The following excerpt is being
taken from Bhai Sahib Randhir Singh Ji’s autobiography, “The Jail
Chittihiya” (Letters from Jail). In this chapter, Bhai Randhir Singh
narrates his meeting with Shaheed Bhagat Singh. Before meeting with
Bhai Randhir Singh, Bhagat Singh remained a staunch atheist - but after
having sangat of a Gursikh that lasted merely two hours changed his life
and made him a believer in God. After this meeting, Bhagat Singh drew
closer to Sikhi and kept his kesh (hair) uncut for the rest of his
life, until martyrdom.
At last the day came. It was 6 pm on 4 October, 1930.
The news of my release was announced and everyone was very happy
about it. I was sitting in a blissful solitude within my cell. All the
patriots rushed towards my cell to break the news to me and congratulate
me. The first to come and congratulate me was Bhai Gajjan Singh (Master).
In a matter of minutes, other patriots gathered around me and read
joyfully the orders of release.
I was overwhelmed not so much by the joy of release as by the
separation I would have to bear from devoted friends like Bhai Kartar
Singh (of Canada). I was overwhelmed by these dual emotions of joy and
sorrow when friends came to bid good-bye with loving embraces. The prison officials stood there ready to carry out the order of my
release but my feet were reluctant to move away from such dear
companions. I embraced everyone of them and after a few affectionate
words with each one of them, I left them all with tears in their eyes.
The stream separated from the river at last.
When I went out of these prison wards, I met Mohammed Akbar near the
central dome. He was smiling and coming towards me. On seeing me, he
congratulated me for my release. Inattentive to his felicitations, I
told him that it was time that he should fulfill his promise. He should
not miss the chance. He smiled and said that he had already made
arrangement for the meeting with Bhagat Singh.
“You could now meet him
for full two hours.” I asked him if he had taken permission from the Superintendent. “Before I found it necessary to ask him, the Superintendent was
already worried and puzzled and was seeking a way out of a difficult
situation. His worry is that you should be quietly released without
giving any chance to outsiders to make much noise about your release. He
asked me to find a way out of this difficulty. He said, there are
regular pickets of people outside, who are waiting for the news of the
release of political prisoners.
“As soon as a political prisoner is released the news spreads like
fire and there is a great noise and hubbub of long processions, which
are very disturbing to the Government. The Government has issued strict
instructions, that the release should be secret and quiet. You see
people sitting near the prison gates in regular pickets till sunset.
‘You must make some arrangement to send Randhir Singh out secretly and
quietly so that we may not be blamed for anything later on.’
“At that very moment, I asked the Superintendent not to worry and
suggested to him the plan, saying, ‘You remember sir, the day Randhir
Singh came to this prison, Bhagat Singh who has been sentenced to death
submitted an application for permission to meet him, but you rejected
it. I believe that if we now allow him to meet Randhir Singh, the
meeting may take about two hours. It will be quite dark by then and by 8
pm we will send Randhir Singh out. Thus strict secrecy about the
release will be maintained.’
“The Superintendent was impressed by this suggestion and gladly
issued orders to allow this meeting and you can talk freely as long as
you like. I will now give you a warder, who will guide you to Bhagat
Singh.” So saying, he sent a prison-warder with me and ordered him to permit us to have an unrestricted meeting. Bhagat Singh was taking his daily stroll in the prison compound. He
had been told about the permission granted for this meeting.
On seeing
me he came running towards me. I was standing outside the fence of the
courtyard. He came close to the fence and greeted me with great love and
affection, bowing low out of reverence. I also folded my hands and
greeted him warmly. The warder moved away when we were together. Even the policemen on
duty in the compound kept away from us. We were all alone facing each
other.
Bhagat Singh was so overwhelmed by the joy of meeting after months of
anxious moments, that tears rolled down his eyes. I had hardly met
anyone in life who had developed so deep affection and love even before
coming into contact with me. It was as if we had known each other for
long time.
In a rapturous tone he said, “O, I can hardly say how happy I am
today on having met you at last. Day and night, I was restlessly longing
for just a short meeting with you. At last the blessed moment has come
and my wishes have been fulfilled. After knowing all your great
sacrifices and suffering in prison, I had become your keen admirer and
passionate devotee.
