Born: 23rd July 1906
Died: 27th February 1931
Shri Chandra Shekhar Azad was born on 23rd July 1906, as Chandra Shekhar Tiwari in Bhavra village, Madhya Pradesh. He was deeply affected by the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in Amritsar, 1919. In 1921, he joined the freedom struggle, while he was just a school student. Azad took part in the Non-cooperation Movement which was launched by Shri Mahatma Gandhi (in December 1921).
Soon after joining the movement, the British police arrested him. In jail, when he was presented in front of the Magistrate, he proclaimed his name as ‘Azad’, his father’s name as ‘Swatantra’, and his residence as ‘prison’. Since then, the title of ‘Azad’ (which means free in Urdu), has stuck with his name. In 1922, after the adjournment of the non-cooperation movement, Azad joined a revolutionary organization, the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA), which was established by Ramprasad Bismil. Azad got involved in the Kakori Conspiracy i.e. the Train Robbery held on 9th August 1925, against British Rule. He was also involved in the assassination of JP Saunders, Lahore in 1928 to take revenge for the killing of Lala Lajpat Rai. On 27th February 1931, Azad lost his life during a face-off with the British police, at Alfred Park in Allahabad. He fought single-handedly with just a pistol and a few cartridges. He shot himself in the head, fulfilling his vow to die as a free man and not as a British prisoner. Chandra Shekhar Azad’s Colt pistol is displayed at the Allahabad Museum. Azad always used to recite a Hindustani couplet fondly and it was also his only poetic composition “Dushman ki goliyon ka hum samna karenge. Azad hi rahein hain, azad hi rahenge”. Swami Vivekanand Subharti University remembers the fearless revolutionary freedom fighter who was an exceptional leader and a true patriot, and his actions motivated and inspired many people to join the freedom movement. His supreme sacrifice for our country will always be remembered”.
