Until the release of Rang De Basanti movie, the poem ‘Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna Ab Hamare Dil Mein’ was just a slogan of struggle. It’s a sad truth that until a movie glorifies the freedom fighters, we pay little attention to them. Let’s spare a moment to educate ourselves about some unsung and unheard of heroes who contributed for the independent India.
Pingali Venkayya:
Of late Pingali Venkayya has been rightfully credited as the designer of Indian National Flag. However, the fact that he died under tragically poor conditions in 1963 makes us wonder if we paid him his due for his services in the freedom struggle. Although Indian government issued postage stamp to commemorate him in 2009 and in 2011, it’s a bitter fact more than half of the Indians hardly know him.
Gour Hari Das:
Gour Hari Das, the freedom fighter who became more famouse for his fight to claim his role in the freedom struggle than his fight against British Rule. Das had to fight for over 3 decades to get off the label of ‘fraud’, which people called him. Yes, the harsh reality of our respect towards our freedom fighters. No wonder, Das says that British Rule was better remembering the struggle to claim his Tamrapatra, the certificate of a freedom fighter.
Dadabhai Naoroji :
Dadabhai Naoroji was one among the people who led their silent crusade for Independent India through their political involvement in the British government. Popularly known as the Grand Old Man of India, Dadabhai Naoroji is the co-founder of Indian National Congress. Naoroji was also the first Asian British MP in the UK House of Commons. Dadabhai, through his book ‘Poverty and Un-British Rule in India’, brought focus of British people on the exploitation of India’s wealth through English colonial rule. Naoroji exposed in detail the ways of India’s wealth being drained into British Treasury.
Gopala Krishna Gokhale :
During the times when Indians were treated as slaves, it is quite imaginable the reputation that Gopala Krishna Gokhale held who was invited by English to meet secretary of state Lord John Morleyto in London. Gokhale also played a role in the Morley-Minto Reforms Act, which ensured the involvement of Indians in British India.
Gokhale is also credited to presuade Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi to continue his fight against British in India. Gokhale mentored both Gandhi and Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Ram Prasad Bismil – Ashfaqullah Khan
It was not just the freedom struggle that binded Ram Prasad Bismil and Ashfaqullah Khan in a bond of friendship, they also shared love for Urdu poetry (Shayari), and distrust on Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent fight against British Raj. They are known for infamous Kakori train robbery, during which Bismil and Khan along with Chandra Sekhar Azad and few others looted British Government Treasury. However, they refrained from looting Indians in the train. Bismil and Ashfaq were both executed on the same day in different jails.
Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamaare dil mein hai
Dekhna hai zor kitna baazu-e-qaatil mein hai
– Ram Prasad Bismil
“kiye the kaam hamane bhii, jo kuchh bhii humse ban paaye; ye baatein tab ki hain aazaad the aur tha shabaab apanaa. magar ab to jo kuchh bhii hai ummidein bas vo tum se hain, javaan tum ho labe-baam aa chukaa hai aafataab apnaa.”
– Ashfaqullah Khan
