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Ramprasad bismil |
Ram Prasad Bismil was a prominent Indian revolutionary who played a significant role in India's struggle for independence from British rule. He was born on 11 June 1897 in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, to Muralidhar and Moolmati. Bismil was a poet, writer, and revolutionary who believed in the principles of socialism and freedom.
Early Life and Education
Ram Prasad Bismil grew up in a middle-class family in Shahjahanpur. His father, Muralidhar, was a religious man who worked as a clerk in a municipal board, while his mother, Moolmati, was a homemaker. Bismil was the second child in the family and had three siblings.
Bismil's interest in revolutionary activities began at a young age when he was a student at the local Arya Samaj School. He was deeply influenced by the teachings of Swami Dayanand Saraswati and was inspired by the revolutionary ideas of Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, and Bipin Chandra Pal.
Bismil was an excellent student and excelled in academics. He was also interested in poetry and literature and started writing poems at a young age. He joined the Arya Samaj's Bal Mandal and participated in several social and cultural activities.
In 1914, Bismil passed his high school examination and joined the Muir Central College in Allahabad for further studies. He was an active member of the college's Student Union and participated in several student movements.
Bismil was in college when he met Ashfaqullah Khan, who was also from Shahjahanpur. They became friends for life and organized anti-British activities. In his book that Bismil wrote in jail, he speaks of Khan: “You became my brother in a few days but you were not content to remain in the position of a brother. You wanted equality and to be my friend. You succeeded in your efforts. You became my honoured and loved friend.”
The death sentence to Bhai Parmanand, a revolutionary, had a deep impact on him and he decided to dedicate his life to the elimination of the British rule in India. Parmanand’s death sentence was later commuted. It was during this time that he came in contact with other revolutionary leaders like Chandrashekhar Azad , Bhagat Singh, and Sukhdev Thapar.
Revolutionary Activities:
Bismil was deeply influenced by the nationalist movement, he joined a revolutionary group led by Pandit Genda Lal Dixit. He was only 19 then.
Mainpuri conspiracy:-
Bismil formed a revolutionary organisation called Matrivedi (Altar of Motherland) and contacted Genda Lal Dixit, a school teacher at Auraiya. Somdev arranged this, knowing that Bismil could be more effective in his mission if he had experienced people to support him. Dixit had contacts with some powerful dacoits of the state. Dixit wanted to utilise their power in the armed struggle against the British rulers. Like Bismil, Dixit had also formed an armed organisation of youths called Shivaji Samiti (named after Shivaji Maharaj). The pair organised youths from the Etawah, Mainpuri, Agra and Shahjahanpur districts of United Province (now Uttar Pradesh) to strengthen their organisations.
On 28 January 1918, Bismil published a pamphlet titled Deshvasiyon Ke Nam Sandesh (A Message to Countrymen), which he distributed along with his poem Mainpuri Ki Pratigya (Vow of Mainpuri). To collect funds for the party looting was undertaken on three occasions in 1918. Police searched for them in and around Mainpuri while they were selling books proscribed by the U.P. Government in the Delhi Congress of 1918. When police found them, Bismil absconded with the books unsold. When he was planning another looting between Delhi and Agra, a police team arrived and firing started from both the sides. Bismil jumped into the Yamuna and swam underwater. The police and his companions thought that he had died in the encounter. Dixit was arrested along with his other companions and was kept in Agra fort. From here, he fled to Delhi and lived in hiding. A criminal case was filed against them. The incident is known as the "Mainpuri Conspiracy". On 1 November 1919 the Judiciary Magistrate of Mainpuri B. S. Chris announced the judgement against all accused and declared Dixit and Bismil as absconders.
Bismil founded the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) with other like-minded revolutionaries like Sachindra Nath Sanyal, Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee, and Shachindra Nath Bakshi. The HRA aimed to overthrow British rule in India and establish a democratic socialist republic.
The HRA initially focused on organizing secret meetings, distributing revolutionary literature, and training its members in the use of firearms and explosives. Bismil wrote several revolutionary poems and pamphlets and used them to spread awareness among the masses.
Yellow paper constitution:-
With the consent of Lala Har Dayal, Bismil went to Allahabad where he drafted the constitution of the party in 1923 with the help of Sachindra Nath Sanyal and another revolutionary of Bengal, Dr. Jadugopal Mukherjee. The basic name and aims of the organisation were typed on a Yellow Paper and later on a subsequent Constitutional Committee Meeting was conducted on 3 October 1924 at Cawnpore in U.P. under the Chairmanship of Sachindra Nath Sanyal.
This meeting decided the name of the party would be the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA). After a long discussion from others Bismil was declared there the District Organiser of Shahjahanpur and Chief of Arms Division. An additional responsibility of Provincial Organiser of United Province (Agra and Oudh) was also entrusted to him. Sachindra Nath Sanyal, was unanimously nominated as National Organiser and another senior member Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee, was given the responsibility of Coordinator, Anushilan Samiti. After attending the meeting in Kanpur, both Sanyal and Chatterjee left the U.P. and proceeded to Bengal for further extension of the organisation.
Manifesto of HRA:
A pamphlet entitled as The Revolutionary was distributed throughout the United Province in India in the beginning of January 1925. Copies of this leaflet, referred to in the evidence as the "White Leaflet", were also found with some other alleged conspirators of Kakori Conspiracy as per judgement of the Chief Court of Oudh. A typed copy of this manifesto was found with Manmath Nath Gupta. It was nothing but the Manifesto of H.R.A. in the form of a four paged printed pamphlet on white paper which was circulated secretly by post and by hands in most of the districts of United Province and other parts of India.
This pamphlet bore no name of the printing press. The heading of the pamphlet was: "The Revolutionary" (An Organ of the Revolutionary Party of India). It was given first number and first issue of the publication. The date of its publication was given as 1 January 1925.
As it was difficult to fund their revolutionary activities, Bismil planned to carry out a robbery. After months of planning, he and other revolutionaries, including Chandrashekhar Azad and Ashfaqullah Khan, zeroed in on a train that used to carry money collected from various railway stations. On 9 August 1925, Ten revolutionaries stopped the 8 Down Saharanpur-Lucknow passenger train at Kakori – a station just before the Lucknow Railway Junction. German-made Mauser C96 semi-automatic pistols were used in this action. Ashfaqulla Khan, the lieutenant of the HRA Chief Ram Prasad Bismil gave away his Mauser to Manmath Nath Gupta and engaged himself to break open the cash chest.More than 40 revolutionaries were arrested.
When Ram Prasad Bismil was in jail, he wrote a story called "Sarfaroshi ki tamana"The poem became a symbol of the revolutionary spirit and inspired many young people to join the freedom struggle. And a few days before the hanging, he wrote a book named "kakori ke Saheed",Following 18 months of legal process, Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Roshan Singh and Rajendra Nath Lahiri were sentenced to death.
Bismil was hanged on 19 December 1927 at Gorakhpur Jail, Ashfaqulla Khan at the Faizabad Jail and Thakur Roshan Singh at Naini Allahabad Jail. Lahiri had been hanged two days earlier at Gonda Jail.
Legacy
Ram Prasad Bismil's contribution to India's freedom struggle was immense. He was a poet, writer, and revolutionary who believed in the principles of socialism and freedom. Bismil's revolutionary poems and literature continue to inspire young people in India today.
Bismil's life and work have been celebrated in several books, plays, and films. The Indian government has also recognized his contributions to the freedom struggle and has issued postage stamps in his honor. Several institutions in India have been named after him.
