Spreading Bhagat Singh’s ideas

Chaman Lal

It was a bit perplexing for me when I got a call from Sports University, Patiala, Vice Chancellor, Lieutenant General JS Cheema (Retd), inviting me to be part of a discussion panel in a session on Bhagat Singh in Military Literary Festival, as I could not see any connection, since the festival concentrates more on defence related books and matters, national and international. Among other panellists, he named Mahavir Chakra awardee, Maj Gen Sheonan Singh (Retd), who is a nephew of Bhagat Singh, but who never let this relationship be known during his military service, as he thought it will be construed as seeking favour or privilege! Only after retirement, he let it be known in an interview in a national daily. Among all close relations of Bhagat Singh, he is one of most well read about Bhagat Singh and his ideas, as Ranbir Singh, his father and younger brother of Bhagat Singh, had penned a biography of the great martyr in Urdu!

The best experiences in my mission to spread Bhagat Singh’s ideas are with Gopal Roy, minister in the Delhi Government, who inaugurated Bhagat Singh Archives and Resource Centre in Delhi which contains my gifted collection on the freedom struggle of India. While being the miniter in charge of the freedom fighters cell in Delhi, he organised functions on every 23rd March and 28th September -martyrdom and birth anniversaries of the three martyrs, and distributed free books by or on Bhagat Singh. to the audience which included children as well as old people in thousands. Writing, collecting and distributing books is the best way of spreading Bhagat Singh’s ideas of free India to enlighten the youth. I hope the Punjab Government also follows this example of their colleague in Delhi.

The writer is a retired Professor from JNU and honorary advisor to Bhagat Singh Archives and Resource Centre, New Delhi