Chandra Shekhar Azad (23 July 1906 – 27 February 1931)

Lets Salute Chandrasekhar Azad, 
one of the greatest freedom fighter of country.

One of the torchbearers of the revolutionary struggle against the British, Chandrasekhar Azad was born on July 23, 1906 in the Bhabhra village in Madhya Pradesh. It was during his teenage days that Chandrasekhar adopted the sobriquet of 'Azad' which stands for 'free' in Urdu. Consequent to this, Azad vowed that he would never be taken alive by the British and would instead fight till his last breath.

Like many of his contemporaries, Chandrasekhar Azad too got disenchanted with the non cooperation movement when Gandhi called it off following the Chauri Chaura mob violence in 1922. He was disappointed with the divisions among the political leadership and believed that armed struggle is the only way to realize the dream of a free and socialist India. Azad joined the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) formed by Sachindranath Sanyal in 1923.

Chandrasekhar Azad played a key role in the famous Kakori train robbery of 1925 in which revolutionaries of HRA led by Ram Prasad Bismil and Ashfaqullah Khan looted the Number 8 Down Train carrying cash-bags belonging to the British Government Treasury. In retaliation, police launched an intense man-hunt and all the revolutionaries were rounded up with the sole exception of Chandrasekhar Azad. In such a grim scenario, Azad took upon himself the onerous task of rejuvenating the armed movement.

He joined hands with Bhagat Singh and other young patriots and converted the HRA into Hindustan Socialist Republican Association in 1927. Azad is widely regarded the mentor of Bhagat Singh and together they infused new life and energy into the flagging revolutionary movement. The highpoint of their association was the killing of DSP Saunders at Lahore in 1928 to avenge the death of freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai.

On February 27, 1931 Chandrasekhar Azad went to the Alfred Park in Allahabad to meet two of his comrades. On being tipped off by an informer, police surrounded the Park from all sides and asked Azad to surrender. But Azad chose to fight till his last breath and opened fire on the police. When all his ammunitions were finally exhausted and only one bullet remained in the pistol, Chandrasekhar Azad took his own life.