Bhagat Singh knew precisely what he wanted out of life and pursued his purpose with passion, even if it meant going hungry or staying sleep deprived. He did not simply follow the crowd but instead lived as his own person and found a greater purpose beyond procreation. While imprisoned, he read over 300 books and took up social causes, showing there is more to life than marriage and children.

1. Lessons to learn from Bhagat Singh's life Shashikant S Kulkarni (shashi1605@gmail.com)

2. Be your own person. Don't follow the crowd just because they believe they're going in the right direction. Bhagat Singh could've well taken the beaten path. He didn't. That's one of the reasons why we're even talking about him 80 years after his death! Be your own person

3. Find a purpose in life Remember the time you were asked in that job interview about where you see yourself in the next five years? That's the interviewer wanting to know if you have a purpose in your life. So ask yourself this question too. For his age, Bhagat Singh knew precisely what he wanted out of life and got it . Not too much to ask of oneself either no?

4. Follow that purpose with passion To what extent can you go to achieve your goal? Can you go hungry for days or stay sleep deprived for hours to meet your aim? How persistent are you following up on the targets you've set for yourself -- they could be as simple as losing weight or getting to a certain point in your career. Learn to go the whole hog, struggle and fight because there is pretty much no other way to be successful.

5. Procreation isn't the only thing you're born to do Bhagat Singh never got married. He never had children either. As difficult as it might be to believe, there is much more in life than to getting married and birthing children. Adopt a child rather than have one of your own. We are a country of a heck of a lot of children. Adding another one to the population isn't helping anyone!

6. Go beyond 140 characters and Read. If some estimates are to be believed, Bhagat Singh is said to have read about 300 books while he was imprisoned from April 8, 1929, to March 23, 1931. Popular accounts also tell us that up until moments before he was to be executed, he was reading Lenin and asked the executioners to wait till he finished the book.

7. Take up a Social Cause Giving back is the new black! So jump on the bandwagon and do something for the country that has done so much for you. Little things matter much -- adopt a stray, visit a children's home, visit your ageing neighbours. Really, it isn't very difficult.