“It was the heroism of the great freedom fighters of 1914-15 like you
which inspired an insignificant patriot like me. All our revolution
exploits are nothing compared to the astounding heroic deeds performed
by you and your companions. Your own life and struggle for freedom and
rights especially impressed me. Munshi Manna Singh perhaps told you with what passionate longing I
was thirsting to meet you and talk to you. I should say that my inner
attachment and admiration for you brought you back to Lahore prison
after sixteen years. When I first sent a message to you within this
prison, that I was anxious to meet you, I received your divine command
to keep the Sikh symbols (unshorn beard and hair)."
“I am prepared to abide by your wishes. I am really ashamed and am
prepared to tell you frankly that I removed my hair and beard under
pressing circumstances. It was for the service of the country that my
companions compelled me to give up the Sikh appearance and disguise
myself as a sannyasi (mendicant). So it is in association with the
irreligious people that I was compelled to show disrespect to my
religious symbols, but now I will certainly do whatever you wish me to
do.” I was glad to see Bhagat Singh repentant and humble in his present
attitude towards our articles of faith. I was deeply impressed by his
frank statement of facts, but I could not hesitate in expressing my
inner feelings and I said:
“Brother Bhagat Singh ji, I am deeply touched by your love for me. I
am also impressed by your spirit of service and patriotic zeal, but I
must tell you, dear brother, that your companions did not give you good
advice. You seem to be seeking something very petty and you became a
prey to the evil and mischievous suggestions of your companions."
“Compared to our times, the period in which you participated in the
freedom struggle is a period of great awakening. You could fearlessly
take part in the freedom struggle and serve your country and humanity as
you wished. But you must be knowing that in our times (1914-15) few and
rare souls felt inspired to dedicate their lives to the cause of
freedom. In the Punjab, only a few Sikhs who could be counted on
finger-tips were politically awake, felt the patriotic fervor to fight
for freedom."
“There was a great feeling and political opposition to the heroic
Gaddar Leaders and patriots who had come from Canada and America. Every
child in the Punjab was opposed to them. I will give you only one
example of the moral courage of a great patriot of those days."
“Bhai Nidhan Singh of Chugga village was a great patriot and fighter
for freedom, who inspired hundreds of Indians living in foreign
countries to come to India and dedicate their lives to freedom struggle.
He spent thousands of rupees from his own pocket for freedom struggle.
And yet he did not disguise himself. He came openly by sea but the
Government at once made elaborate arrangements to arrest him."
“He reached India, along with his companions, without being detected.
He could not be arrested. He came to the Punjab and threw himself heart
and soul into the freedom struggle. His heroic deeds for the cause of
freedom must be known to you. Warrants for his arrest had been issued,
his photograph was widely publicized and a price was set on his head.
There was an all-out attempt to arrest him. He moved swiftly from one
place to another organizing the freedom struggle."
“There was no sympathy and support for these freedom fighters in the
public. The patriots depended mostly on Bhai Nidhan Singh for
organization and inspiration. Of course, in fearlessness, there was none
so daring as Kartar Singh Sarabha. One day Kartar Singh Sarabha feared
that Bhai Nidhan Singh may be arrested. He was the key figure among the
freedom fighters and it was necessary that he should not be arrested
soon."
“Keeping only the political interest in view, he suggested to Bhai
Nidhan Singh that he should dye his beard and thus change his publicized
appearance to some extent. Bhai Nidhan Singh boldly answered that he
would never do such a thing and tarnish and disgrace his heroism in the
freedom fight. ‘You can use me as best as you like with this appearance
only, but do not make any suggestions which would make me a coward’, he
said.
“His companions wanted him to fall prey to their evil suggestions but
his determination remained unshaken. For organizing the freedom
struggle, he traveled twenty to thirty miles a day and sometimes
fearlessly passed close by police posts. He performed such heroic deeds
compared to which your plans were insignificant. He did not even agree
to change the color of his beard, while you went to the extent of
removing your hair and beard.”
Bhagat Singh: “Actually, I did not assassinate Saunders. I was of
course accused of having murdered him. I considered it a great heroic
deed and so took the credit for it. I confessed that I killed Saunders.
Whether there was any benefit in it or not, I nevertheless got the
credit for the whole deed. Even otherwise there was no escape for me.”
