India to ask Pak to renovate house of Bhagat Singh

Written by Sutirtho Patranobis

Thursday, 10 May 2007

India would soon put up a request to Pakistan to renovate and restore freedom fighter Bhagat Singh’s ancestral house and the school he attended in Pakistan. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in response to a letter from CPI General Secretary AB Bardhan, has assured the veteran communist leader that the matter would be urgently taken up with Pakistani authorities. Bardhan had earlier written to the prime minister asking him to take up the issue of restoration of the house where Bhagat Singh stayed and the school where he studies in the Lyallpur district of Pakistan. Before partition, the district was part of the undivided Punjab. In a letter to the CPI leader, Singh said he would be asking the Ministry of External Affairs to "raise these with the government of Pakistan appropriately." India is commemorating the centenary of Singh's birth this year. Bardhan had last month shot off a letter to the Prime Minister drawing his attention to the "bad and dilapidated condition" of the house where Singh was born and the primary school, which he had attended. The CPI leader had written and demanded that the school, established by Bhagat Singh's grandfather Arjun Singh, and the house in Lyallpur should be renovated and converted into an international heritage site. "Pakistani people cherish Bhagat Singh's memory as well as we in India do. This will be fitting tribute to the memory of the immortal martyr in the centenary year," he had said in the letter. Bhagat Singh was born in a Sikh family of farmers in the village of Banga of Layallpur district on September 27, 1907. His grandfather Arjun Singh was drawn to Arya Samaj and took keen interest in proceedings of the Indian National Congress. Bhagat Singh's father Kishen Singh and uncle Ajit Singh were members of Ghadr Party founded in the U.S. in early years of this century to route British rule in India. Both were jailed for alleged anti-British activities. Comments (15) >> Show/Hide comments perminder singh said:   Good cause like this ,which i think will help present generation to remember a Bhagat Singh - The Legend and the Martyr who died to make us free at tender age of 23 years. He shaken the Mighty British Empire so much that he was hanged in hurry and his identity was tried to be forgotten when he was secretly tried to be burned , to stop mass uprising from th indian Masses . Long Live the Legacy of the Bhagat singh ,he make us proud and humble by his deeds which made him Immortal and people will remember him for Time immemorial. May 11, 2007 Bikram Simgh said:   WELL AFTER ALL SOMEONE, WHO ELSE ONLY DR. MANMOHAN SINGH HAS DARED TO COME ON FRONT TO REALISE THE TRUTH THAT THE REAL HEROES BEHIND INDIAN INDEPENDENCE SHOULD BE REMEMBERED AND BRING THEIR NAME FORWARD. TILL TODAY INDIANS WERE JUST REMEMBERING THE PEOPLE ACTED FOR INDEPENDENCE RATHER THAN DOING ANY THING OTHER THAN MAKING PEOPLE FOOL. BUT THEY WERE ON THE HIGH POSTS LIKE PM ETC.AND BLOODY LIVED LONG ASWELL. FOR SURE IF THE PEOPLE LIKE BAGAT SINGH AND SUBHASH CHANDER BOSE WOULD HAVE NOT BEEN INVOLVED IN MOVEMENT, CAN NEVER KICK OUT BRITISHERS OUT AND I THINK THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A GOOD STEP FOR SIKHS, WHY, BECAUSE WE WOULD NOT HAVE LOST OUR NANKANA SAHIB. May 11, 2007 Bikram Simgh said:   REFFERING TO PERMINDER SINGH, THAT HE WAS HANGED IN HURRY AND SECRETLY TRIED TO BE BURNED, IT WAS NOT FROM BRITISHERS BUT UNFORTUNATELY FROM INDIAN POLITICIANS BECAUSE THEY GONE SCARED FROM HIS POPULARITY, AND THEIR HOLD ON INDIAN POPULATION AND POLITICS GONE VERY VERY WEAK. May 11, 2007 SANTOKH SINGH CHHINA, USA said:   THIS IS A GREAT EFFORT TO REMEMBER THE FREEDOM FIGHTER FROM DOABA. I BELONG TO SAME AREA OF DISTRICT NAWANSHAHR DOABA AND MY PARENTS FAMILY WERE FROM THAT AREA OF LAYALPUR NOW IN PAKISTAN. I AM A WRITER AND AUTHOR AND A LIFE MEMBER OF ALL INDIA PUNJABI WRITERS ASSOCIATION AND IN 2005 ATTEND THE 12TH WORLD PUNJABI CONFERENCE IN LAHORE AND AT THE CONFERENCE WE STRONGLY DEMAND TO CHANGE THE NAME OF THE CHOAK WHERE BHAGAT SINGH WAS PLACED TO DIE..TO : SHAHEED BHAGAT SINGH CHOAK" .. ALSO WE DEMANDED TO ESTABLOISH A PUNJABI UNIVERSITY IN LAHORE AND OPEN VISA TO ALL THE PEOPLE TO WORSHIP THERE ..THE PLACE OF OUR SIKH GURUS... IN OUR PRAYER WE PRAY THAT GOD GIVE HIS OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT ALL GURUDWARAS WE LEFT BEHIND IN PAKISTAN... May 11, 2007 Daljit Mann said:   I think it is a positive step towards teaching our CHILDREN about Sikhs and Sikhism!!! And to be proud of who we are and learn from GREAT HEROES llike Bhagat Singh. May 11, 2007 R S BHAMBRA said:   Pakistan should remeber its independence heros of which Bhagat Singh is one. May 11, 2007 Jasjit Singh Dhanoa said:   Good stuff, I'd just like to add its