Bhagat Singh could have been solution to all Indo-Pak conflicts

Greatness of the Martyr

- In an orthodox country like Pakistan, usually, only a Muslim is awarded the status of a hero. Shaheed Bhagat Singh stands out in this respect

- He has written an essay on the subject that gives a detailed account of him as an atheist. Despite this, he is respected even in the fiercely dogmatic country of Pakistan

- Bhagat Singh still inspires crores of people of India and Pakistan due to his revolutionary ideas

- The Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation wants to transform Bhagat Singh's ancestral house in Faisalabad, Pakistan into a memorial to preserve his legacy

- The complex issues between India and Pakistan. However, the people of both countries should be allowed and encouraged to meet and interact with each other on matters pertaining to history and culture

Shaheed Bhagat Singh is not limited to being just a patriotic revolutionary. Until his death, the Muslim League had not begun demanding a separate nation for the Muslims. The Muslim League started demanding the partition in 1940, after it introduced a resolution for the formation of a Separate Islamic Nation on 23 March 1940 in Lahore

For the past seven decades, India and Pakistan have never had civil or cordial relations. The two neighbours have engaged in multiple wars over time. The disputes between them persist perpetually, while new conflicts arise each day. Despite numerous reasons for the controversy, Bhagat Singh is such a versatile personality that the people of both countries look up to him with respect and adoration. Shaheed Bhagat Singh is one of the undisputed heroes of India. And the fact that he is loved equally in Pakistan, despite being a non-muslim, makes him the first of his kind.

His birth anniversary and martyrdom are celebrated with immense zeal and enthusiasm in the Pakistani city of Lahore and a few other places. As punishment for the alleged crime of killing a British Officer, Shaheed Bhagat Singh and his two companions, Shaheed Raj Guru and Shaheed Sukhdev, were hanged in the Lahore Central Jail on 23 March 1931. Several organizations in Pakistan have been continuously demanding to declare him the hero of their nation. He is especially respected in the Punjab province of Pakistan. If we talk about India, he is a national hero, revered by all.

Shaheed Bhagat Singh is not limited to being just a patriotic revolutionary. Until his death, the Muslim League had not begun demanding a separate nation for the Muslims. The Muslim League started demanding the partition in 1940, after it introduced a resolution for the formation of a Separate Islamic Nation on 23 March 1940 in Lahore. That was the same city where Bhagat Singh and his companions were hanged to death. After nine years of Bhagat Singh's passing, the Muslim League made its formal demand for Pakistan.

In an orthodox country like Pakistan, usually, only a Muslim is awarded the status of a hero. Shaheed Bhagat Singh stands out in this respect. He did not associate himself with any religion and called himself an atheist. He has written an essay on the subject that gives a detailed account of him as an atheist. Despite this, he is respected even in the fiercely dogmatic country of Pakistan. Unfortunately, some elements are hell-bent on proving him a true Sikh. In our province of Punjab, repeated efforts are made to prove him as a Sikh. He may have been born in a Sikh family which originally belonged to the Arya Samaj, but in the latter stages of his life, he never associated himself with any particular community.

Shaheed Bhagat Singh is often misrepresented in idols and statues. While sometimes he is portrayed wearing a turban, in the others he is shown in a hat. His statues have been installed in the Parliament House and the Delhi Legislative Assembly. He is depicted in a bronze statue, wearing a turban in the Parliament House, but in the Delhi Assembly, he is wearing a hat.

On April 8, 1929, Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw a bomb in the Central Assembly (now Parliament House). After a long gap of that incident, the statue of Bhagat Singh was installed in the Parliament House in the year 2008. That gave rise to a lot of uproar and commotion. Those who have studied Bhagat Singh claim that Bhagat Singh did not wear a turban from 1928 till the day he was hanged to death on 23 March 1931. Some historians and even relatives of Bhagat Singh believe that he was not fairly portrayed in the statue installed in the Parliament House. If Bhagat Singh used to wear a European-style hat, why was he shown in a turban?

Chamanlal, a former professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, who researches Bhagat Singh, says that it is fallacious not to depict him in a hat. However, Bhagat Singh is shown wearing a hat in the half-statue installed in the Delhi Legislative Assembly. This has been strongly criticised, and opposed by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGC). They claim that Bhagat Singh was a Sikh, and he should be portrayed as a Sikh in his statue. An incorrect tradition seems to have started in our nation, where we recognise national figures by their caste or religion. However, Bhagat Singh still inspires crores of people of India and Pakistan due to his revolutionary ideas. He stands before us as the most powerful symbol against administrative and police injustice and imperialism. Bhagat Singh was probably the first thoughtful revolutionary and keen political thinker of the country. He used to continuously read and write. Before and even after him, there has been no reflective revolutionary of his stature. However, the communists keep trying to prove him as one of their own on the sole basis that he had read Karl Marx, but in reality, he was a true nationalist.

The Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation wants to transform Bhagat Singh's ancestral house in Faisalabad, Pakistan into a memorial to preserve his legacy. The Government of Pakistan had given the status of a heritage site to this house, but due to lack of proper maintenance, the foundation has decided to build a memorial here instead. Before Independence, Faisalabad was called Lyallpur, and Shaheed Bhagat Singh was born here. Bhagat Singh's family had an ancestral home in Faisalabad's Banga village, where he grew up. If the governments of both, India and Pakistan open their doors to the significant sites related to Shaheed Bhagat Singh for the people of each other's countries to visit, it will be a monumental and positive initiative.

There seems to be no expiration date for the complex issues between India and Pakistan. However, the people of both countries should be allowed and encouraged to meet and interact with each other on matters pertaining to history and culture. When the Kartarpur Corridor can be opened, what is the harm in allowing the citizens of both nations to visit the important sites associated with Bhagat Singh's life?

Kartarpur Sahib is located in the Narowal district of Pakistan. It is three to four kilometers away from Dera Baba Nanak in the Gurdaspur district of India and about 120 km from Lahore. It was the residence of the first Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Nanak Dev Ji, and it was here that he also died. After that, a Gurudwara was built here in his memory. One can only hope that someday, following the path of Guru Nanak Ji and Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Pakistan will at some point be victorious in getting rid of its reputation as a terrorist country.

(The author is a senior editor, columnist, and former MP)