academ and Lalit Kala Academy of Orissa. He was also the Chairman of Orissa Olympic Association, Founder of an English Daily `Eastern Times` which subsequently was closed down and again published in 1972 as weekly.

In 1983 `Kendriya Sahitya Akademi Award` was conferred to him for his book “Gaon Majlis”. He has written as many as 24 books in English and Oriya. Some of Essays and Novels in Oriya are Prativa, Toutor, Abyapar, Gaon Majilis; Drama: Chhaya Pather Jatri, Seshashru, Andhajuga, History of Orissa in two volumes. Each in English and Oriya, “The beginning of the end” and “Call to Action” in English.

She was the first woman who took spinning to every village of India. She stitched clothes for the Adivasi and Dalit children and attended to the sick and the suffering millions of India She wanted women to be liberated from the clutches of men. She started the khadimandir exclusively for women and their progress. She founded the Nanavati Hospital in memory of her husband, Shri Chandulal Nanavati.

Maniben Nanavati was born on February 27, 1905 at Gujarat. She was the daughter of Shri Chunilal Jhaveri, a cloth-merchant known for his honesty and selfless service to the community. She lost her parents at a very early age. So her uncle bought her up and she received her education at the Jain Girls School and read Jain scriptures regularly. She got married to Shri Chandulal Nanavati who was an ardent follower and close associate of Gandhiji. Maniben was also attracted by Gandhiji`s teachings and she sought advice from him on the best way to serve the country. Gandhiji advised her to devote to khadi work and open a khadi shop. This was a turning point in her life. As a result she could concentrate on rural development and education, promotion of khadi and empowerment of women. She became the Honorary Secretary of the Maharashtra Khadi and Village Industries Board. She is the founder of Nanavati Women`s Institution and Girls` School.

Maniben joined the band of Satyagrahi women working under the inspiring leadership of Swami Anand. She defied the unjust salt law, thus inviting severe punishment for herself. She was arrested and imprisoned for ten months. Thereafter, she continued to participate actively in the Congress organizational programmes.

She contributed greatly to Adivasi welfare especially in Gujarat. She was a source of consolation to thousands of refugees from Pakistan after the partition of the country. She provided relief and rehabilitation facilities to the victims of natural calamities all over India. She was a mother to the destitutes and homeless. They called her Maniba, or mother. She can be described as a living legend. She died on 2000 at the age of 95.

Bhagat Singh”I am a man and all that affects mankind concerns me”- Bhagat Singh, a great reader and thinker was able to break the jail conditions. Officially he was not allowed for reading and writing. After long hunger strike he got the right of reading & writing included in Jail Manuals. Thus he maintained a notebook of 404 pages and kept notes & quotes from the books he read. His legacy prompted youth in India to begin fighting for Indian independence and also increased the rise of socialism in India.

Bhagat Singh was an Indian freedom fighter, most famous revolutionaries of Indian Independence Movement. He is also believed to be one of the earliest Marxists in India. The revolutionary was born on 27th September 1907 to a family, which had been earlier involved in revolutionary activities against British Raj in India. Bhagat Singh was born into a Sandhu family to Sardar Kishan Singh Sandhu and Vidyavati in the Khatkar Kalan village near Banga in the Lyallpur district of Punjab. Singh`s given name of Bhagat meant “devotee”. The Hindu reformist Arya Samaj had a great influence on his father. His uncles, Ajit Singh and Swaran Singh, as well as his father were both part of the Ghadr Party led by Kartar Singh Sarabha. Ajit Singh was forced to flee to Iran because of pending cases against him while Swaran Singh was hanged.

The Jalianwala Bagh Massacre, which took place in Punjab in 1919, had a deep impact on the child mind of Bhagat Singh. In 1920, Mahatma Gandhi initiated the Non-Cooperation Movement. The teenage Bhagat at his tender age of 13 became an active participant with a great hope that Gandhi would bring freedom in India. But the little Bhagat was disappointed with Gandhiji`s decision to call off this movement following the `Chauri Chaura` riot in 1922. Bhagat Singh openly defied the British and followed Gandhi`s wishes by burning his government-school books and any British-imported clothing.

