Ram Prasad Bismil

Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil (Urdu: پنڈت رام پراساد بسمل, Hindi: पंडित राम प्रसाद बिस्मिल) (1897-1927) was one of the great Indian independence fighters, who also participated in the Kakori train robbery. Bismil was his pen name. He was a member of the Arya Samaj and also of the Hindustan Republican Association. He was a great poet and several inspiring patriotic verses are attributed him, of which Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna is the most well known.

Early Life

Pandit Ramprasad was born in the year 1897 at Shahjahanpur,Uttar Pradesh. His ancestors hailed from the state of Gwalior.His father Muralidhar was with the municipality of Shahjahanpur.He was the second of two siblings.

Revolutionary Activities and Execution

Ram Prasad Bismil joined the revolutionary organization Hindustan Republican Association in his youth and came in contact with other revolutionaries including, among others, Premkishan Khanna, Ashfaqulla Khan, Chandrasekhar Azad, Thakur Roshan Singh, Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Bhagawati Charan, Rajguru Rai Ram Narain great grand son of Raja Tikait Rai Wazir Nawab of Oudh Awadh. Along with nine revolutionary colleagues, Bismil executed a meticulous plan for the looting of the government treasury carried in a train at Kakori. This happened on August 9, 1925 and is known as the Kakori Train Robbery. The incidsent created great upheavel in British India. The retribution was severe when The revolutionaries were caught. In a long drawn case, Ram prasad, Ashfaqullah, Roshan Singh and Rajendra Lahiri were sentenced to death. Ram Prasad Bismil was hanged by the British authorities on December 18, 1927 in Gorakhpur (located in the present Indian state of Uttar Pradesh), while Rai Ram Narain was jailed for life.

Literary Works

Ram Prasad Bismil was known for his inspiring poems that acted as motivation for his fellow revolutionaries. Among them, Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna is the most well-known, although the authorship of this particular poem is often disputed.

A deep and passionate love for the motherland and an urge to sacrifice for the nation was the hallmark of Bismil's works. In one poem he prays: "Even if I have to face death a thousand times for the sake of my Motherland, I shall not be sorry. Oh Lord! Grant me a hundred births in Bharath. But grant me this, too, that each time I may give up my life in the service of the Mother land."

In another poem written just before going to the gallows, he prays: "Oh Lord! Thy will be done. You are unique. Neither my tears nor I will endure. Grant me this boon, that to my last breath and the last drop of my blood, I may think of you and be immersed in your work."

Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil wrote his autobiography while he was at Gorakhpur jail, days before he was hanged to death. The text is available on Hindi Wikipedia.

Film Adaptations/Depictions

In the Bollywood movie The Legend of Bhagat Singh, Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil is depicted as a visionary who ignites in Bhagat Singh the fire of freedom. The character was played by Ganesh Yadav.

In Rang De Basanti, Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil was a more significant character played by Atul Kulkarni.

ee also

*Sukhdev Thapar
*Chandrashekar Azad
*Rajguru
*Thakur Roshan Singh
*Ashfaqullah Khan
*Bhagat Singh
*Arya Samaj
*Hindustan Socialist Republican Association
*Kakori train robbery

References

*http://sarvadharma.org/Museum/heroes/bismil.htm
*http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/freedom/bismil.htm
*http://www.freeindia.org/freedom_fighters/page22.htm