February 27 marks the 90th death anniversary of the legendary Indian revolutionary Chandra Shekhar Azad. One of the heroes of the Indian freedom struggle, Azad was born on July 23, 1906 in Madhya Pradesh.
An independent India was Azad’s most cherished dreams. He had also trained Bhagat Singh and his comrades and was known for incidents such as Kakori train robbery, Central Legislative Assembly bombing and the shooting of British Police officer John Saunders in Lahore that jolted the British imperialist government.
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Here are some facts about Chandra Shekhar Azad-
- The Jallianwala Bagh tragedy in which hundreds were massacred proved to be a turning point in Azad’s life. He then took part in the Non-Cooperation Movement under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi in 1920 at the age of 15.
- He learned archery from the tribal Bhils of erstwhile Jhabua district which helped him during the arms struggle against the Britishers.
- He rose into prominence after the 1925 Kakori Train robbery and the assassination of the assistant superintendent of police John Saunders in 1928.
- Alfred Park in Allahabad was where he spent his last moments; the park was later renamed as Chandrasekhar Azad Park.
- His favourite verse was: Dushman ki goliyon ka hum samna karenge, Azad hi rahein hain, azad hi rahenge!
- As a revolutionary, he adopted the last name Azad, which means “free” in Urdu. Legend has it that while he adopted the name, he vowed the police would never capture him alive.
- As he had vowed that he would never be arrested by the British police and kept his promise by using his last bullet to shoot himself in the head.
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