Birth Anniversary of Ram Prasad Bismil | 16 Jun 2025

Why in News? 

On 11th June 2025, the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Ram Prasad Bismil was commemorated. Renowned for his revolutionary spirit and poetic brilliance, he played a pivotal role in India's struggle against British colonial rule. 

Key Points 

• Birth and Early Life: 
  • Ram Prasad Bismil was born on 11th June 1897 in Shahjahanpur district of Uttar Pradesh. 
• Early Influences and Ideology: 
  • Bismil joined the Arya Samaj, founded by Dayanand Saraswati in 1875, and began writing under pen names like ‘Bismil’, meaning ‘wounded’ or ‘restless’. 
  • He embraced revolutionary ideals after reading about the death sentence awarded to Bhai Parmanand, an Arya Samaj missionary and nationalist. 
  • At the age of 18, he expressed his anguish through the powerful poem ‘Mera Janm’. 
  • He supported armed revolution, believing it to be a more effective path to independence than Gandhi’s non-violent approach. 
• Major Contributions: 
  • Mainpuri Conspiracy: 
    • Disillusioned with the Congress’s moderate stance, Bismil founded a revolutionary group named Matrivedi. 
    • He was involved in the Mainpuri Conspiracy of 1918, wherein the police found a few young people, including Bismil selling books that were prescribed by the government. 
    • He and his associates carried out three successful raids to loot government funds to support their cause. 
  • Formation of Hindustan Republican Association (HRA): 
    • In 1924, Bismil co-founded the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) with Sachindra Nath Sanyal, Ashfaqulla Khan, Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee and Jadugopal Mukherjee. 
    • He drafted most of HRA's manifesto, envisioning a federal "United States of India" established through armed revolution. 
  • Kakori Train Action: 
    • In 1925, Bismil, along with Chandrasekhar Azad and Ashfaqulla Khan, led the Kakori train robbery to fund revolutionary activities. 
    • They successfully looted the train near Kakori, but British authorities arrested them within a month. 
    • After an 18-month-long trial, Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Rajendra Lahiri, and Roshan Singh were sentenced to death under the Kakori Conspiracy Case. 
• Literary Contributions: 
  • Bismil wrote stirring patriotic poetry in Hindi and Urdu that inspired countless Indians to join the freedom struggle. 
    • Bismil’s poem ‘Sarfroshi Ki Tammana, Ab hamare Dil Me hai’ became a clarion call for the Indian Freedom movement. 
  • His works reflected deep concerns for social justice, human dignity, and equality. 
• Martyrdom: 
  • The British executed Bismil on 19th December 1927 at Gorakhpur Jail.