The attention of members of the Punjab Hindi Sahitya Sammelan including its General Secretary Professor Bhim Sen Vidyalanka moved towards Bhagat Singh in 1923 when Bhagat famously won an essay competition set by the Punjab Hindi Sahitya Sammelan. At this age At this age, he quoted famous Punjabi literature and discussed the “Problems of the Punjab”. He read a lot of poetry and literature which was written by Punjabi writers and his favourite poet was an Indian freedom fighter Allama Iqbal from Sialkot.

In his teenage years, Bhagat Singh started studying at the National College in Lahore, but ran away from home to escape early marriage, and became a member of the organization “Naujawan Bharat Sabha” translated to `Youth Society of India`. In the Naujawan Bharat Sabha, Singh and his fellow revolutionaries grew popular amongst the youth. He also joined the `Hindustan Republican Association` at the request of Professor Vidyalankar, which was then headed by Ram Prasad Bismil and Ashfaqulla Khan. He also wrote for and edited Urdu and Punjabi newspapers published from Amritsar. A meeting of various revolutionaries from across India was called at Delhi under the banner of the “Kirti Kissan Party” in September 1928. Bhagat Singh was the secretary of the meet. His later revolutionary activities were carried out as a leader of this association. The capture and hanging of the main HRA Leaders also allowed him and Sukhdev to be quickly promoted to higher ranks in the party.

On October 30 1928, Lala Lajpat Rai led the protest in a silent non-violent march against the commission, which was created by the British government under Sir John Simon to report on the current political situation in India. The police responded with violence and Lala Lajpat Rai severely beaten by the police chief. Bhagat Singh eyewitnessed this event and vowed to take revange. With other revolutionaries Shivaram Rajguru, Jai Gopal and Sukhdev Thapar he joined in a plot to kill the police chief. Jai Gopal was supposed to indentify the chief and signal for Singh to shoot. However, in a case of mistaken identity, Gopal signalled Singh on the appearance of J. P. Saunders, a Deputy Superintendent of Police. Thus, Saunders, instead of Scott, was shot. He quickly left Lahore to escape the police. To avoid recognition, he shaved his beard and cut his hair, a violation of one of the sacred tenets of Sikhism.

The British government enacted the Defence of India Act to give more power to the police, in the face of actions by the revolutionaries. The purpose of the Act was to combat revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh. The Act was defeated in the council only by one vote. In response to this act, the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association planned to explode a bomb in the assembly where the ordinance was going to be passed. It was decided that Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt, another revolutionary, would throw the bombs in the assembly. On April 8, 1929, Singh and Dutt threw bombs onto the corridors of the assembly and shouted “Inquilab Zindabad!” (“Long Live the Revolution!”). This was followed by a shower of leaflets stating that it takes a loud voice to make the deaf hear. The bomb neither killed nor injured anyone. Singh and Dutt gave themselves up for arrest after the bomb. He and Dutt were sentenced to `Transportation for Life` for the bombing on June 12, 1929.

After his arrest, the British came to know of his involvement in the murder case of J.P.Saunders. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev were charged with the murder. Intelligent Bhagat Singh did not missed a fraction of time to use the court as a tool to publicize his cause for the independence of India. He admitted to the murder and made statements against the British rule during the trial. The case was ordered to be carried out without members of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association present at the hearing. This created an uproar amongst Singh`s supporters as he could no longer publicise his views.

This revolutionary young man with other prisoners launched a hunger strke in the jail. The reason was that British murderers and thieves were treated better than the Indian political prisoners as they were meant to be given better rights by law. They were advocating for the rights of prisoners and undertrails, a decent standard of food as well as better clothing and other hygienic necessities. He also demanded that political prisoners should not be forced to do any labour or undignified work. This hunger strike lasted for 63 days and ended with the submission of British power to an overpowering force, Bhagat Singh,with this he gained much popularity among the common Indians. Before the strike his popularity was limited mainly to the Punjab region.

