Now see Bhagat Singh as he really was

All available posters and photographs of the martyr are based on Bhagat Sinh in disguise. The Gokhale Smarak Chowk Ganapati Mandal here has now decided to publish the revolutionary’s original photograph in traditional turban.

The rare photograph, now in the collector of the N.M.V. High School was brought to Maharashtra by litterateur Mrinalini Joshi who had developed deep bonds with the martyr’s family while she was working on her novel Inquilab. The picture clicked sometime in 1926 shows Bhagat Singh four years before he embarked upon the brave plan to avenge the killing of lion of Punjab Lala Lajpat Rai. Another interesting part of the story is, the prize picture has a kashida around it done up by the martyr’s mother, Vidyavatidevi “Bebe.”

Mrinalini Joshi gifted the photograph to NMV School around 1965 where, unknown to anybody, it remained hung over a library wall along with a horde of other photos. Members of Gokhale Smarak Chowk Ganapati Mandal were preparing for this year’s festival tableau on independence struggle when they chanced upon the photo. The school permitted the mandal workers to copy the photo on a slide, which the mandal has on display during the the festival.