Indian Freedom Fighters with their undaunted courage and true spirit had faced several tortures, hardships and exploitations to earn freedom. `Independent India` was the dream of each and every Indian who lived under the British rule. Each and every individual during the British rule fought in some or other way having a common aim of abolishing the British and various other colonial authorities ruling over different parts of India. A century of struggle, revolution, blood shedding, sacrifices and battles followed and finally India became independent on the 15th of August, 1947. India secured independence from the British rule but the nation lost a large number of men and women who possessed immense bravery and spirit of patriotism. These great people are honoured with the title of freedom fighters those lost their life fighting for the cause of India`s independence. Some of the famous Indian freedom fighters were Mangal Pandey, Rani of Jhansi, Tantia Tope and the famous leader Mahatma Gandhi who brought in the weapon of non-violence to fight against the enemy. Some of the other major freedom fighters of India include Lala Lajpat Rai, Annie Besant, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Chandrashekhar Azad, Sarojini Naidu, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Dadabhai Naoroji, Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, Sucheta Kriplani, etc. There are a large number of women and men who fought daringly for the independence of India. The Indian Independence Movement comprised mainly the efforts by Indians to secure political independence from the rule of the British, the Portuguese and the French. This involved a broad range of Indian political organizations, rebellions and philosophies between 1857 and the independence of India on 15th of August, 1947. Lakshmi Bai , the Rani of Jhansi was the queen of the princely state of Jhansi ruled by the Marathas. She was among the most prominent and leading figures in the 1857 rebellion, and was regarded as a symbol of resistance to in India against the British rule. She is remembered in the history of India as a legend, the firebrand queen who commenced the Indian Revolution against the Colonialism of British. One of the great freedom fighters of this period was Tantia Tope , who is considered to be a hero in the 1857 revolt. His name used to strike terror in the heart of English generals. Being cheated by his friend, Tatia Tope accepted death as a hero for his country. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was one of the freedom fighters of India and he also became the deputy Prime Minister of India after independence. The brave deeds of this person earned him the title of `the iron man of India`. He was called Sardar after his active role in the Bardoli Satyagraha. He was a renowned lawyer but quit his practice to fight for India`s independence. As the deputy Prime Minister of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel contributed significantly in India`s integration by the merging of a number of princely states in the Indian Union. Bal Gangadhar Tilak A great freedom fighter and a firebrand leader, Bal Gangadhar Tilak is remembered as a famous person in the Indian struggle for independence. The slogan given by him was; Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it. In order to fight for the independence of India and to serve his fellow countrymen, Bal Gangadhar Tilak published newspapers and founded schools. He was famous in the country as one of the trios; Lal, Bal and Pal and the other tow of this group were Lala Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal. Bhagat Singh Bhagat Singh was another famous freedom fighter of India. His name is linked with sacrifice, bravery, courage and vision. Bhagat Singh became a symbol of heroism and inspiration after he sacrificed his life at the tender age of thirty. With other revolutionaries, he founded the Hindustan Socialist republican Association. In order to caution the British of its misdeeds, he threw a bomb in the Central Legislative Assembly. By accepting death at the prime of his life, Bhagat Singh became a symbol of courage and sacrifice and secured a place in every Indian`s heart for ever. Khudiram Bose Khudiram Bose was one of those young revolutionaries and freedom fighters whose deeds of bravery and sacrifice have become the subject of many a folk lore. He was one of those brave men who challenged the British rule in their own style. At the age of nineteen, he became a martyr, with Vande Mataram on his lips. Another famous firebrand and young revolutionary of India was Ashfaqulla Khan who sacrificed his life for his motherland. A prominent member of the Hindustan Republican Association, Ashfaqulla Khan, and his associates carried on the Kakori train robbery and was thus hanged to death by the British. Another name in the list of Indian freedom fighters is Madam Bhikaji Cama . She was among the famous women Indian freedom fighters who advocated for the cause of the freedom movement outside India. She had the honour of unfurling the flag of India at an international assembly. Madame Cama abandoned a luxurious life and lived the life of an exile in order to serve her motherland. A well-known young revolutionary by the name of Ram Prasad Bismil sacrificed his life for his motherland. He was a member of the Hindustan Republican Association and was a crucial member of the group which had a hand in the Kakori train dacoity. The famous Jatin Banerjee, who was well-known as `Bagha Jatin` due to his courage and bravery, was one of the freedom fighters of India. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was a great freedom fighter and also an active member of the Indian National congress . He participated in almost all the major movements in India. