Ram Prasad Bismil facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ram Prasad Bismil
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Bismil in 1924
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| Born | 11 June 1897 |
| Died | 19 December 1927 (aged 30) |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Nationality | British Indian |
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| Occupation | |
| Organization | Hindustan Republican Association |
| Criminal charge(s) | Robbery |
| Criminal status | Executed |
Ram Prasad Bismil (born June 11, 1897 – died December 19, 1927) was a brave Indian poet, writer, and freedom fighter. He played a big part in the fight against British Raj rule in India.
He was involved in important events like the Mainpuri Conspiracy of 1918 and the Kakori Conspiracy of 1925. Bismil wrote poems and stories in Urdu and Hindi. He used pen names like Ram, Agyat, and Bismil, with Bismil being the most famous. He also translated books.
Bismil was connected to Arya Samaj, a social reform movement. He was also one of the people who started the revolutionary group called Hindustan Republican Association. He was executed on December 19, 1927, for his actions to free India.
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Early Life of Ram Prasad Bismil
Ram Prasad Bismil was born on June 11, 1897. His parents were Muralidhar and Moolmati Devi. He was born in the Shahjahanpur district of what was then the North-Western Provinces. His family belonged to the Tomar Rajput group.
The title Pandit was given to him because he knew a lot about many different subjects. He learned Hindi from his father at home. Later, he went to learn Urdu from a teacher. He also went to an English-language school, even though his father did not approve. Bismil joined the Arya Samaj in Shahjahanpur. He quickly showed a great talent for writing patriotic poems.
Bismil Meets Swami Somdev
When Bismil was 18, he read about Bhai Parmanand being sentenced to death. Parmanand was a scholar and a friend of Har Dayal. At this time, Bismil often visited the Arya Samaj Temple in Shahjahanpur. Swami Somdev, a friend of Parmanand, was staying there.
Bismil was very angry about the sentence. He wrote a poem in Hindi called Mera Janm (meaning "My Birth"). He showed this poem to Somdev. The poem clearly showed Bismil's strong desire to remove British control from India.
The Lucknow Congress Meeting
The next year, Bismil left school. He traveled to Lucknow with some friends. At the time, the "moderate faction" of the Indian National Congress was called the Naram Dal. They did not want the "radical faction," the Garam Dal, to give a big welcome to Tilak in the city.
Bismil and his friends formed a youth group. They decided to publish a Hindi book about American independence. It was called America Ki Swatantrata Ka Itihas. Swami Somdev agreed to this idea. The book was published under a made-up author's name, Babu Harivans Sahai. The publisher was listed as Somdev Siddhgopal Shukla. As soon as the book came out, the government of Uttar Pradesh banned it. They stopped it from being shared in the state.
The Mainpuri Conspiracy Event
Bismil started a revolutionary group called Matrivedi, which means "Altar of Motherland." He got in touch with Genda Lal Dixit, a school teacher. Swami Somdev helped them connect. Somdev knew Bismil would be more effective with experienced people helping him.
Dixit knew some powerful people in the state. He wanted to use their influence to fight against the British rulers. Like Bismil, Dixit had also formed a youth group called Shivaji Samiti. This group was named after Shivaji Maharaj. Bismil and Dixit brought together young people from several districts. These included Etawah, Mainpuri, Agra, and Shahjahanpur. They worked to make their organizations stronger.
On January 28, 1918, Bismil published a pamphlet. It was called Deshvasiyon Ke Nam Sandesh ("A Message to Countrymen"). He shared this pamphlet along with his poem Mainpuri Ki Pratigya ("Vow of Mainpuri"). To get money for their group, they collected funds three times in 1918.
Police searched for them around Mainpuri. This happened while they were selling books that the government had banned. When the police found them, Bismil escaped with the unsold books. He was planning another fundraising action. A police team arrived, and a fight started. Bismil jumped into the Yamuna River and swam underwater. The police and his friends thought he had died. Dixit and his friends were arrested and held in Agra fort. Dixit later escaped to Delhi and hid. A legal case was started against them. This event is known as the "Mainpuri Conspiracy." On November 1, 1919, the judge in Mainpuri announced the decision. He declared Dixit and Bismil as people who had escaped.