sad how everyone claims his atheism. He may have strayed away from Sikhi at one point perhaps and the Indian gov't calls him an atheist. They forget to add that upon returning to Jail he kept his kesh and did paath (rehras and nitnem)...so he was no atheist. He is a hero of Punjab, he is a proud figure of the Jatts of Punjab especially (being from a farming community) and he is great great Sikh figure. May 11, 2007 Ameek Singh Sodhi said:   I read his wikipedia...seems like a good guy...but Mr. Jasjit Singh Dhanoa should realize that we dont beleive in the caste system....and therefore Bhagat Singh was a role model to all Singhs and Kaurs :) . Also, i think it's cool that public figures actually do something to keep our historic landmarks and national role model's legacy alive. P.S. Don't forget, our faith is Sikhism, but our ethnicity by race is indian...and because Bhagat Singh was fighting for independence he fought for justice for all indians - hindu, muslim, or sikh. He is not only an inspiration to us as Khalsa but also to all Indians regardless of faith, as he fought for all of our freedoms. May 11, 2007 gulab singh sidhu said:   very well said Mr. Ameek Singh Sodhi. Its too bad that Sikhism is again indulging in caste system which Guru Nanak had tried to free us from. Was his effort in vain? It seems so now. I son recently married a non-jatt sikh girl and I have never seen more drama. Nonetheless, Bhagat Singh fought for India so to keep his memory alive is in national interest. To bracket him in the Sikhi box would be undermining his genius. However, he reverted back to his faith at the end and the government tries to advertise him as an "atheist" in an effort to undermine the contribution of the Sikh youth to the independence struggle. Much of his bravery can easily be contributed to him growing up in a household where the stories of the bravery of the Sikh Gurus would have been a daily lesson. May 12, 2007 Gurnam Singh Sagoo (DILDAAR) said:   Having been hearing heart breaking news about demolition of Sikh heritage sites and the lack of care of the Sikh historical documents and artefacts which were disintegrating, I am very pleased to learn of the effort to restore and preserve Saheed Bhagat Singh's house and school. This is a worthy cause and we can at least keep live the memories of the great legendary Sikh and the Martyr who sacrificed his entire life and future at tender age of 23 years to bring freedom for us all – Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and others living in India and Pakistan. The responsibility lies not only with the people of India but Pakistan as well, all who are now enjoying the freedom. We all need to get together and preserve our history which is so valuable. My sincere thanks and appreciation to Dr Manmohan Singh for pioneering this noble cause and many others. Thanks to his efforts and contributions, from the times he was the Finance Minister, that India is where it is now. We must not forget the efforts and contributions of Sikh Heritage as well. May 12, 2007 Manprit Singh said:   welll great! so hapy to hear that we r actually doin sumthing 4 our hertitage and 4 the future genertions! May 13, 2007 Loveleen said:   it's good to know that our government is taking effort to restore the house of THE LEGENDARY BHAGAT SINGH.I really appreciate Mr.Manmohan Singh for his thoughtful approach.This will certainely boost the spirits of our new generation and encourage them to make a contribution to our society by remembering the freedom struggle of Bhagat Singh.Afterall,he sacrificed his life for the freedom and betterment of our country. May 14, 2007 Kultaran Singh said:   Quite frankly put, had it not been for the heroics od Shaheed Bhagt Singh and others like him we would still be polishing the shoes of British Colonels !!!. May 14, 2007 Amitoj Singh said:   I may be very late on this, but from what I know Bhagat Singh did not what an exclusive India, he wanted a 'united bharat,' as he was a communist (nothing wrong with that i feel) and yes in his pictures he did keep kes in his pictures, and i also agree caste has nothing to do with this. for my self as a sikh, i don't consider myself ethnically an 'indian.' I consider myself a Sikh Punjabi. I think Pre British Raj and Moghul Invasions, India consisted of several independant states, including Punjab and india was just a british invention. bhul chuk maaf. October 01, 2007 Amitoj Singh said:   I forgot to add, that i find it interesting that Manmohan Singh, is doing this. Manmohan Singh is part of the congress party, whos father of the party is MK Gandhi, who disagreed with the revolutionary tactics of ppl like Bhagat Singh. October 01, 2007 Write comment You must be logged in to post a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet.

 

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