FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE

2. THE GREAT WARRIORS
The incident of Jalian wala Bagh still evokes goose
bumps in us. There were several families that were
killed during the British rule and Mughal invasion.
The fighting spirit and the courage to endure torture
is the mighty inner strength of many freedom
fighters. Despite opposition, Gandhiji never weaned
from his ideology. The trio spirit of Lal-Bal-Pal was a
practical approach to thwart the foreign rule. Jhansi
ki Rani is another fighter who with her fearless
stance fought many battles.

3. Mahatma Gandhi popularly known as ‘Father of the Nation’
was one of the charismatic Indian leaders who fought for the
freedom of the country. This great leader was born in
Porbandar, Gujarat on Oct 2, 1869. He was the youngest of the
three sons of Putlibai and Karamchand Gandhi. He
completed his primary studies in Rajkot and was married to
Kasturba at the age of 13. Influenced by the Bhagvad Gita
and Hindu beliefs, the Jain religion and the Christian
teachings of Leo Tolstoy, Gandhi moved on the path of Satya
and Ahimsa. ‘Satya’ meaning ‘truth’ and ‘ahimsa’ meaning
‘non-violence’ were the two weapons that Gandhi used to
fight the enemy. Mahatma Gandhi, symbol of Free India, was
assassinated by Nathuram Godse in January 1948. His mortal
frame has already turned into ashes years ago but he still
lives in the hearts of millions of people. Mahatma Gandhi, an
embodiment of eternal love and truth, will live for immortal
ages.

4. Bhagat Singh, a symbol of heroism, was born in a Sikh family in
Layalpur, Punjab on September 27, 1907. He was a national hero who
gave a new wave to the revolutionary movement in India. His only goal
in life was the destruction of British Empire. Bhagat started his education
in DAV School in Lahore but was not able to complete his studies
because he was highly disturbed and influenced by the Jalianwala Bagh
massacre at the age of 12. His desire to drive British out from India
became stronger and he joined the Non-Cooperation Movement called
by Gandhi Ji in 1921. To spread message of revolution in Punjab, Bhagat
formed a union of revolutionaries by the name ‘Naujavan Bharat
Sabha’ and gave a call for mass mobilization. In 1928, he went to Delhi to
attend a meeting of revolutionaries’ and there he came in contact with
Chandrashekhar Azad. He threw a bomb in the Central Legislative
Assembly on April 18, 1929 and was sentenced to death on March 23, 1931.
Though dead, Bhagat Singh is still living in the history of humanity and
remembered as a prominent face of the freedom struggle.

5. Born in a well-cultured Brahim family on July 23, 1856 in Ratangari,
Maharashtra, Bal Gangadhar Tilak was a multifacet personality. He is
considered to be the ‘Father of Indian Unrest’. He was a scholar of
Indian history, Sanskrit, mathematics, astronomy and Hinduism. He had
imbibed values, cultures and intelligence from his father Gangadhar
Ramchandra Tilak who was a Sanskrit scholar and a famous teacher At
the age of 10, Bal Gangadhar went to Pune with his family as his father
was transferred. In Pune, he was educated in an Anglo-Vernacular
school. After some years he lost his mother and at the age of 16 his father
too he got married to a 10-year-old girl named Satyabhama while he was
studying in Matriculation. In 1877, Tilak completed his studies and
continued with studying Law. In fighting for people’s cause, twice he
was sentenced to imprisonment. He launched Swadeshi Movenment and
believed that ‘Swaraj is my birth right and I shall have it’. Tilak
constantly traveled across the country to inspire and convince people to
believe in Swaraj and fight for freedom. He was constantly fighting
against injustice and one sad day on August 1, 1920, he died. Bal
Gangadhar Tilak was one of the prime architects of modern India and is

6. SUBASH CHANDRA
BOSE
Subhas Chandra Bose, affectionately called as Netaji, was one of the most
prominent leaders of Indian freedom struggle. He founded Indian National Army
(Azad Hind Fauj) to overthrow British Empire from India and came to acquire
legendary status among Indian masses. Subhas Chandra Bose was born on
January 23, 1897 in Cuttack, Orissa. His father Janaki Nath Bose was a famous
lawyer and his mother Prabhavati Devi was a pious and religious lady. Subhas
Chandra Bose was the ninth child among fourteen siblings. Subhas Chandra Bose
was a brilliant student right from the childhood. He was strongly influenced by
Swami Vivekananda's teachings and was known for his patriotic zeal as a student.
To fulfill his parents wishes he went to England in 1919 to compete for Indian
Civil Services. In England he appeared for the Indian Civil Service competitive
examination in 1920, and came out fourth in order of merit. However, Subhas
Chandra Bose was deeply disturbed by the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre, and left
his Civil Services apprenticeship midway to return to India in 1921
After returning to India Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose came under the influence of
Mahatma Gandhi and joined the Indian National Congress. On Gandhiji's
instructions, he started working under Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das, whom he
later acknowledged his political guru However, defeat of Japan and Germany in
the Second World War forced INA to retreat and it could not achieve its objective.
Subhas Chandra Bose was reportedly killed in an air crash over Taipeh, Taiwan
(Formosa) on August 18, 1945. Though it is widely believed that he was still alive

7. JHANSI KI RANI was the great heroine of the First War of Indian Freedom. She
became a widow at the tender age of 18 and lived only till 22 yet she has inspired
many and is still a living legend. She was the embodiment of patriotism, self-respect
and heroism. Her life is a thrilling story of womanliness, courage, adventure,
deathless patriotism and martyrdom. In her tender body there was a lions spirit.
At birth she was named Manu. The young Manu, unfortunately she lost her mother
when she was only four. The entire duty of bringing up the daughter fell on her
father. Along with formal education she acquired the skill in sword fighting, horse
riding and shooting. Manu later became the wife of Gangadhar Rao, Maharaj of
Jhansi, in 1842. From then on she was known as Maharani Laksmi Bai of Jhansi. After
the British took over her government her daily routine changed. Every morning from
4am to 8am were set apart for bathing, worship, meditation and prayer. From 8am to
11am she would go out for a horse ride, practise shooting, and practise
swordmanship and shooting with the reins held on her teeth Sir Hugh Rose attacked
Jhansi on 17th March 1858. The next day’s battle was the Rani’s last. Her death was
heroic, her army had declined as they were out numbered by the opposition. The
British Army had encircled her and her men. There was no escape blood was flowing,
darkness was approaching. The British army was pursuing her. After a great struggle
the Rani died muttering quotes from the Bhagvad Gita.

10. PRESENTED BY: