Bharat’s freedom struggle has uncountable heroes with their stories of bravery and valour to stand against the British rule. Many people attained martyrdom at a very young age but their names are etched in the mind and conscience of the present Bharat. One such name is Ram Prasad Bismil, famously remembered for the Kakori Conspiracy of August 9, 1925. He planned it along with his colleague, Ashfaqullah Khan. He was sentenced to death at an age of 30 years by the Britishers. Today is his 121st Birth Anniversary. Let’s remember this great freedom fighter of Bharat who dedicated his life to opposing British imperialism.

• His illustrative contributions to the freedom movement were noted in the Mainpuri Conspiracy of 1918, and the Kakori conspiracy of 1925 against the British rule.
• Bismil’s father was working with the Shahjahanpur Municipality board. He was making meagre earnings and therefore the family was greatly struggling to make both the ends meet. In order to support the family financially, Ram Prasad Bismil had to quit his education after he completed his eighth class.
• Ram Prasad Bismil was highly inspired by the ideals of Hindustan Republican Association and became a member of this organization at a very tender age. His love for motherland, patriotism and revolutionary kind of national spirit were kindled and fanned by this organization where he had got the incredible chance of moving with great freedom fighters including Chandrashekhar Azad, Sukhdev, Bhagat Singh, Ashfaqulla Khan, Govind Prasad, Rajguru, Bhagawati Charan, Premkishan Khanna, Thakur Roshan Singh and Rai Ram Narain.
• Bismil’s close association with the Arya Samaj exposed him to the teachings of an accomplished master named Swami Somdev. In fact it was through his Guru Somdev that Bismil came into confidential association with Lala Har Dayal who inspired him further.
• Together with Ashfaqullah Khan and six others, Ramprasad Bismil looted the government treasury box that was moved in Saharanpur-Lucknow passenger on 9 August 1925. This brave incident nearly stunned the British government that viewed them as a great threat to their peaceful existence in the subcontinent. After the incident, Bismil was caught along with others and was hanged to death.
• Bismil was an eloquent writer. His nationalist poems composed in Hindi inspired many. The main inspiration that made him pen his poems were his incomparable love for Bharat, revolutionary spirit and a burning zeal to free Bharat from the foreign rule. He was ever ready to lay down his very life in the altar of the freedom struggle. One of his famous poems was ‘Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna‘.
• Ramprasad Bismil remained a celibate all through his life. He was vigorously involved in the activities of Shahjahanpur Seva Samithi. He published a pamphlet entitled ‘A Message to My Countrymen’ to inspire his countrymen with patriotism. He translated some great works from Bengal to Hindi. His notable literary contributions The Bolshevik Programme, A Sally of the Mind, Swadeshi Rang, and Catherine.
• Bismil remained inconspicuous between 1919 and 1920 and during this period authored several books. In 1923, together with Sachindra Nath Sanyal and Dr. Jadugopal Mukherjee, he drafted the constitution of the party. He was arrested by the government after the Kakori incident and was kept behind bars until he was hanged to death on December 19, 1927 at the age of 30.

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(This article first appeared here )