Bhagat Singh used to maintain diary while in jail . Eventually he made to fill 404 pages. The diary was a precious one as he made numerous notes relating to the quotations and popular sayings of various people whose vies he supported, prominent were of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Political thought of Bhagat Singh`s evolved gradually from Gandhian nationalism to revolutionary Marxism. By the end of 1928, he and his comrades renamed their organization the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association. After going through the teachings of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, and Vladimir Lenin he came to believe that, India with such a large and diverse population could only survive properly under a socialist regime. These ideals had been introduced to him during his time at the National College at Lahore and he believed that India should re-enact the Russian revolution. He believed that the rich would only get richer and the poor would only get poorer in the case if India did not adopt the socialistic approach. This, and his militant methods, put him at odds with Gandhi and members of the Congress. He became the first socialist leader in India to make any gain. Even today, socialist leaders sometimes refer back to him as the founder of Indian socialism.

To him “The aim of life is no more to control mind, but to develop it harmoniously, not to achieve salvation here after, but to make the best use of it here below, and not to realise truth, beauty and good only in contemplation, but also in-the actual experience of daily life; social progress depends not upon the ennoblement of the few but on the enrichment democracy or universal brotherhod can be achieved only when there is an equality of opportunity in the social, political and individual life.” The comments in his diary led to an understanding of the philosophical thinking of Bhagat Singh. He wrote a pamphlet entitled “Why I am an Atheist” in which he discusses and advocates the philosophy of atheism during his time in a condemned cell in 1931. This pamphlet was a result of some criticism by fellow revolutionaries on his failure to acknowledge religion and God while in a condemned cell. He was also being accused of vanity by not accepting God in the face of death. He supported his own beliefs and claimed that he used to be a firm believer in The Almighty, but could not bring himself to believe the myths and beliefs that others held close to their hearts. In this pamphlet, he acknowledged the fact that religion made death easier, but also said that unproved philosophy is a sign of human weakness.

Bhagat Singh was known for his appreciation of martyrdom. His mentor as a young boy was Kartar Singh Sarabha, an Indian freedom fighter and a leading luminary of the Ghadar Party. Singh is himself considered a martyr by many Indians for acting to avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai, also considered a martyr. In the leaflet he threw in the Central Assembly on 8th April 1929, he stated that `It is easy to kill individuals but you cannot kill the ideas. Great empires crumbled while the ideas survived`. After engaging in studies on the Russian Revolution, he wanted to die so that his death would inspire the youth of India to unite and fight the British Empire. While in prison, Bhagat Singh and two others had written a letter to the Viceroy asking him to treat them as prisoners of war and hence to execute them by firing squad and not by hanging. Prannath Mehta, Bhagat Singh`s friend, visited him in the jail on March 20, four days before his execution, with a draft letter for clemency, but he declined to sign it.

After his hanging, youths in regions around Northern India rioted in protest against the British Raj. Thus Bhagat Singh`s desire to inspire thousands of youths to assist the Indian independence movement. Bhagat Singh`s contribution to Indian society in particular is sown in the future of socialism in India acknowledged by The Communist Party of India (Marxist) itself. To celebrate the centenary of his birth, a group of intellectuals have set up an institution to commemorate Singh and his ideals. Several popular Bollywood films have been made capturing the life and times of Bhagat Singh. The oldest was “Shaheed” in 1965, starring Manoj Kumar as Singh. Two major films about Singh were released in 2002, “23rd March 1931: Shaheed” and “The Legend of Bhagat Singh”. The patriotic Urdu and Hindi songs, “Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna “(translated as “the desire to sacrifice”) and “Mera Rang De Basanti Chola” (“my saffron-colored cloak”; saffron referring to the Sikh color of sacrifice), while created by Ram Prasad Bismil, are largely associated to Bhagat Singh`s martyrdom.