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad presided over the special Congress session in the month of September 1923 and at the age of thirty five years; he became the youngest person to get elected as the President of the Congress. Gopal Krishna Gokhale Another famous freedom fighter of India was Gopal Krishna Gokhale. He was also a part of the Indian National Congress. He was regarded as the political Guru of the great Indian leader, Mahatma Gandhi. At Benaras, in the year 1905, Gokhale presided over Indian National Congress`s annual session. He opposed the entry of extremists in the Congress party. Subash Chandra Bose Subash Chandra Bose was famously called `Netaji` or the leader. He was a firebrand freedom fighter and a well-reputed leader on the political circle in pre-independent India. Netaji got elected as Indian National Congress`s President in 1937 and 1939. Netaji founded the Indian National Army and aroused the slogan; Tum Mujhe Khoon Do Main Tumhe Ajadi Doonga and Delhi Chalo. Due to his anti-British activities and remarks, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was jailed eleven times between the years 1920 to 1941. Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was regarded as one of the most prominent figures in the Indian freedom struggle. He also became the first Prime Minister of India after Indian independence. Nehru authored the famous book Discovery of India. He liked children very much and was thus called Chacha Nehru. Under his able leadership, India moved ahead in a planned manner to secure economic development. Purushottam Das Tandon was also a famous freedom fighter of India who hailed from the state of Uttar Pradesh . He was of the Punjabi Khatri descent. This person is remembered widely for his contribution towards making Hindi as the official language of India. Purushottam Das Tandon was revered as Rajarshi. After getting a Law degree and an MA in history, he started to practice in the year 1906, and joined the bar of Allahabad High Court in the year 1908 as Tej Bahadur Sapru`s junior. In order to concentrate on public activity, he left practicing law in the year 1921. Dr. Hakim Ajmal Khan He was one of the renowned freedom fighters of India, famous physician and a well-known educationalist. He founded the Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi. He was born in the year 1863 in Delhi. His family belonged to a well-known line of physicians who descended Babur`s army. Dr. Hakim Ajmal Khan studied the Holy Quran and traditional Islamic knowledge, before studying medicine at home, under the guardianship of his relatives. After practicing medicine, he was made the Nawab of Rampur`s chief physician from 1892 to 1902. There he met Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and was made a trustee of the Aligarh college, which is now known as Aligarh Muslim University. Another notable freedom fighter of India was Jayaprakash Narayan. He was famously called JP. JP was among the very few modern Indian leaders who worked hard independence and also participated in Indian politics actively for a long time after Indian secured independence. JP was born in a village called Sitabdiara in the Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh state. Govind Ballabh Pant was also a known name in the list of Indian freedom fighters. He hailed from the state of Uttar Pradesh and was known for making Hindi India`s national language. He worked as a lawyer in Kashipur and started his work against the British in the year 1914, when he assisted a village council in their successful challenge against a law which orders the local people of the area to offer free transport of the traveling British officer`s luggage. In the year 1921, Pant entered active politics and got elected to the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh Legislative Assembly. He was arrested in the year 1930, and was imprisoned for some weeks since he organized a Salt March being inspired by the earlier actions of Mahatma Gandhi. Vinayak Damodar Savarkar Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was a prominent freedom fighter and a Hindu nationalist leader of India. He was also called Veer Savarkar or Vir Savarkar. He was a good writer, poet, orator, a historian, philosopher and also a renowned social worker who dedicated his whole life in fighting for India`s Independence. Savarkar is considered to be a great revolutionary by some whereas some term him as a Machiavellian manipulator and a communalist. Despite belonging to the line of Sanskrit scholars, he showed great interest in Literature, Politics, History and Indian culture. `First war of Indian Independence Movement: 1857`, written by Veer Savarkar was a great inspiration for several freedom fighters. Bipin Chandra Pal Another known personality in the Indian freedom movement was Bipin Chandra Pal. Pal was born on the 7th of November, 1858 in Sylhet, which is presently in Bangladesh. Bipin Chandra Pal`s father was Ramchandra Pal. He was a journalist, orator, teacher, writer and librarian who began the Bande Mataram journal. He was among the three Extremist Indian patriots of the Indian National Congress who gave away his life fighting for the Independence of India. The other two of the trilogy were Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Lala Lajpat Rai and together, the three were called Lal-Bal-Pal. They preached extremist ways to convey their message clearly to the British, like ostracizing British manufactured goods, burning Western clothes made in the Manchester mills, and strikes and lock outs of businesses owned by British. Pal was influenced by leaders of his time like Pandit Sivanath Sastri and Keshab Chandra Sen, and joined the Brahmo Samaj . Bipin Chandra pal was jailed for six months since he refused to provide evidence against Aurobindo Ghose in the sedition case of Vande Mataram. The list of Indian Freedom Fighters is vast and there are thousands of men, women and children who fought against the British to attain independence. From among the numerous freedom fighters, Mahatma Gandhi was the most famous freedom fighter of India who took the lead and ensured a free India on the 15th of August 1947. He was honoured by the Indians by making him the father of the Nation. Gandhiji was born in a Hindu family at Porbandar in the state of Gujarat in 1869. His entire life was devoted to the principles of non-violence, truth and love. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was regarded as the architect of the freedom of India.
Posted on: Thu, 19 Jun 2014 05:03:47 +0000