Bismil's Hidden Activities
From 1919 to 1920, Bismil stayed hidden. He moved around different villages in Uttar Pradesh. During this time, he wrote several books. One was a collection of poems by him and others, called Man Ki Lahar. He also translated two books from Bengali: Bolshevikon Ki Kartoot and Yogik Sadhan. He also created Catherine or Swadhinta Ki Devi from an English text.
He published all these books himself under a series called Sushilmala. One book, Yogik Sadhan, was given to a publisher who disappeared. These books have since been found. Another of Bismil's books, Kranti Geetanjali, was published in 1929 after his death. The British Raj banned it in 1931.
Starting the Hindustan Republican Association
In February 1920, all the people arrested in the Mainpuri conspiracy case were set free. Bismil returned home to Shahjahanpur. He agreed with the government that he would not take part in revolutionary activities. This statement was recorded in court.
In 1921, Bismil was one of many from Shahjahanpur who went to the Ahmedabad Congress meeting. He sat on the stage with important leaders like Prem Krishna Khanna and Ashfaqulla Khan. Bismil played a key role in the Congress. He worked with Maulana Hasrat Mohani to pass a proposal for Poorna Swaraj (complete independence). This was approved in the main meeting of Congress. Mohandas K. Gandhi did not support this idea. He felt helpless because so many young people demanded it.
Bismil went back to Shahjahanpur. He encouraged young people in Uttar Pradesh to stop cooperating with the British government. People in Uttar Pradesh were greatly influenced by Bismil's powerful speeches and poems. They became very against British rule. One person, Banarsi Lal, stated in court that "Ram Prasad used to say that independence would not be achieved by means of non-violence."
In February 1922, some protesting farmers were killed by police in Chauri Chaura. In response, people attacked the police station there. Twenty-two policemen were killed. Gandhi then suddenly stopped the non-cooperation movement. He did this without asking any Congress committee members. Bismil and his youth group strongly disagreed with Gandhi. This happened at the Gaya session of the Indian National Congress in 1922. When Gandhi refused to change his decision, the president, Chittranjan Das, resigned. In January 1923, a wealthy group in the party formed a new Swaraj Party. It was led by Moti Lal Nehru and Chittranjan Das. The youth group, led by Bismil, formed a revolutionary party.
The Yellow Paper Constitution
With the agreement of Lala Har Dayal, Bismil went to Allahabad. There, in 1923, he wrote the constitution for his new party. He had help from Sachindra Nath Sanyal and another revolutionary from Bengal, Dr. Jadugopal Mukherjee.
The main name and goals of the group were typed on a Yellow Paper. Later, a meeting of the Constitutional Committee was held. This happened on October 3, 1924, in Cawnpore, Uttar Pradesh. Sachindra Nath Sanyal was the chairman.
At this meeting, the party was officially named the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA). After much discussion, Bismil was chosen as the District Organizer for Shahjahanpur. He also became the Chief of the Arms Division. He was given an extra job as the Provincial Organizer for the United Province. Sachindra Nath Sanyal was chosen as the National Organizer. Another senior member, Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee, was made the Coordinator for Anushilan Samiti. After the meeting in Kanpur, Sanyal and Chatterjee left Uttar Pradesh. They went to Bengal to expand the organization further.
H.R.A.'s Important Message
A pamphlet called The Revolutionary was shared across the United Province in India. This happened in early January 1925. Copies of this leaflet were also found with some people involved in the Kakori Conspiracy. This was stated in the court judgment. A typed copy of this message was found with Manmath Nath Gupta.
It was the Manifesto of H.R.A.. It was a four-page printed pamphlet on white paper. It was secretly sent by mail and by hand in many districts of the United Province and other parts of India.
This pamphlet did not say where it was printed. The title of the pamphlet was: "The Revolutionary" (An Organ of the Revolutionary Party of India). It was marked as the first issue of the publication. The date of its publication was January 1, 1925.
