The Jail Notebook And Other Writings

"Bhagat Singh spent the last two years of his life in jail, awaiting execution. During this time, he and his comrades fought one of the most celebrated Court Battles in the annals of national liberation struggles, and used the court as a vehicle for the propagation of their revolutionary message. They also struggled against the inhuman conditions in the Colonial jail, and faced torture and pain. Their heroism made them icons and figures of Inspiration for generations to come. All this is well-known. What is not so well-known is that Bhagat Singh wrote four Books in jail. Although they were smuggled out, they were destroyed and are lost forever. What survived was a Notebook that the Young martyr kept in jail, full of notes and jottings from what he was reading. In the year of his Birth centenary, LeftWord is proud to present his Notebook in an elegant edition. This Edition has been checked against the copy preserved in the National Archives of India. The Notebook is richly annotated by Bhupender Hooja; and the annotations have been revised and updated for this edition. Also included are the most important Texts that Bhagat Singh wrote in jail, Chaman Lal's lucid introduction, the New York Daily Worker's reports and Periyar's editorial on the hanging" -- Provided by publisher.

Great son of India; Shaheed Bhagat Singh was executed by the Britishers on 23rd March; 1931. He dedicated his life to free motherland from the cruel clutches of the British. His Jail Diary was handed over; along with other belongings to his father; Sardar Kishan Singh after his execution. After Sardar Kishan Singh’s death; the notebook; along with other papers of Bhagat Singh; was passed on to his another son; Shri Kulbir Singh. After his death; it has passed to his son; Shri Babar Singh. It was the dream of Shri Babar Singh that the Indian masses get to know through this historical diary what were the actual thoughts of Shaheed Bhagat Singh. Also general people can also see the original writings of Bhagat Singh because he is the hero of every caste; religion; poor; rich; farmers; labourers and everyone who loves Bharat. Bhagat Singh’s deep thinking and vision; love for mankind can be seen by his these words; “Our political parties consist of men who have but one idea; i.e. to fight against the alien rulers. That idea is quite laudable; but cannot be termed a revolutionary idea. We must make it clear that revolution does not merely mean an upheaval or a sanguinary strife. Revolution necessarily implies the programme of systematic reconstruction of society on new and better adapted basis; after complete destruction of the existing state of affairs (i.e. regime).” Publication of this Jail Diary is a befitting tribute to the hero of India’s freedom struggle since it will infuse feeling of nationalism; patriotism and dedication among the readers.

Dive into the compelling narrative of Jail Diary and other writings, where the revolutionary icon's innermost thoughts and experiences during his incarceration unfold. Bhagat Singh, a pivotal figure in India's fight for independence, pens down his reflections, struggles, and unwavering commitment to the cause of freedom in this poignant memoir. Through his diary entries, readers witness the indomitable spirit of a young activist, driven by ideals of justice and equality, amidst the harsh confines of British colonial prisons. This firsthand account offers a rare glimpse into the mind of a revolutionary thinker, inspiring generations with his courage, resilience, and revolutionary zeal. With its historical significance, literary depth, and enduring relevance, this book stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of one of India's greatest patriots, serving as a beacon of hope and inspiration for all who cherish the values of liberty and social justice.

Sporting a sharp handlebar moustache, his hat askew, Shaheed Bhagat Singh has been lionized in Indian imagination as one of the most influential revolutionaries of the Independence movement. Convicted and hanged by the British in 1931 for his role in killing a colonial police officer in the Lahore Conspiracy Case, he became a martyr at the young age of twenty-three, leaving behind an inspiring legacy. Tales of Bhagat Singh's heroism and bravery are part of popular folklore, as it were -- how he exploded bombs at the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi and showered leaflets on the legislators before surrendering himself to the authorities, or how he led Indian political prisoners in a hunger strike demanding better conditions in jail. The Bhagat Singh Reader brings into prominence his less widely known intellectual output. It presents in a single volume a collection of his writings and thoughts: from his letters, telegrams and notices to articles that chalk out his subversive and progressive ideas, and his mails from prison to the colonial administration and judiciary. His forty-three sketches of Indian freedom fighters throw light on the larger picture of the independence struggle. This is a book that reveals Bhagat Singh the man and the thinker, the Marxist and the idealist.

Articles on Bhagat Singh, 1907-1931, Indian revolutionary and freedom fighter; most previously published.

Bhagat Singh is a name that became synonymous with revolution in India’s struggle for Independence. This young boy brought about a change in the way people thought about freedom. He was well read and fought extensively for rights – his own, his comrades’ and his countrymen’s. A discussion with a friend soon turned into a matter of self-assessment for Bhagat Singh, leading to a discourse on why he chose to be an atheist. Even in the face of death at a very young age, his uncanny observation leads to his putting forth some pertinent questions. On another occasion, he was disappointed with his father’s plea in court for his innocence and chose to write a letter to him. This book is a collection of eighteen of his valued writings from within the walls of prison and outside it, which show us the resolve in his words, and the bravery in his acts subsequently.

Extolled for his extraordinary courage and sacrifice, Bhagat Singh is one of our most venerated freedom fighters. He is valourised for his martyrdom, and rightly so, but in the ensuing enthusiasm, most of us forget, or consciously ignore, his contributions as an intellectual and a thinker. He not only sacrificed his life, like many others did before and after him, but he also had a vision of independent India. In the current political climate, when it has become routine to appropriate Bhagat Singh as a nationalist icon, not much is known or spoken about his nationalist vision. Inquilab provides a corrective to such a situation by bringing together some of Bhagat Singh's seminal writings on his pluralist and egalitarian vision. It compels the reader to see that while continuing to celebrate the memory of Bhagat Singh as a martyr and a nationalist, we must also learn about his intellectual legacy. This important book also makes a majority of these writings, hitherto only available in Hindi, accessible for the first time to the English-language readership.

Shaheed Bhagat Singh’s ‘Jail Notebook’ opens a window into his exploration of ideas of distinguished thinkers and philosophers. Well-known among his comrades as an avid and voracious reader, Bhagat Singh managed to procure during his imprisonment in jail a large number of selected books by prominent authors of his choice. The excerpts, notes and quotes from those books which he wrote down in his jail notebook reflected not only the seriousness with which he studied the books but also his intellectual sophistication and social and political concerns. However, the perfunctory reference to the sources or books from which these notes and quotes were taken left a rather perplexing question mark with regard to the authentic source i.e. from exactly which editions of which books by which particular authors were these taken. As a result, fantastic claims and wild speculations came to be made by admiring scholars as to the number of books and the kind of original works of great thinkers that Bhagat Singh was able to study in the jail. As a sequel to that the present work Bhagat Singh’s ‘Jail Note Book’, Its Context and Relevance by Harish Jain represents an exceptionally tenacious and laborious search and research into the specific and authentic sources of the particular notes and quotes entered in the Jail Notebook. The story of the author’s exploration for over a decade, searching and identifying books by following astute guesses and hunches, and rummaging through many likely or probable books accessible at that time, many of which were not easily available now, makes a fascinating reading. Contextualising the importance and reach of the ideas of the various authors in those times helps one to understand why they might have appeared significant to Bhagat Singh. Besides discussing the ideas central to the books he read attempt has been made here to explain the import of the quotes he chose to copy. A unique work of its kind, this study is both enriching and a pleasure to read.