Randhir Singh: “The ideal of a true patriot is never to seek such
petty joys of empty credits. For the joy of getting worldly praise, you
did not hesitate to fall from a higher spiritual ideal of becoming an
apostate from Sikhi, nor did you ever repent over this fall from a much
higher ideal. All that you have achieved by this wrong step is some
trumpeting of your name and heroism by some papers. You gave up the
Guru’s personality for false glory and empty ambition. If you felt that
you made a mistake, you should have repented and come back to the Khalsa
ideal by maintaining a Sikh-like appearance again. Why did you not do
it?”
Bhagat Singh: “I might have kept the Sikh identity again, but then I
would have lost the friendship and sympathy of my comrade, B.K Dutt.
Secondly; I would not have got so much publicity as I am getting now. It
is true that my sacrifices are insignificant compared to the sacrifices
of the freedom fighters of 1914-15. But after such astounding
sacrifices, they did not get any publicity or praise in the papers. The
Sikh papers had very limited circulation. Even they did not reveal all
facts of the heroic deeds of patriots like you, because their timid
policy prevented them from writing anything frankly."
“It is the non-Sikh papers which publicized my name widely and it is
through them I have acquired all the glory associated with my name. It
is a fact that if I had maintained the Sikh appearance and if I had
professed myself to be a practicing Sikh and kept hair and beard
unshorn, the non-Sikh papers would not have written a word about me,
just as they did not write a word about you and your companions.”
“Even, of the Sikh papers, only The Khalsa Akhbar of Lahore, an Urdu
paper, dared to write something about you. I know it for certain that
the Hindu papers are always reluctant to write even a word in praise of
Sikh patriots and freedom fighters. They do not like Sikhs being praised
for anything. If I had kept hair and beard again and become a Sikh, they would
have started belittling me instead of praising me. So I hesitated to
keep unshorn hair and beard again.”
Randhir Singh: On judging what you have said, my dear Bhagat Singh,
your ideal of patriotism is very low and frippery. To make such a show
of patriotism and service to the country for personal glory is cheap
chauvinism and vain jingoism. The patriots of 1914-15 movement suffered
and served the country, keeping only the selfless service of the
motherland in view. They did not have the slightest thought of such
cheap publicity and never even in a dream had any ambition of personal
glory. It is only in the company of petty minded and evil-motivated
people that your mind was misled into such vain thoughts of personal
glory. The seeking of eminence through newspapers, and honour and glory
through propaganda are all superficial things about which it is rightly
said in the Guru-Granth Sahib:
“Mad are those who trumpet a man’s glory,
Shameless is he who accepts such fame,
He is like a rat who has tied a winnowing basket to his waist,
He now finds it impossible even to get into his hole.”
On hearing this, Bhagat Singh was deeply moved and said: “The ideal
of Sikhism is no doubt very high. The world in general hankers after
empty glory only. I also drifted in the same passion for personal glory.
But today I have realized that all these things are idle exhibition of
vanity, conceit and self-glorification. I would have been fortunate if I
had got the opportunity of living in close association with you for at
least three or four months. If I had got this opportunity to live in
your company for three or four months, I would have gained much and all
my shortcomings would have disappeared.”
“Now I will do whatever you ask me to do. You now want me to become a
kesha-dhari Sikh. I now admit that I made a great mistake. Even
contrary to this healthy family tradition, I went against the Guru’s
instructions and showed irreverence to the Sikh symbols. But there is
one more fact, and I would be committing a sin if I conceal it from you.
I kept hair and beard merely because there was a long standing
tradition in our family to do so.”
“I am very proud to be called a Sikh. But the hard fact is that I was
never religious at heart. You will excuse me if I tell you in quite
plain terms that at heart I am an atheist. I still do not believe in
God. All my companions know it. With all that, I am willing to do
anything you ask me to do. If you command me, I will keep hair and
beard. Alas! if only I had got the opportunity to stay near you a little
longer, you could have changed my atheistic views.”
Randhir Singh: “I am very happy that you have revealed the truth of
your inner state of mind and have not concealed what is really in your
heart. It is absolutely useless to keep religious symbols like hair and
beard while you are an atheist at heart, nor would I be proud of making
you do such a thing. I am no more anxious about your coming back to Sikh
form, nor am I sorry that you do not have hair and beard.”
