Who is a revolutionary?

He and his comrades of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association had moved beyond the goal of national independence because they felt that would only mean the domination of Indian bourgeoisie and landlords in place of the alien rulers. 8220;What difference for a peasant if Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru replaces Lord Irwin?8221; he asked. The romance of anarchist ideas and the self-sacrificing radicalism of Irish national struggle had to contend with the ideas of Marx and Lenin. The message delivered by the Bolshevik Revolution was irresistible. The message delivered by the Bolshevik Revolution was irresistible.

Making a revolution, however, was 8220;a serious business8221;. It was 8220;the creation of hard thinkers and hard workers8221;. In a letter addressed to 8220;the young political workers8221;, he candidly discussed and explained the issues he considered important, and laid down clear directions and guidelines. Perhaps, it was also meant to settle scores with contradictory ideas and impulses in his own mind.

The real revolutionary armies, he explained, were in the villages and in factories 8212; the peasants and labourers. But he found the depth of timidity and cowardice among the people distressing. The task of political awakening was formidable. The programme required 8220;at least twenty years for its fulfillment8221;. If the political workers did not understand that, 8220;then please have mercy. Stop shouting 8216;long live revolution8221;8217;.

Bhagat Singh had no illusions about the achievements of the Congress and even ridiculed Gandhi8217;s obsession with non-violence. However, he came to recognise the contribution Gandhi made to political awakening, 8220;paving the way for proletarian revolution8221;. His Dandi March and Salt Satyagraha had moved 8220;millions of peasants8221; resulting into what Louis Fischer viewed as 8220;an insurrection without arms8221;. Over 60,000 were put in jail. The sacrifice needed for a non-violent struggle was no less than the physical courage required for a violent struggle. 8220;The revolutionary must give to the angel of non-violence his due8221;, Bhagat Singh told his comrades.

It was on the 8220;thorny question8221; of terrorism, however, that he had to talk more candidly. While it had played a role in the beginning, terrorism was, as he argued, 8220;a confession that the revolutionary mentality has not penetrated down into the masses. It is thus a confession of our failure8230; It bears the germ of defeat within itself. 8220;

It seemed that a significant difference to his ideas was made by his hunger strike for the rights of political prisoners 8212; a Gandhian method 8212; which resulted in the martyrdom of Jatindra Nath Das after 63 days of fast. Appreciation came from a galaxy of national political leaders and legal luminaries of the time such as Motilal Nehru, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, M.R. Jayakar and others. 8220;These men are determined to die. It is not a joke8230; it is not everybody who can go on starving himself to death8221;, Jinnah pleaded in the Central Assembly. 8220;The man who goes on hunger-strike has a soul8221;. The day-to-day coverage given to the proceedings of the trial and the hunger strike by the newspapers, particularly The Tribune and The Hindustan Times aroused public interest and solidarity with him. The action of murder was forgotten. Bhagat Singh became a symbol of sacrifice and bravery in the cause of national dignity. He underlined that all their activities were directed towards an aim: 8220;identifying ourselves with the great movement as its military wing8221;. He said, 8220;If any body has misunderstood me8230; let him amend his ideas8221;.

Bhagat Singh8217;s extraordinary political maturity and intellectual capability at that young age was instrumental in the making of his legend.

The writer is former professor of political science, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar