Ram Prasad Bismil was an Indian revolutionary who participated in Manipuri conspiracy of 1918, and the Kakori conspiracy of 1925, and struggled against British imperialism.
Ram Prasad Bismil was born on 11 June 1897 at Shahjahanpur,in tomar family, in North-Western Provinces, British India. He was admitted to an English-language school, despite his father’s disapproval, and also joined the Arya Samaj in Shahjahanpur.
Being a freedom fighter, he was a patriotic poet and wrote in Hindi and Urdu using the pen names Ram, Agyat and Bismil. But, he became popular with the last name “Bismil” only.
He was associated with Arya Samaj where he got inspiration from Satyarth Prakash, a book written by Swami Dayanand Saraswati. He also had a confidential connection with Lala Har Dayal through his guru Swami Somdev, a preacher of Arya Samaj.
He came to be regarded as a freedom fighter after he actively participated in the Mainpuri conspiracy in 1918. Genda Lal Dixit, a teacher from Auraiya district, joined Bismil in his efforts to mobilise youth from Etawah, Mainpuri, Agra and Shahjahanpur and make them join their organizations ‘Matrivedi’ and ‘Shivaji Samiti’. He looted government treasuries to fund these organizations, earning him a Robin Hood-like status.
After conflicting views and growing resentment with the Congress party, he formed the Hindustan Republic Association which soon had leaders like Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad.
In 1925, Bismil and his companion Ashfaqulla Khan decided to loot a train in Kakori near Lucknow. They were successful in their attempt but were arrested alongside a dozen other HRA members within a month of the attack.
In Barrack number 11 of Lucknow Central Jail, Bismil wrote his autobiography, considered as one of the finest works in Hindi literature and also the cult song “Mera rang de Basanti chola”.
His last words while being hanged in Gorakhpur at the age of 30 were “Jai Hind”. He was cremated on the banks of river Rapti and the site was rechristened as Raj Ghat later.
Chekout with more images on Instagram Page – Ram Prasad Bismil