| Freedom Fighters |
 |
| Biographies of Great Indians & Hindus |
RAMAPRASAD BISMIL |
|
| Autobiography While awaiting execution, Ramaprasad wrote his autobiography. It is considered as a work of rare excellence in Hindi literature. Ramaprasad was always under strict watch. And yet he wrote the book and it was successfully smuggled out of the prison. This itself was a feat of great courage. Ramaprasad got thick register like books and sent the manuscript out of prison in three installments. The final pages were written on the 17th of December; and they were sent out through Shiv Varma, a friend who interviewed him on the next day. The book was published in 1929 and was immediately banned by the Government. It saw the light of day again only in free India. His narrative covers a wide span; his ancestors, his interesting childhood, his entry into the Arya Samaj, his flights from the police, his experience in the revolutionary movement, the internal squabbles -all find their place there. There are intimate pen pictures of his mother, his grandmother, and his teacher and close friends. The style is captivating and at times compels tears. Addressing his mother, he says, 'Mother dear, who gave me birth, bless me! Bless me that my heart may not flinch even at the last moment. Bless me so that I leave this body prostrating myself at your sacred feet and praying to the Almighty.' Pandit Gendalal Dixit, the main accused in the Mainpuri Conspiracy case, eluded arrest and died of tuberculosis at Delhi in pitiable conditions. Referring to him Ramaprasad writes, 'He never even dreamt that he would have to sacrifice his life in such helpless circumstances in the service of his Motherland. His greatest desire was to be killed by a bullet.A great soul of Bharath passed away. But no one in the country heard of it even.' Ramaprasad had thought deeply about the future of the revolutionary movement to which he had given the greater part of his life. He wrote: 'Historically our work is very valuable - this anyone must concede. It proclaimed that, even when India was downtrodden, the youth of the country yearned for freedom and that they struggled for freedom to the best of their ability.' Considering the conditions of the day he gave this advice to the youth of India: 'I know this for certain the revolutionary movement in India will not succeed for the next fifty years. The conditions are not favorable……give up the desire to arm yourselves with pistols and revolvers and become real servants of the country – this is my last message to our youth.' |
|
