Chandra Shekhar Azad was an Indian revolutionary that fought for our country’s independence without any major support. He stood against the husky army of Britishers with a few of his valiant colleagues Bhagat Singh.
Chandra Shekhar Azad: Early Life
Azad was born on 23 July 1906 with the former name Chandra Shekhar Tiwari. His mother wanted him to study Sanskrit at Kashi Vidyapeeth, Banaras. In 1921, the Non-Cooperation Movement was at its height and at this time Azad was just 15 years old. He indulged in the movement and got arrested on 20 December.
Source: Google
He was presented before the Parsi district magistrate Justice M.P. Khareghat a week later, Azad gave his name “Azad” his father’s name “Swatantra” and his residence “Jail”. Later, the magistrate got fired up after this and punished him with 15 lashes.
Rebellious Life
Azad was disappointed by Mahatma Gandhi after he suspended the non-cooperation movement. Later, Azad met Ram Prasad Bismil and joined his revolutionary organization Hindustan Republican Association (HRA). He started taking part in rebellious activities and collected funds for HRA. Here’s how the journey of our rebellious hero started.
- Joined Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) in 1922;
- Involvement in Kakori Train Robbery in 1925;
- Avenged killing of Lala Lajpat Rai by shooting John P. Saunders at Lahore in 1928;
- Attempted to blow up the Viceroy of India’s train in 1929.
Azad-Nehru Controversy
Jawaharlal Nehru wrote in his autobiography that Chandra Shekhar Azad met him a few days before his death. Azad queried about the possibility of not being considered a culprit as a result of the Gandhi-Irwin pact. Nehru said that Azad understood the vanity of their practices but they also believed that non-violence wouldn’t help either.
Death of Our Brave Freedom Fighter
Source: Google
Source: Google
On 27 February 1931, the CID head of police was tipped by someone that Azad is having a meeting at Alfred Park (currently Chandra Shekhar Azad park). The police enclosed the park from all sides and then the shooting began. Azad didn’t give up on his spirits until his last breath and shot himself dead to avoid being captured by the Britishers.
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