On the great occasion of India having completed 69 years of Independence, we pay homage to 5 of the lesser known heroes of our freedom struggle, whose names and achievements seem to have been lost somewhere in the pages of history text books.
Baikunth Shukla – 1934 – An unsung hero of Indian Independence Struggle, Baikunth Shukla, was executed by the British for avenging the death of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru by killing the informer who led to it. Very few people know the story of Baikunth Shukla.
Baikuntha Shukla was the nephew of Yogendra Shukla, who was one of the founding members of Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA). Shukla was hanged for the assassination of Phanindra Nath Ghosh who became a British government approver that led to the death sentence of Rajguru, Sukhdev and Bhagat Singh.
Baikuntha Shukla actively participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement that was conducted in the year 1930. He was arrested and imprisoned in the Patna Camp Jail. Later he was released along with other members of the Satyagraha after the agreement of the Pact between Mahatma Gandhi and Lord Irwin. Later Baikuntha Shukla met with the members of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army (HSRA) and became an Indian revolutionary, who made significant contributions to the Indian freedom struggle. After the trial of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru in the Lahore conspiracy case, the well known Indian freedom fighters were executed. This incident enraged all the revolutionaries of the period and shook the whole nation. Phanindra Nath Ghosh, who was previously a prime member of the Revolutionary Party, deceitfully betrayed the cause by becoming an approver and provided evidence that led to the execution of the revolutionaries.
Baikuntha Shukla was commissioned to devise a plan for the execution of the traitor Phanindra Nath Ghosh. This was considered as an act of ideological vengeance. Shukla effectively and successfully carried out the execution on 9 November 1932. Eventually Baikuntha Shukla was detained by the British Indian Police and tried for assassination of Phanindra Nath Ghosh. Shukla was convicted and given the death sentence. He was hanged in Gaya Central Jail, at the age of 28, on May 14, 1934.
Raja Rammohan Roy – In the early nineteenth century, many educated Indians began to feel that western culture and the rising tide of Christianity posed a challenge to their age old traditions and beliefs. In their attempt to remedy the situation, many reformers became critical of the past and began to look for ways to rid the society of its evils, such as caste distinction, purdah system and the custom of Sati. They wanted a new social order in keeping with the traditional values and modern development. Many Indians were impressed by progress made by science as well as the doctrine of reason and humanism of the West. The social conditions of the 19th century led to socio-religious reform movements. One of them was Brahmo Samaj.
The Brahmo Samaj or the society of the God was founded in 1828 by Raja Rammohan Roy (1772-1833). He was a scholar and was well-versed in Sanskrit, Persian, English, Hindi and Bengali. He made an intensive study of Christianity and other religions. After that he came to the conclusion that the Hindu society needed reform and India had to learn a lot from the West.
Ram Mohan Roy was born in Burdwan in Bengal. Raja Rammohan Roy served the East India Company for a number of years and became a revenue officer in 1809. He was a critic of the unjust actions and policies of the British Government in India. He protested against the curbs on the freedom of the press. His progressive views helped to change Hindu society but these views were bitterly opposed by the orthodox Hindus. He was a social and religious reformer, an educationist and a political leader. He is remembered for his help in the abolition of Sati and in modernization of educational practices. His ideas on social and religious reforms constitute the ideals of the Brahmo Samaj founded by him in 1828. Rabindranath Tagore said, “Raja Rammohan Roy inaugurated the modern age in India. He was the father of Indian Renaissance and the prophet of Indian nationalism.”