Jalandhar, May 22
The only surviving legendary revolutionary of the Ghadar party Baba Bhagat Singh Bilga died today. Baba Bilga, who was one of the most respected revolutionaries of pre and post-Independence era, breathed his last in the UK where he was with one of his sons.
Baba Bilga had moved to the UK for a prostrate gland problem about a year ago from here where he remained centre of various social and literary movements for several decades.
The champion of the freedom movement died at around 10.45 am (GMT) at his residence in England.
The grand old man of the freedom struggle was 102. He is survived by his sons Kulbir and Prem Singh Sanghera and grandchildren. Despite his ailing age, the visionary Ghadarite enjoyed a sharp memory.
Jagjit Singh Lyallpuri, a Left leader and close friend of Baba Bilga, recently went to England to meet him and said: “He was a born Ghadarite and an institution in himself. It was his charismatic persona, which fascinated not only us the Ghadarites, but the youth as well”.
Two years back when this correspondent met him at his native village Bilga for an interview, he virtually brought the bygone days of the freedom struggle back to life. Baba Bilga echoed the thoughts of revolutionary Ghadarites who changed the course of time. His vigorous husky voice said: “Utho naujawano, badal do zamana”.
The great patriot recalled his participation in the Swadeshi andolan when Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, along with freedom fighters, had visited his village. Reminiscing that day he had said: “We celebrated Lohri that day as women gathered in large numbers to burn foreign items”.
Even recently when this correspondent spoke to Baba Bilga over the phone on his birthday on April 1, he was able to recall the fading memories of his interview and asked: “Mere desh da ki haal hai Biba”.
General Secretary of the Desh Bhagat Yaadgar Hall Trust, Gurmeet Singh said he was hospitalised yesterday after some complications and died in the morning. “Baba ji was expected to come to India in September this year,” he said.
Born on April 1, 1907, in Doaba’s Bilga village in the household of Nambardar Hira Singh Sanghera and Mata Malan, his contribution was enormous. In India, as president of the Desh Bhagat Yadgaar Hall Trust, Jalandhar, he had been celebrating the annual Ghadari Mela since 1992 with his fellow comrades.