The Kakori Train Action
Bismil carefully planned to take money from the government. This money was being carried on a train near Kakori, close to Lucknow. This event happened on August 9, 1925. It is known as the Kakori train robbery. Ten revolutionaries stopped the Saharanpur–Lucknow passenger train at Kakori. This station was just before Lucknow Junction.
They used German-made Mauser C96 pistols. Ashfaqulla Khan, who was Bismil's close friend in the HRA, gave his Mauser to Manmath Nath Gupta. Ashfaqulla then worked to open the cash box. Manmath Nath Gupta, eager to try the new weapon, fired the pistol. Sadly, a passenger named Ahmed Ali, who had gotten off the train, accidentally lost his life.
More than 40 revolutionaries were arrested, even though only 10 people took part in the action. People who had nothing to do with the event were also captured. However, some of them were later released. The government hired Jagat Narain Mulla as the prosecutor for a very high fee. Dr. Harkaran Nath Mishra and Dr. Mohan Lal Saxena were hired to defend the accused. A defense committee was also formed to help the accused. Govind Ballabh Pant, Chandra Bhanu Gupta, and Kripa Shankar Hajela defended their case. The men were found guilty, and their appeals failed. On September 16, 1927, a final request for mercy was sent to the privy council in London, but it also failed.
After 18 months of legal process, Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Roshan Singh, and Rajendra Nath Lahiri were sentenced to death. Bismil was executed on December 19, 1927, at Gorakhpur Jail. Ashfaqulla Khan was executed at the Faizabad Jail. Thakur Roshan Singh was executed at Naini Allahabad Jail. Lahiri had been executed two days earlier at Gonda Jail.
Bismil's body was taken to the Rapti River for a Hindu cremation. The place where he was cremated became known as Rajghat.
Ram Prasad Bismil's Writings
Bismil published a pamphlet called Deshvasiyon ke nam sandesh (meaning "A message to my countrymen"). While he was hiding, he translated some Bengali books. These included Bolshevikon Ki Kartoot (meaning "The Bolshevik's programme") and Yogik Sadhan (by Arvind Ghosh).
He also wrote a collection of poems called Man Ki Lahar (meaning "A sally of mind") and Swadeshi Rang. Another book, Swadhinta ki devi: Catherine, was created from an English book into Hindi. He published all these in his Sushil Mala series. Bismil wrote his autobiography while he was held in Gorakhpur jail.
Ram Prasad Bismil's autobiography was published in 1928. It was titled Kakori ke shaheed (meaning "Martyrs of Kakori"). Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi published it from Pratap Press in Cawnpore. The Criminal Investigation Department of British India made a rough translation of this book. The translated book was shared as a secret document for official and police use across the country.
He made the poem Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna very famous. This poem, along with Man Ki Lahar and Swadeshi Rang, became a powerful call to action during the British Raj period in India. Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna was first published in a journal called "Sabah" from Delhi.
Memorials to Ram Prasad Bismil
The Shaheed Smarak Samiti of Shahjahanpur built a memorial. It is in the Khirni Bagh area of Shahjahanpur city, where Bismil was born in 1897. They named it "Amar Shaheed Ram Prasad Bismil Smarak." A white marble statue was unveiled by the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Motilal Vora. This happened on December 18, 1994, the day before the 69th anniversary of Bismil's death.
The Northern railway zone of Indian Railways built a railway station. It is named Pt Ram Prasad Bismil railway station. It is about 11 kilometers (7 miles) from Shahajahanpur.
There is also a memorial for the Kakori conspirators at Kakori itself. The prime minister of India, Indira Gandhi, opened it on December 19, 1983.
The Government of India released a special multicoloured postal stamp. This was on December 19, 1997, during Bismil's birth centenary year.
The government of Uttar Pradesh named a park after him. It is called Amar Shaheed Pt. Ram Prasad Bismil Udyan. It is near Rampur Jagir village. Bismil lived there in hiding after the Mainpuri conspiracy case in 1919.
See also
- Ashfaqullah Khan
- Sukhdev Thapar
- Chandrashekar Azad
- Shivaram Rajguru
- Bhagat Singh