This legendary martyr Bhagat Singh is often been accused of being too eager to die, as opposed to staying alive and continuing his movement. Some lament that he may have done much more for India had he stayed alive. Ajay Ghosh was one of the close comrade and co-accused in the Lahore conspiracy case. In his word “Like a meteor, Bhagat Singh appeared in the political sky for a brief period. Before he passed away, he had become the cynosure of millions of eyes and the symbol of the spirit and aspirations of a new India, dauntless in the face of death, determined to smash imperialist rule and raise on its ruins the edifice of a free people`s state in this great land of ours.”

Kamala Nehru (1900 – 1936)Kamala Nehru was the wife of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru and the mother of Indira Gandhi. Kamala was known as “the Delhi beauty”. She was deeply sincere, highly patriotic, serous minded and sensitive. When she died Gandhiji wrote to Indira, “Kamala had virtues which are not commonly found in ordinary women”. She was a social worker who was keenly interested in promoting women`s rights. During the fight for freedom she was busy picketing foreign shops and leading processions. She said that her happiest days were in prison fighting for the cause of Indians. She had great will power and determination that even while on sickbed she tried to learn Urdu.

Kamala was the daughter of an orthodox Kashmiri Pandit. She belonged to a traditional middle class family. All her schooling had been at home, under the guidance of a Pandit and a Maulvi. She was married at the young age of 17 to Nehru, who was nine years older to her. The Nehru family sticked on to the Western style of living. The first few Kamala Nehru with Pandit Nehruyears after marriage were difficult for Kamala. She felt confused and uncomfortable in her husband`s home. It took years for her to adjust with the Nehru family. Even after training her in Western ways, her thinking was quite different. She was very serious minded and was interested in traditional values. At first, even her husband considered her as uncultured and not suited to his western ways. It was only after a few years of marriage that a new relationship began to develop between Kamala and Jawaharlal. A son was prematurely born to Kamala, but the child lived for only two days. After which a long period of hospitalization followed. Doctors ad-vised that she be taken to Switzerland for treatment. So Jawaharlal, Kamala and Indira left for Eu-rope. Kamala had to spent most of her time in bed. Jawaharlal occasionally traveled to Berlin, London, Paris and Rome on short trips to attend conferences. They decided to return home via Sri Lanka when Kamala`s health improved. Though not fully recovered, Kamala became pregnant again. Because of physical weak-ness she had a miscarriage. She had aches and pains and it was diagnosed that she had appendicitis. She had to undergo an operation. During this time Jawaharlal stood for com-plete independence and made fiery speeches in its cause. He was injured in a lathi charge during a demonstration against the Simon Commission. Forgetting her illness, Kamala took an active part in organizing women.

Vijaya lakshmi was a tough sister in law who considered her a trespasser. During her marriage she wished to posses a certain neck-lace owned by Kamala which she was keeping for her daughter Indira. Kamala was at first reluctant to give but Jawaharlal insisted her to part with it. In her twenties Kamala contacted TB and be-came an invalid. A long period of separation from her husband and the uncongenial atmosphere at Nehru`s home worsened her condition further.

In her letters to Jawaharlal, when he was in jail, Kamala expressed her unhappiness at the way she was treated at his home and said she wished the government had send her to prison. Indira never forgot the bitter tears her mother was made to shed and her relation with her aunt where cold to the very end. Quite naturally Indira could not forgive her father for not realizing her mother`s unhappy situation. He was always in prison and he could not witness the “clash of personalities” his wife had to suffer at his home. Indira too was not with her mother as she was at Shantiniketan. She always regretted the fact that she could not spend much time with her mother whom she had dearly loved.

Kamala helped to set up a hospital in the premises of Swaraj Bhavan, Nehru`s family mansion. She persuaded women to come out and join the struggle for Independence. They hawked khadi and made bonfires of imported goods. As a member of the Desh Sevika Sangh, she joined other members in picketing foreign cloth shops.

Kamala was attracted by Gandhiji`s teachings and came under thehis powerful influence. She took his call for self-sacrifice seriously and encouraged Jawaharlal not only to throw himself entirely into the freedom movement, but and to change his way of life. Thus the appearance of Westernization chipped off from the Nehru family. Khadi dhotis and kurtas were used instead of Silks and suits. Jail life separated Kamala and Jawaharlal for long months and even years. Jawaharlal had to spent more than 350 days in jail.

