Chandrashekhar Azad
New Delhi: Whenever there is a discussion about the revolutionaries who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of the country, the name of Chandrashekhar Azad is taken prominently. Today is his death anniversary. He was martyred fighting the British on 27 February 1931. It is said that he was so passionate about freedom that when he was only 15 years old, he joined the non-cooperation movement after being influenced by Gandhiji. During this he was also arrested and when the judge asked him his name, he told that his name is Azad, father’s name is Freedom and home address is Jail. After this the judge sentenced him to 15 lashes.
where was born
Chandrashekhar Azad was born on 23 July 1906 in Bhabra village of Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh. His full name was Chandrashekhar Tiwari. It is said that in his childhood he had learned to shoot the bow and arrow from the tribals and his aim was quite sure.
Who influenced in the path of revolution
Chandrashekhar Azad had joined Gandhiji’s non-cooperation movement when he was 15 years old, but Azad was disappointed when Gandhiji stopped the non-cooperation movement. After this he met the young revolutionary Manmathnath Gupta and Gupta got Azad to meet Ramprasad Bismil. After this, Azad joined Bismil’s Hindustan Republic Association and started making revolutionary plans.
It is said that Chandrashekhar Azad used to teach shooting to people in the forest near Orchha and used to carry out his works by keeping the name of Pandit Harishankar Brahmachari. One of Azad’s main tasks was also to raise funds for revolutionary works and he was quite adept at collecting donations.
The planning of the Kakori incident and Azad’s escape
On August 9, 1925, the revolutionaries had planned to loot the British treasury by stopping the moving train at Kakori. This loot had slipped the land under the feet of the British rule. The British had tried their best to catch the revolutionaries involved in this scandal, but Azad still could not be caught by the British.
Chandrashekhar Azad supported Bhagat Singh even when there was a plan to kill Saunders. His job was to provide cover for his comrades. He did not come into the hands of the British till his death.
Encounter at Alfred Park
On February 27, 1931, Chandrashekhar Azad had a fierce encounter with the British at Alfred Park in Allahabad (now Prayagraj), which created fear of revolutionaries in the heart of the British government. During the encounter, when Azad ran out of bullets, he shot himself but was not captured by the British.
It has been mentioned in many places that the tree under which Azad was responding to the British firing, was cut down by the British after Azad’s death. The British had also cremated Azad secretly. The whole country cried after hearing the news of Chandrashekhar Azad’s death and till today his name beats in the hearts of the youth of the country.
read this also: