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Ram Prasad Bismil was born on 11 June 1897 in a nondescript village in Shahjahanpur district of the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh).
Fighting against the British Raj, he participated in the Mainpuri plot of 1918 as well as the most famous Kakori Train Action From 1925. Founded Hindustan Republican Association (HRA, later Hindustan Socialist Republic Association) and was hanged for his revolutionary activities in 1927.
On the 126th anniversary of his birth, we remember Ram Prasad Bismil, whose words and deeds inspired generations of Indians.
Early Life and Communications of the Arya Samaj
Born into a Rajput Tomar family, Ram Prasad Bismil learned Hindi from his father and Urdu from a maulvi who lived nearby. He also went to an English medium school in Shahjahanpur. His exposure to multiple languages ​​would develop his instincts as a writer and poet at a very early stage in his life.
Moreover, during his childhood, the Arya Samaj became an influential organization in North India. He joined the Arya Samaj and became a prolific writer and poet, writing patriotic verses in both Hindi and Urdu under pseudonyms like ‘Agyat’, ‘Ram’ and most famously – ‘Bismil’ (meaning ‘wounded’, ‘restless’).
At only 18 years old, he wrote the poem my birthday (My Birth), expressing his anger over the death sentence passed on the Arya Samaj missionary Bhai Parmanand.
Minpuri plot
After graduating from school, Bismil got involved in politics. However, he would soon become disillusioned with the so-called moderate wing of the Congress Party. Bismil wasn’t willing to “negotiate” or “beg” for his country’s freedom — if the British didn’t agree, he was willing to take it by force, as one of his most famous poems, Ghulamy Meta Do It is clear.
“The main name of slavery will be removed from the worldAnd
I will make the world free once. “
(Loose translation: I will wipe out all slavery from this world, and enter an age of freedom)
To achieve his goals, he founded a revolutionary organization called Mathrivedy (Altar of the Motherland) and collaborated with fellow revolutionary Ganda Lal Dixit. Dixit was well connected with the dacoits of the state and wanted to make use of them in the armed struggle against the British.
In 1918, Bismil wrote his most famous poem, Pratigia from Mainbury, which was distributed throughout the United Provinces in pamphlets, flattering the local nationalists and popular with the British. That year, in order to raise funds for his fledgling organization, at least three instances of looting were carried out in government offices in Mainpuri District.
A massive manhunt was launched and Bismil was located. What ensued was a dramatic shootout at the end of which Bismil jumped into the Yamuna River and swam underwater to escape.
Establishment of the Hindustan Republican Assembly
After his escape, Bismil remained underground for the next few years, writing avidly but not undertaking any major revolutionary activity. During this time, he released a collection of poems entitled Man Ki Lahar As well as translated works such as Bolshevik map (from Bengali).
In February 1920, when all the prisoners in the Manipuri Plot case had been released, Bismil returned home to Shahjahanpur. There he initially worked in gathering support for the Congress-led non-cooperation movement, but after Gandhi canceled it after the incident at Chauri Chaura in 1922, Bismil decided to start his own party.
Thus the Hindustan Republican Assembly was formed with Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan, Sachindra Nath Bakshi and Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee as founding members. Personalities like Chandra Shekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh also later joined HRA.
Their manifesto, largely penned by Bismil, was officially released on January 1, 1925 with the title revolutionary (revolutionary).
It proclaimed that “the immediate aim of the revolutionary party in the sphere of politics is the establishment of a federal republic of the United States through an organized and armed revolution.” The statement viewed these revolutionaries as “neither terrorists nor anarchists… They do not want terror for terror’s sake although they may sometimes resort to this method as a very effective means of revenge.”
Their envisioned republic would be based on universal suffrage, socialist principles, and, most importantly, “the abolition of all systems that make possible the exploitation of man by man.”
kakori train work
The train robbery in Kakori in August 1925 was HRA’s first major act. The revolutionaries planned to rob the train between Shahjahanpur and Lucknow, which often carried treasury sacks that were to be deposited in the British treasury at Lucknow. They believed that the money belonged to the Indians anyway, and they would finance their activities as well as increase publicity through this action.
On August 9, 1925, when the train was passing Kakori station, about 15 km from Lucknow, Rajendranath Lahiri, an HRA member who was already seated inside, pulled the chain and stopped the train. Later, about ten revolutionaries, including Ram Prasad Bismil and Ashfaqullah Khan, entered the train and overpowered the guards. They plundered the sacks of the treasury (containing about 4,600 rupees) and fled to Lucknow.
However, the theft angered the British and angered the Indian public. Due to a misfired Mauser rifle, one of the occupants (a lawyer named Ahmed Ali) was killed during the robbery – which diminished the public’s response to it at large.
What followed was a violent crackdown with almost everyone (except Chandrashekhar Azad) involved in the Kakori Train Action arrested. Bismil was caught in October.
Death and legacy
After an eighteen-month trial, Bismil, Ashfaqullah, and Rajendranath Lahiri were sentenced to death. The sentence was carried out on 19 December 1927. Ram Prasad Bismil was only 30 years old when he died.
But his legacy lives on, especially through his poetry. Ram Prasad Bismil was a very prolific writer. His poems were not only meant to inspire his fellow Indians to join the struggle for freedom, but also reflected a deep concern for society and the universal principles of equality and human dignity. in Ghulamy Meta DoBismil says:
“Jo log par card hai sitam nahakAnd
Ghar Dam Hai Mera Kayam, Jin Jin Ki Saz Donga. “
(Loosely translated: Those who oppress the poor unjustly, if there is life in my body, I will punish everyone.)
Today, Ram Prasad Bismil has also become a symbol of societal harmony due to his close friendship with fellow revolutionary poet Ashfaqullah Khan. In his last letter, written just before his execution, Bismil made a standing call for unity between Hindus and Muslims in the service of the nation.
He wrote (translated here): “If a sincere Muslim like Ashfaq can be the right-hand man of Arya Samaji like Ram Prasad in the revolutionary movement, why don’t Hindus and other Muslims unite forgetting their petty interests?…Now my only request to my countrymen is that if they have an iota of sorrow for our death, then, by whatever means, they should establish unity between Hindus and Muslims; this is our last wish and only this can be our memorial.”
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