Kamala craved to be by the side of her husband in the struggle but she was imprisoned and was sentenced for two months. She was released after twenty-six days because Motilal Nehru lay on his death-bed.

By the end of 1931, Kamala`s health worsened. Still, she was active in politics. She participated in the Civil Disobedience movement. While she was leading a procession and picketing outside a government college that she had a chance meeting with Feroze Gandhi. Kamala fell down unconsciously of fatigue during the possession and Feroze along with other boys ran to help her.

Kamala began to suffer from constant cough and was also given to fainting fits. In July 1934, she suffered a severe attack of pleurisy. During that time Jawaharlal was in jail. For eleven days he was released to be at the bedside of his sick wife. Hints were thrown to him that he could be free if he stayed away form political activity. Kamala heard of these rumors and told Jawaharlal not to consider such an idea.

Kamala was suffering from tuberculosis. Doctors advised that she should be shifted to a hospital in Bhowali near Almora. Her health was improved after a two-month stay at the hospital. Further she was advised to go to Europe for treatment. The four years from 1931 to 1934 saw a sharp decline in Kamala`s health. During these years she witnessed a very lonely life. She became deeply reli-gious, taking initiation at the Ramakrishna Mission. As her condition worsened she was taken to the Bhowali Sanitorium for treatment while Jawaharlal was in jail.

At the prime age of 37 she died. Gandhiji, in a message, on her death said “I have not known a truer, braver and more God fearing woman”.

She was indeed a noble soul who lived for the people of India.

The only object of his adoration and worship was his motherland for whose liberation he considered no sacrifice too great. The whole nation was awakened with the names of Bhagat Singh, Jai Rajguru and Sukhdev. They became as popular as that of Mahatma Gandhi during the period of colonialism.

The fearless spirit, Shiv Ram Hari Rajguru was born in 1906 into an average middle-class Hindu Brahmin family at Khed in Poona district, India. He belonged to the Deshastha Brahmin community. At a very early age Jai Rajguru came to Varanasi where he learnt Sanskrit and read the Hindu religious scriptures. He had a good memory and learnt by heart the `Laghu Siddhant Kaumudi`. He was associated with a number of physical exercise associations, as he was fond of physical exercises. He was a great admirer of Shivaji and his guerilla tactics.

During his learning process at Varanasi, he came in contact with revolutionaries. He joined the movement and became an active member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army (H.S.R.A). In the party he was known under the nom de plume of Raghunath. Jai Rajguru had fearless spirit and indomitable courage. Within the party he was a close associate of Chandra Shekhar Azad, Sardar Bhagat Singh and Jatin Das. He was charged with activity in U.P and Punjab, Kanpur, Agra and Lahore as his headquarters. Rajguru was a good shot and was regarded as the gunman of the party.

Jai Rajguru took part in various activities of the revolutionary movement, the most important being Saunder`s murder. On 30th October 1928 Lala Lajpat Rai led the protest in a silent non-violent march against the commission, which was created by the British government under Sir John Simon to report on the current political situation in India. The police responded with violence and Lala Lajpat Rai severely beaten by the police chief. died on 17 November 1928.

The revolutionaries planned to avenge Lalaji`s death by killing the Police Superintendent, Scott and the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Saunders who were responsible for the lathi charge leading to the death of Lalaji. Chandra Shekhar Azad, Shiv Ram Rajguru, Bhagat Singh and Jai Gopal were deputed for the work. They were about to kill the police chief. On 17 December 1928, while Saunders, the deputy superintendent of police came out of his office and started his motor- cycle. In a case of mistaken identity Jai Rajguru shot him dead in front of the police headquarters at Lahore. Azad shot dead Channan Singh, a Head Constable, who wanted to chase the three revolutionaries. All of them escaped through the D.A.V. College compound: The same night posters of the HSRA declaring, “Saunders is dead. Lalaji is avenged” were put up throughout the city of Lahore. On 20 December, Jai Rajguru left Lahore disguised as Bhagat Singh`s servant, who traveled in a first class compartment with the wife and the young son of the revolutionary Bhagawati Charan. He left Bhagat Singh at Lucknow and went underground in Nagpur. He met Dr. K. B. Hedgewar and was hiding in one of the RSS worker`s house. But after some days he went to Pune.

