Ram Prasad Bismil (11 June 1897 — 19 December 1927) was an Indian poet, writer and revolutionary who participated in the Mainpuri Conspiracy of 1918, and the Kakori Conspiracy of 1925, and fought against British Raj. He was among the most notable Indian revolutionaries who fought British colonialism and made it possible for the nation to breathe the air of freedom after centuries of struggle against the imperial forces.

Born in a nondescript village in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur district to Murlidhar and Moolmati, he was associated with the Arya Samaj from an early age.

Bismil started writing powerful patriotic poems in Urdu and Hindi under the pen names of ‘Bismil’, ‘Ram’ and ‘Agyat’. The ideals of freedom and revolution got first ingrained in his mind after he read the death sentence passed on Bhai Parmanand, an Indian nationalist and Arya Samaj missionary. He gave vent to his anger in the form of his poem ‘Mera Janm’. He was just 18 then.

Bismil got his name etched as a prominent freedom fighter with his participation in the Mainpuri conspiracy of 1918. Bismil along with Genda Lal Dixit, a school teacher from Auraiya, organised youth from Etahwah, Mainpuri, Agra and Shahjahanpur districts to strengthen their organisations, ‘Matrivedi’ and ‘Shivaji Samiti’. He published a pamphlet titled ‘Deshwasiyon ke Naam’ and distributed it along with his poem ‘Mainpuri ki Pratigya’ on January 28, 1918. To collect funds for the parties, they looted government coffers.

Kakori Incident

On August 9, 1925, several revolutionaries including Chandrashekhar Azad, Bismil, Ashfaq Ulla Khan, Rajendra Lahiri and Roshan Singh looted a train which was carrying the treasury of the British empire. They looted the train between Kakori and Alamnagar near Lucknow.

Born in 1897, Bismil was a poet-turned-revolutionary. Kakori Conspiracy is still considered one of the most valourous revolts against an unjust and harsh British rule here. It was mentioned to be a message to the British that they cannot get away with taking money from Indians for their own personal use. Ashfaq Ulla Khan was born in Shahjahanpur and he was close friend of Bismil. Just like Bismil, Khan was also a poet.

During the hearing in court, Ram Prasad Bismil said, ‘Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna Ab Hamare Dil Me Hain, Dekhna Hai Zor Kitna Bazu-e-Katil Me Hai?’

Death:

On December 19, 1927 Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaq Ulla Khan and Roshan Singh were hanged by the British for their rebellion and revolt to help India get Independence. He was hanged at Gorakhpur Jail and his body was taken to the Rapti river for Hindu cremation.

With FPJ inputs