Martyrdom Day – March 23, 90th anniversary of the hanging of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar, and Shivaram Rajguru

There are many who say, ‘Oh! The farmers protests have gone on for 118 days, no end in sight.’

That is true. But we forget Sheetal Sathe’s song on Bhagat Singh:

toone to kaha tha, ye aazadi nahin dhokha hai …
itihaas mein bhi hum bhooke the, aaj bhi thokar khate hain …

You had said, this freedom is a farce …
In history we were hungry, today too we are shoved around …

These words by Sathe of Kabir Kala Manch resonate with me because while it is true that India gained notional freedom in 1947, that freedom was for some privileged ones like me and perhaps you. Vast sections of India remained enslaved and we who benefitted from freedoms allowed ourselves to get enslaved once again to crony capitalists.

For its work – singing pro-democracy and pro-annihilation of caste songs, celebrating diversity of religion and languages – the Congress-led UPA government imprisoned Kabir Kala Manch members under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act – UAPA. After they got bail in 2017, in December 2020, under the current dispensation, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) stated in court that ‘translations of songs was proof of violent activities and conspiracies’ against the government. Irony just died.

Now, tell me, is Sathe wrong about Bhagat Singh? Now tell me how long will it take to get freedom and who really stands in the way? It is certainly not the government alone. I feel, pardon me, it is us too. Unless we join the protests, we can’t expect farmers alone to fight for all our freedom.

Today the #FarmersProtests is marking the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev in a big way. Hundreds of thousands are gathering at Singhu, at both stages at Tikri, and at the Bhagat Singh Memorial at Katkhar Kalan in Panjab. (The venue has shifted to Banga grain market due to inclement weather.)

In PANJAB: Journeys Through Fault Lines, I write: ‘Every age has its battles between the right and the wrong, the just and the unjust and the weak and the powerful. In today’s day and age, while the battle plays out as it has in every other age, one dimension has changed: there is now a tussle between the powerless and the powerful over the icons of the past. Until now these icons were the heroes of the weak and the oppressed. Now the powerful have appropriated the icons—stolen them from the people’s narrative and made them the state narrative. If appropriation of an icon by contrarian political forces is indicative of the person’s popularity, nationally, perhaps Bhagat Singh stands on top of the historical figures of modern India.’ Page 26

Sathe’s song here …