Later Bhagat Singh was arrested in the Assembly Bomb Case and several other revolutionaries were arrested with the help of approvers (Jai Gopal, Phanindra Nath and Hansraj Vohra). Rajguru was arrested while he was in Pune on 30 September 1929. Police recovered a revolver with fourteen cartridges from a box where he was sleeping. The Government started a case against sixteen persons (including Rajguru), known as the Lahore Conspiracy Case. Judgment was delivered on 7 October 1930, Sardar Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Jai Rajguru were sentenced to death and the other accused were awarded various terms of imprisonment.

Meetings, processions and representations were made for commutation of their death sentence. Mahatma Gandhi and the leaders of the Indian National Congress attempted to save their lives, but they failed. An appeal to the Privy Council was also rejected. Jai Rajguru along with his two comrades was hanged in the Lahore jail in the evening of 23 March 1931 and their bodies were burnt under police supervision. At the time of his martyrdom, Rajguru was hardly twenty- three years of age.

A national disaster and national mourning was observed throughout the country with the execution of the young revolutionaries. The A.I.C.C session at Karachi (1931) met under gloom and passed a resolution “placing on record its admiration of the bravery and sacrifice of the late Sardar Bhagat Singh and his comrades Sukhdev and Rajguru and mourning with the bereaved families the loss of these lives. The Congress is of opinion that the triple execution is an act of wanton vengeance and is a deliberate flaunting of the unanimous demand of the nation for commutation.”

Nawab Mohammad Ismail Khan was born in 1884 in Meerut in Uttar Pradesh.His grandfather Nawab Mustafa Khan Shaifta was an emminent poet. Nawab Mohammad Ismail Khan completed his school education in India and moved to England.After obtaining degree in Law he returned to India and started legal practise. At that time, Nawab Mohammad Ismail Khan, came into contact with Muhammad Ali Jinnah and joined All India Muslim League in 1910. Nawab Mohammad Ismail Khan became the member of Muslim League working committee.He was elected as the member of the United Provinces Legislative Assembly.Later Nawab Mohammad Ismail Khan won the election to Central Legislative Assembly.He served as the president of All India Khilafat Committee. Nawab Mohammad Ismail Khan raised his voice against civil disobedience movement of Indian National Congress.

Nawab Mohammad Ismail KhanNawab Mohammad Ismail Khan was appointed as the member of the foundation committee of Jamia Millia Islamia.He was the leader of the U. P. Muslim League and the chairman of the All India Muslim Civil Defence Association. Nawab Mohammad Ismail Khan held the post of vice-chancellor of Aligarh University. He was selected as the member of the constituent assembly of India.After independence he opted to live in India. Nawab Mohammad Ismail Khan passed away on June 28, 1958 in his hometown Meerut.

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Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge…At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance Jawaharlal Nehru Claiming Independence from British Midnight of August 14, 1947

The Indian Independence Movement consisted of efforts by Indians to obtain political independence from British, French and Portuguese rule; it involved a wide spectrum of Indian political organizations, philosophies, and rebellions between 1857 and India’s independence on August 15, 1947.

The initial Indian rebellion of 1857 was sparked when soldiers serving in the British East India Company’s British Indian Army and Indian kingdoms rebelled against British hegemony. After the revolt was crushed, India developed a class of educated elites whose political organising sought Indian political rights and representation while largely remaining loyal to the British Empire. However, increasing public disenchantment with British rule — owing to the suppression of civil liberties, political rights, and culture as well as alienation from issues facing common Indians — led to an upsurge in revolutionary activities aimed at overthrowing British authority.

