Remembering Martyr Bhagat Singh on his death anniversary!

With the dream of attaining independence for India, many sacrificed their lives without witnessing their dream getting realised. But, their principles and propaganda kindled the spark among the masses to carry the fight until the dawn of freedom on Aug 15th 1947 even without their physical presence. March 23rd marks the death anniversary of one such freedom fighter.

An individual who stood by his principles even when facing the gallows at an young age of 23. An avid reader who spent most of his short lived life in the midst of books. A revolutionary who stood against imperialism and made the voice of socialism reverberate across the country. An atheist who believed in rationalism and questioned the fallacy of age old beliefs. A freedom fighter who could have been the socialist icon India needed if not for the unjust trial and death sentence.

A personality who should be studied and celebrated more!

“Bhagat Singh”

To get to know Bhagat Singh, I read “Bhagat Singh - The Eternal Rebel”, a book written by Prof. Malvinder Jit Singh. It is a biography of Bhagat Singh that captures in detail various events of his life - both personal and political. 

Though he has a cult following in India at present, there is often an image of pistol brandishing angry young man portrayed on him. This book reveals the true nature of Bhagat Singh and how he despite being an “extremist” in the freedom struggle, valued human lives and never believed in bloodshed.

His contrasting tranformation into a communist hailing from a family with Arya Samaj connection shows the independent intellect in him. The biography also puts forth Bhagat Singh as a voracious reader and how some of his favourite reads had an impact on his thinking and the activities he was involved in.

This book details how Bhagat Singh was drawn towards communism - he and his colleagues wanted to organize the peasants, labourers and working class across the nation to raise their voice against the imperialists. This is evident when Bhagat Singh and BK Dutt involved themselves in the assembly bombing incident as a sign of protest against the passing of trade dispute bill which imposed restrictions on workers from organizing and conducting strikes for their demands. 

The sufferings of Bhagat Singh and his colleagues in jail and the unjust treatment they received in the judicial proceedings are touched upon here and the resistance they have shown to make their stand by withstanding the pain is astonishing. 

Some of the articles written by Bhagat Singh in newspapers, books and his jail notebook also find a place in this book. One of the articles on untouchables written by him indicates that Bhagat Singh opposed not just the social hierarchy but also the caste hierarchy. This specific article resonates Dr. Ambedkar's take on the unjust hierarchical structure prevalent in Indian society.

Even while facing the gallows, his courage while anticipating death, his undying thirst for freedom of the country, his determination to stand by his principles and rationalist approach are inspiring. There is no denial that Bhagat Singh can never be ignored in youth politics. 

To quote Bhagat Singh from one of his books “Why I am an atheist?” -

“A God-believing Hindu might be expecting to be reborn as a king, a Muslim or a Christian, might dream of the luxuries to be enjoyed in paradise and the reward he is to get for his sufferings and sacrifices. But what am I to expect? I know the moment the rope is fitted round my neck and rafters removed, from under my feet. That will be the final moment – that will be the last moment. I, or to be more precise, my soul, as interpreted in the metaphysical terminology, shall all be finished there. Nothing further. A short life of struggle with no such magnificent end, shall in itself be the reward if I have the courage to take it in that light. That is all. With no selfish motive, or desire to be awarded here or hereafter, quite disinterestedly have I devoted my life to the cause of independence, because I could not do otherwise. The day we find a great number of men and women with this psychology who cannot devote themselves to anything else than the service of mankind and emancipation of the suffering humanity; that day shall inaugurate the era of liberty.”

Death is inevitable. The acceptance of death as an undeniable reality and leading a meaningful life that is not only restricted to personal upliftment but also extended to the betterment of the society is what Bhagat Singh’s short lived life teaches us. 

Remembering "Bhagat Singh" on his death anniversary (Mar 23rd).

Indian Ads & Pseudo-Feminism

Of late, there are Indian advertisements that target women with their pseudo empowerment tactics - they superficially appear to propagate feminist principles but end up being exactly the opposite. 

Women in India have been confined to the households for many hundred years now, citing age old traditions and fallacious inveterate beliefs that the society imposes. Only in the past hundred years, there have been reformists who voiced out for the freedom of women. With women still fighting to free themselves from the clutches of the household, Indian advertisements have started targeting them with themes of women empowerment only to sell household articles. 

An ad that promotes a dish washing bar starts off with a kid filling one of his school forms. He writes down his father’s occupation as a bank manager. When he reads out the next field as mother’s occupation, he quips “Nothing?”. With visible disappointment in her face, his mother continues to wash dishes. The husband approaches her with sympathy and tells her that he knows about her ambition to start a bakery. The woman responds that she can create an identity for herself only when she is relieved from all the household chores. 

She wipes a stainless steel plate with the dish washing bar and it shines like a mirror only to show her reflection. On seeing her reflection in the plate, she says to herself “Identity” as if realising something. She realises that she has finished washing all dishes. Her husband adds “so soon?”. The woman has got ample time to think about her startup now - a bakery at her doorstep. The final scene portrays her in a new makeover working at her bakery and her son brimming with pride. 

Does this ad stay grounded to a genuine belief in gender equality? 

The answer is No. 

Why does the woman need to finish off her household chores and only then start off with her ambition? Why does she have to hold on to the household chores as her primary responsibility?

Why does her choice of profession be related to cooking? Why can’t the ad show her as a politician or a wrestler or a pilot? Why can’t the ad portray her to do something that is nowhere related to a household chore?

The ad endorses a dish washing bar and tactically attracts women with this pseudo-feminist agenda. There are women who fall for it. Some women accept this as their way of life as society influences them with age old beliefs. The ad cannot have a man holding a dish washing bar, that defeats the purpose of their campaign with the current regressive state of Indian societies. 

There are men who post on Women’s day and Mother’s Day about the sacrifices of women in their home to bring up a child, to manage the household work, to cook for them on time and help them find misplaced items at home. Let us not glorify the self sacrificing women, instead let us celebrate the women who broke free out of their households chasing their dreams. 

Happy women’s day to all such women !!!