Shaheed Ashfaqulla Khan

My Dear Young and Little Indians,

Today is the 121st Birthday of Shaheed Ashfaqulla Khan अशफ़ाक़ उल्ला ख़ाँ

He was born on 22 October 1900 in Shahjahanpur district in Uttar Pradesh.

 

A few days back when we were talking about ‘Ideology’, you would recall, I had told you that when Gandhi Ji recalled his Non-Cooperation movement (because of the Chauri Chaura incident in 1922), many young men and women were disappointed and disillusioned with Gandhi Ji’ s ways.

Ashfaqulla Khan was one of those who were disappointed.

He along with Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil formed the Hindustan Republican Association in 1923.

This was later renamed as Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) in 1928. (after Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil and Ashfaqulla Khan were martyred and Bhagat Singh took charge of the Association)

In 1924-25, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar, Shivram Hari Rajguru and many others joined Hindustan Republican Association.

Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil and Ashfaqulla Khan were best friends!

On 9 August 1925, Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan and 15 other revolutionaries executed “The Kakori Revolution”

Historians call this as “Kakori Conspiracy” or काकोरी कांड     

I personally feel this is not a respectable way of remembering this part of our history.

This might have been a ‘conspiracy’ or a कांड for the British who were illegally and immorally occupying India. But for Indians this was a moment of pride. This was a fight for our freedom. This was a way to tell the British that their time was up.

I call this The Kakori Revolution काकोरी क्रांति

 

KAKORI is a place 18 Kms from Lucknow

To financially support the Indian Independence Movement and to challenge the British rulers, Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan, Chandrashekhar Azad, Rajendra Nath Lahiri, Roshan Singh and fifteen other revolutionatries planned to loot money that belonged to India but was being transferred to British Govt treasury by a train on 9 August 1925.

The plan was executed in the evening of 9 Aug 1925 when Saharanpur Passenger Train had crossed Kakori Railway Station.

Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan and other revolutionaries were later arrested by the British Police because two of their associates (companions) betrayed them. They turned into Police informers.

On 19 December 1927, Ashfaqulla Khan was hanged to death in Faizabad jail (UP) and on the same day Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil was hanged in Gorakhpur jail (UP).

Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil and Ashfaqulla Khan were best friends in life and death. Both were fond of writing. They often talked to each other through poems.

During his last days in Faizabad jail, Ashfaqulla Khan wrote this.....

जाऊँगा खाली हाथ मगर , यह दर्द साथ ही जायेगा

जाने किस दिन हिन्दुस्तां आज़ाद वतन कहलायेगा 

 

बिस्मिल हिन्दू हैं, कहतें हैं फिर आऊंगा फिर आऊँगा

फिर आकर भारत माँ तुझ को आज़ाद कराऊंगा

जी करता है मैं भी कह दूँ, पर मज़हब से बांध जाता हूँ

मैं मुसलमान हूँ, पुनर्जन्म की बात नहीं कर पाता हूँ

हाँ अगर खुदा मिल गया कहीं

तो अपनी झोली फैला दूंगा  

और जन्नत के बदले उस से एक पुनर्जन्म ही मांगूंगा 

एक पुनर्जन्म ही मांगूंगा

Jai Hind !!