Martyrs' Day

Martyrs’ Day is commemorated on January 30 to mark the death anniversary of Mahatma  Gandhi. 

Martyrs’ Day or Shaheed Divas is also commemorated on March 23 to remember the sacrifice of three extraordinary revolutionaries of India – Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, Sukhdev Thapar. Every year, this day is observed to pay homage to the unsung heroes of our nation and the freedom fighters who laid their lives for independent, sovereign and liberal India.  

In general, Martyrs’ Day is celebrated on many days in India. However, this article will provide information on the Martyrs’ Day or Shaheed Divas [Jan 30 and March 23] in the context of the IAS Exam.

The candidates can read relevant information useful for their upcoming exams from the links provided below:

Death of Mahatma Gandhi

• Gandhi was assassinated on 30 January 1948 by Nathuram Godse and his death was followed by epic public outpourings of grief.
• This day marks the saddest day in the history of India’s Independence Struggle. 
• The Martyrs’ Day is observed on January 30 every year to remember Mahatma Gandhi’s contribution to India and his sacrifices during the freedom struggle.
• At his daily prayer meeting on the evening of 30 January, Gandhiji was shot dead by a young man, Nathuram Godse.  
• Godse killed Gandhi because he disagreed with Gandhiji’s conviction that Hindus and Muslims should live together in harmony.

Read more about the Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, from the linked article. 

Contributions of Mahatma Gandhi

The contributions which Mahatma Gandhi gave to the world are as follows:

1. A new spirit and technique – Satyagraha. 
2. The emphasis that the moral universe is one and that the morals of individuals, groups, and nations must be the same.
3. His insistence that the means and the ends must be consistent. 
4. The fact that he held no ideals, he did not embody or was not in the process of embodying. 
5. A  willingness to suffer and die for his principles.  The greatest of these is his  Satyagraha.
6. He was the leader of many freedom movements across the country, and he advocated peace instead of violence. 

Death of Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, Sukhdev Thapar

• Revolutionary nationalists such as Bhagat Singh and his comrades wanted to fight colonial rule and the rich exploiting classes through a revolution of workers and peasants. 
• For this purpose, they founded the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) in 1928 at Ferozeshah Kotla in Delhi.  
• Members of the HSRA assassinated Saunders, a police officer who had led a lathi charge that caused the death of Lala Lajpat Rai. Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were deeply affected by the death of Lala Lajpat Rai in a non-violent protest against the Simon Commission on October 30, 1928.
• Along with his fellow nationalist B.K. Dutt, Bhagat Singh threw a bomb in the Central Legislative Assembly on 8 April 1929. 
• The aim, as their leaflet explained, was not to kill but, “to make the deaf hear”, to remind the foreign government of its callous exploitation. 
• The trio – Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, Sukhdev Thapar lost their lives on March 23 in 1931 during the struggle for India’s independence and that day in history is celebrated as Martyrs’ Day. 
• The trio of heroes was hanged to death by the British on the charges of assassinating British officer John Saunders in 1928 and were cremated on the banks of the Sutlej River.
• Bhagat Singh was tried and executed at the age of 23. The revolutionary ideas and spirit of these three were an inspiration to the youth during the freedom struggle. 

To read more about the history of March 23, 1931, check the linked article. 

Martyrs’ Day or Shaheed Divas:-Download PDF Here

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