100 volunteers spread martyr’s ideals

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, March 23

Remembering Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev on the day of their martyrdom today, social media groups have been flooded with patriotic messages. But standing apart from these online messengers, a group of about 100 persons from various parts of the state today embarked on a three-day tour to propagate messages of Bhagat Singh, discussing the philosophy of the great martyr and their relevance in the present times.

Starting their campaign from Hussainiwala after paying homage at the National Martyrs Memorial, near Indo-Pak border in Ferozepur district, these volunteers reached Bathinda this evening, before addressing public meetings at Noor Sethia village of Ferozepur, Sadiq, Faridkot, Kotakapura and Jaitu.

The caravan of volunteers was on their motorcycles, accompanied by a small tempo on which they have fitted a sound system to address people, particularly youngsters and women.

Moving under the banner of the International Democratic Platform (IDP), the members of this group will reach Thuhi, a village in Nabha on the evening of March 25 to organise a big event with dramas and skits in the village to remember the martyrs.

Thuhi is a village which is known for organising the first-of-its-kind “Awaz-e-Jag Janani”, a function in which a large number of village girls were brought together at a common place giving them an opportunity to recall their childhood and chit-chat with their childhood friends in December 2015. It was an attempt by unmarried girls of the village to reunite with married girls and tell them that they still belonged to the village, said Darshan Singh Dhanetha, state president IDP, Punjab.

The youth in Punjab is highly spirited with the name of Bhagat Singh and they prefer on the wall of their houses a poster of a handcuffed Shaheed Bhagat Singh, the martyr in a hat twirling his moustache or reading a book on a cot in a jail captioned ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ (Long live the revolution). But about the philosophy of this great fearless martyr, the youth in the state have a limited knowledge, said Karnail Singh Jakhepal, general secretary, IDP.

“Bhagat Singh is an idol of the youth and a household name, which arouses admiration and respect,” said Hamir Singh, a member of the IDP but until the youth was awaken to the cause for which Bhagat Singh sacrificed his life, the real motive of the sacrifice is not attained, he said.

In the present times, the intolerance at the political level is the main ’ mantra’ to divide people on caste, religion, creed and professional lines. Bhagat Singh had sacrificed his life 86 years ago to upheld the ethos of tolerance, rising above all caste, creed barriers. Hence, we need to sensitise our young generation against intolerance, said Darshan Singh Dhanetha.

Individuals’ liberties are under open attack in the state and the country. These threats show the depths to which political parties are corrupting the social fabric to promote their divisive communal agenda. We can no longer attribute these threats to ‘fringe’ elements, he said.

The political parties were so anxious to control the public debate that the moment anyone questions them, they get branded as ‘anti-national’ or a ‘Pakistani agent’. The most recent victim of their diatribe is Gurmehar Kaur, a girl from Jalandhar. Seeds of today’s intolerance are being sown to weaken society as it was during the time of the British empire in India. Hence, teaching the young about the philosophy of Bhagat Singh is highly relevant in the present times, said Hamir Singh.

Big event in memory of martyrs 

Moving under the banner of the International Democratic Platform (IDP), the members of this group will reach Thuhi, 

a village in Nabha on the evening of March 25 to organise a big event with dramas and skits in the village to remember the martyrs. Thuhi is a village which is known for organising the first-of-its-kind “Awaz-e-Jag Janani”, a  function in which 

a large number of village girls were brought together  at a common place giving them an opportunity to recall their childhood and chit-chat with their childhood friends in December 2015. It was an attempt by unmarried girls of 

the village to reunite with married girls and tell them that they still belonged to the village, said Darshan Singh Dhanetha, state president IDP, Punjab.