The movement came to a head between 1918 and 1922 when the first series of non-violent campaigns of civil disobedience were launched by the Indian National Congress under the leadership of Mohandas Gandhi, who learnt it from a Sikh named Baba Ram Singh (b.1816 – d.1885) the originator of Kuka Movement in the Punjab. The movement comprised large numbers of peoples from across India. Gandhi and the Congress were at the fore-front of these movements that ultimately shaped India’s cultural, religious, and political unity. Committing itself to Purna Swaraj in 1930, the Congress led mass struggles between 1930 and 1932. By the late 1930s, however, with growing disenchantments over the delaying tactics of the Raj, the movement turned towards more radical ideas of Subhash Chandra Bose. Bose’s actions proved controversial among the congress party but popular whithin the Indian populace, when Bose defeated in Gandhi’s candidate in leadership elections in the Tripuri Session of the Congress Working Comittee. However, this was the parting of ways between the radical and the conservatives. Bose left the Congress to found his own party. During the war, who sought first Soviet and then Axis help to raise a liberation force. The raising of the Indian National Army in 1942 by Subhash Chandra Bose would see a unique military campaign to end British rule. Following the trial of Indian National Army officers at the Red Fort, mutinies broke out in the navy, in the Air Force, and in the army. The congress also led a civil disobedience movement in 1942 demanding that the British leave India (a movement called the Quit India Movement). Following these and widespread communal rioting in Calcutta, the Raj ended on the mid-night of 15th August, 1947, but only at the expense of the Partition of the country into India and Pakistan.

Several regional movements against foreign rule were staged in various parts of pre-1857 India. However, they were not united and were easily controlled by the foreign rulers. Examples include an 1787 ethnic revolt against Portuguese control of Goa known as the Conspiracy of the Pintos and uprisings by South Indian local chieftains against British rule. Notable among the latter is Veerapandiya Kattabomman, who ruled the present-day Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu. He questioned the need for native Indians to pay taxes on agricultural produce to foreign rulers and battled the British until the latter, victorious, hanged him. Other movements included the Santal Rebellion and the resistance offered to the British by Titumir in Bengal.
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a period of uprising in northern and central India against British rule in 1857–58.

The rebellion was the result of decades of ethnic and cultural differences between Indian soldiers and their British officers. The indifference of the British towards Indian rulers like the Mughals and ex-Peshwas and the annexation of Oudh were political factors triggering dissent amongst Indians. Dalhousie’s policy of annexation, the Doctrine of lapse or escheat, and the projected removal of the descendants of the Great Mughal from their ancestral palace to the Qutb, near Delhi also angered some people. The specific reason that triggered the rebellion was the rumoured use of cow and pig fat in .557 calibre Pattern 1853 Enfield (P/53) rifle cartridges. Soldiers had to break the cartridges with their teeth before loading them into their rifles, so if there was cow and pig fat, it would be offensive to Hindu and Muslim soldiers. In February 1857, sepoys (Indian soldiers in the British army) refused to use their new cartridges. The British claimed to have replaced the cartridges with new ones and tried to make sepoys make their own grease from beeswax and vegetable oils, but the rumour persisted.

In March 1857, Mangal Pandey, a soldier of the 34th Native Infantry, attacked his British sergeant and wounded an adjutant. General Hearsay, who said Pandey was in some kind of “religious frenzy,” ordered a jemadar to arrest him but the jemadar refused. Mangal Pandey was hanged on 7 April along with the jemadar. The whole regiment was dismissed as a collective punishment. On May 10th, when the 11th and 20th cavalry assembled, they broke rank and turned on their commanding officers. They then liberated the 3rd Regiment, and on 11 May, the sepoys reached Delhi and were joined by other Indians. Soon, the revolt spread throughout the northern India. Some notable leaders were Ahmed Ullah, an advisor of the ex-King of Oudh; Nana Saheb; his nephew Rao Saheb and his retainers, Tantia Topi and Azimullah Khan; the Rani of Jhansi; Kunwar Singh; the Rajput chief of Jagadishpur in Bihar; and Firuz Saha, a relative of the Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah.