“My only anxiety and wish now is that you should die with faith in
God. You will definitely die on the scaffold. It would have been better
if your atheism had disappeared before you faced death sentence. Even
though you are an atheist, remember one thing that you will not die,
keep it engraved in your heart that you will not die. You will be born
again. Your soul is immortal and ageless. It will never be destroyed. It
will be born again and again. Know this for dead certain that you will
not die. You will take human birth again. Look within and see what you
are!”
“Are you a soul, a spirit (atma) or
just a lump of flesh and blood? Do you think that this self within you
which speaks, understands, thinks, reflects on serving humanity and
expires after doing great deeds, is nothing beyond bones, blood and
flesh. Do you really believe that it will all end with the end of the
body? No, never. Your real self will not be destroyed and you will never
die”.
On hearing these words, which were uttered in an inspired mood (by
the Grace of God), Bhagat Singh stood there mute and inwardly moved. For
a moment, he seemed to have lost his physical consciousness and his
mind soared high. Speechless, he bowed low, as if some unknown power had taken
possession of him. For quite sometime he remained absorbed in deep
silence. I shook him with my hands and helped him to stand.
On his face, there was a strange glow. He came nearer me and,
stretching his hands through the fence, he tried to touch my feet. I
held his hands in mine and said that only the Guru’s feet are worth
worshiping, not human feet. I helped him to stand up and when he had regained control over himself he said:
“Your words have pierced my heart
like an arrow, my disbelief and faithlessness have been terribly shaken,
a magnetic influence has changed my inner being. Deep down in my heart
now, I believe that I will not die and this belief will remain unshaken
in my mind, speech and actions. I am that Spirit that death will not
destroy. I will not die. After I give up my body I will be born again.
Until my new birth, my atma will remain in everlasting glory. When I die
on the scaffold, I will die with a great spiritual joy.”
“I was brave through sheer will
power and asserted that I did not care for death. Within my heart was
the deep hidden sorrow of complete extinction after death. Whenever this
thought came to mind, there was darkness before my mind. The thought of
being reduced to nothingness after death created a painful void within
my heart. Your words have brought a miraculous change in me. I can now
see my future clearly in the light of new consciousness you have given
me.”
“The void created by the thoughts of extinction have disappeared. All doubts and delusions have been dispelled. I have gained much more strength. I will now die with great moral
and spiritual courage. Your exalted life has imparted to me the elixir
of spirituality and I feel its ennobling influence. I knew one thing
about your life that you always say what you have experienced and your
words and actions are always in unison. Not only am I convinced that I
will not die, and that I am immortal atma, but I am convinced that there
is God and you have had a glimpse of Him.”
“So now you will be extremely pleased to learn that your dear Bhagat
Singh is a believer in God and he will die with complete spiritual faith
in Sikhi, and accordingly, I will face not death but ascension. The
word ascension is a beautiful word and reveals that the soul will rise
above the body and go beyond death. After leaving my body, my spirit
will ascend heaven-wards and will never die. It will be born again and
will work for the ideal service of the Motherland and the nation. How
fruitful has been this meeting with you!”
After this significant end of our meeting, we greeted each other and parted in blissful silence.
It was quite dark now. I was taken to the office from where I was
given unconditional release and sent out of the prison under cover of
darkness. I boarded the train from Lahore railway station and came to Amritsar.
From Amritsar railway station I walked to the Golden Temple. A
Government servant had been given to me to help me in my journey. He
carried my bag and bedding and attended to all my needs.
Near the clock tower, the servant waited with my luggage while I went
inside and had a dip in the holy tank. It was 1 am. There I sat in
peaceful solitude meditating on His Name. I enjoyed this solitude very
much. After meditation, I had a mind to meet some friends. But on second
thought I wanted to keep this pilgrimage to the Golden Temple a secret.
I knew that if I met some friends, there will be unnecessary noise of
jubilation about the release and a good deal of trumpeting through
processions. I was tempted many times to go and meet Gyani Nahar Singh
and Gyani Harbhajan Singh in the Malwai Bunga, but I overcame the
temptation.
Until daybreak, I enjoyed the divine Kirtan of the Golden Temple.
Then quietly, I slipped out of Amritsar and resumed my journey to
Ludhiana.
Source:
www.sikh24.com