The Red Fort, the residence of the last Mughal emperor Bahadur, was attacked and captured by the sepoys. They demanded that he reclaim his throne. He was reluctant at first, but eventually agreed to the demands and became the leader of the rebellion.

Secundra Bagh after the 93rd Highlanders and 4th Punjab regiment fought the rebels, Nov 1857About the same time in Jhansi, the army rebelled and killed the British army officers. Revolts also broke out in places like Meerut, Kanpur, Lucknow etc. The British were slow to respond, but eventually responded with brute force. British moved regiments from the Crimean War and diverted European regiments headed for China to India. The British fought the main army of the rebels near Delhi in Badl-ke-Serai and drove them back to Delhi before laying a siege on the city. The siege of Delhi lasted roughly from 1 July to 31 August. After a week of street fighting, the British retook the city. The last significant battle was fought in Gwalior on 20 June 1858. It was during this battle that Rani Lakshmi Bai was killed. Sporadic fighting continued until 1859 but most of the rebels were subdued.

Revolutionary activities
Apart from a few stray incidents, the armed rebellion against the British rulers were not organized before the beginning of the 20th century. The revolutionary philosophies and movement made its presence felt during the 1905 Partition of Bengal. Arguably, the initial steps to organize the revolutionaries were taken by Aurobindo Ghosh, his brother Barin Ghosh, Bhupendranath Datta etc. when they formed the Jugantar party in April 1906. Jugantar was created as an inner circle of the Anushilan Samiti which was already present in Bengal mainly as a revolutionary society in the guise of a fitness club.

The Jugantar party leaders like Barin Ghosh and Bagha Jatin initiated making of explosives. The Alipore bomb case, following the Muzaffarpur killing tried several activists and many were sentenced deportation for life, while Khudiram Bose was hanged. Madan Lal Dhingra, a student in London, murdered Sir Curzon Wylie, a British M.P. on 1 July 1909 in London.

The Anushilan Samiti and Jugantar opened several branches throughout Bengal and other parts of India and recruited young men and women to participate in the revolutionary activities. Several murders and looting were done, with many revolutionaries being captured and imprisoned. During the First World War, the revolutionaries planned to import arms and ammunitions from Germany and stage an armed revolution against the British.

The Ghadar Party operated from abroad and cooperated with the revolutionaries in India. This party was instrumental in helping revolutionaries inside India catch hold of foreign arms.

After the First World War, the revolutionary activities suffered major setbacks due to the arrest of prominent leaders. In 1920s, the revolutionary activists started to reorganize. Hindustan Socialist Republican Association was formed under the leadership of Chandrasekhar Azad. Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw a bomb inside the Central Legislative Assembly on 8 April 1929 protesting against the passage of the Public Safety Bill and the Trade Disputes Bill. Following the trial (Central Assembly Bomb Case), Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were hanged in 1931.

Surya Sen, along with other activists, raided the Chittagong armoury on 18 April 1930 to capture arms and ammunition and to destroy government communication system to establish a local governance. Pritilata Waddedar led an attack on European club in Chittagong in 1932, while Bina Das attempted to assassinate Stanley Jackson, the Governor of Bengal inside the convocation hall of Calcutta University. Following the Chittagong armoury raid case, Surya Sen was hanged and several other were deported for life to the Cellular Jail in Andaman.

The Bengal Volunteers started operating in 1928. On 8 December 1930, the Benoy-Badal-Dinesh trio of the party entered the secretariat Writers’ Building in Kolkata and murdered Col NS Simpson, the Inspector General of Prisons.

On 13 March 1940, Udham Singh shot Sir Michael O’Dwyer, generally held responsible for the Amritsar Massacre, in London. However, as the political scenario changed in the late 1930s — with the mainstream leaders considering several options offered by the British and the religious politics coming into play — the revolutionary activities gradually declined. Many past revolutionaries joined mainstream politics by joining Congress and other parties, especially communist ones, while many of the activists were kept under hold in different jails across the country.