Shivaram 'Hari' Rajguru was a prominent Indian revolutionary and freedom fighter who fought for the nation's independence and as a result, was martyred at the young age of 22. Often nicknamed the 'gunman' of Bharat Singh's revolutionary party, he played a crucial role in uprooting the British power from the motherland. We often forget to cite his name in the freedom struggle but his effortless contribution towards Independent India occupies a very notable mention in the list of revolutionaries.
Rajguru's Early Life
Shivaram Rajguru was born on 24th August 1908 in Khed, Bombay Presidency, British India to Harinarayan Rajguru and Parvati Devi. They belonged to the Deshatha Brahmin community, with strong religious and patriotic views. He lost his father at the young age of six who belonged to Poona, and since then, all the responsibilities fell on the shoulders of his elder brother Dinakar Hari Rajguru who took care of him.
Shivaram Rajguru was enrolled in a Marathi school at Khed to receive his primary education and later joined Pune's New High School. He was an active child who was more attracted to playing sports than studies. Growing up he faced a lot of financial scarcity which made him realize at an early age that he needed to have a job to support his family. Later, he moved to Pune to complete his further studies.
In 1924, he left his home with just nine paise in his pocket and without telling anyone. Because of less money, he traveled 130 kilometers on foot to reach Nashik and further continued his journey on foot or by train. Upon reaching Kashi(Varanasi) via Jhansi, Lucknow, and Kanpur, he stayed on the banks of River Ganga Ghat at Ahilya Ghat for some days. He got enrolled in a Sanskrit school and secured a job as a primary school teacher.
Revolutionary Activities
Losing parents at an early age, Rajguru and his elder brother experienced a lot of trouble managing their expenses and continuing their studies. Adding to this, he always witnessed the British officials doing injustice to the people of India and imposing unreasonable laws on them. He had experienced such discriminatory incidents a lot of time which made his blood boil and made his will stronger to drive the British away from the country.
It was only when he joined the primary school as a teacher, he came in contact with Muneshwer Awasthi, a sub-editor who introduced him to the revolutionary organization, Hindustan Socialist Republican Army(HSRA). He was greatly influenced by Shivaji and his guerrilla tactics, further, Chandrashekhar Azad's fiery words and deep love for the motherland influenced him to join the revolution of making India independent.
Rajguru was a non-believer in Mahatma Gandhi's non violent ideology and civil disobedience movement and was of the opinion that unless the nationalists didn't employ an extreme approach, it was difficult to drive away the Imperial British from India.
The recent incidents of other oppressed countries fighting back bravely against the British power and defeating them made his opinion even stronger. Meeting like minded people at the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and others, he made up his mind to adopt an extremist approach.
He was a man of decisive nature and had a strong character and this quality of his was greatly appreciated by other members in the revolutionary group. Besides being a Sanskrit scholar and a skilled wrestler, he was an accurate shooter which gained him the nickname of 'gunman' of the HSRA. He used to organize units in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab, owing to his great capability at organizing meetings and maintaining decorum. The members found him very reliable and it was his name whose name was often considered or recommended only after Bhagat Singh.
1] Killing Of J.P. Saunders
The constitution of Simon Commission without the involvement of any Indian members did not go well with most Indians and they strongly opposed it. It constituted of seven English members to examine the operations and effects and to suggest any more reforms if required. During the time in 1919 when Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms was introduced, it was declared that the British government would send the commission in India after ten years to investigate the government schemes' progress.
However, the commission was sent to India two years before its scheduled time without any Indian members in it which angered the nationalists. It was heavily criticized by Indians and prominent Indians including leaders, Jawahar Lal Nehru, Jinnah, and Mahatma Gandhi boycotted it. Lala Lajpat Rai led a peaceful protest to show the majority of the Indian's disappointment towards the constitution of the Simon Commission. However, the British police officers reacted to the protest violently and mercilessly beat Rai along with other members. The beating was so serious that it led to the death of the respected leader and he breathed his last on 17th November, 1928.
His death sparked outrage and resentment among Indians and made Rajguru and other members of the HSRA very furious. They decided to avenge the death of Rai by killing the police officer who was the main culprit behind this deed. Being the 'gunman', Rajguru along with Bhagat Singh was in charge of the duty of shooting James Scott. But they mistakenly shot J.P. Saunders as he was leaving the police station at the very same time. He died on the spot.
2] Escape From Lahore
In order to escape from the crime area, Rajguru and Bhagat Singh fled taking the route of D.A.V college with loaded revolvers. The news of the assassination of the British police officer spread like a wildfire and all the dharamshalas, markets, shops, and houses were searched and nabbed by the British officials to find the 'culprits', but without any success.
Rajguru, Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad were in hiding till now but decided to move out of Lahore to a safer place. Bhagat Singh disguised himself as an American by shaving his beard and cutting his hair short while Rajguru was an attendant. They also took the help of Durga Bhabhi and her child who disguised as the 'Mem-Saab', the wife of the American. They easily escaped Lahore by this tactic and Rajguru left separately for Benaras.
3] Planning To Kill The Governor Of Bombay
The search for the 'culprits' of the assassination of J.P. Saunders was still in progress but now they had spread the dragnet secretly by employing CID agents in disguise everywhere. By this time, Rajguru had reached back to Lahore and decided to increase the number of members of the revolutionary group. He used to ignite fire among the youth by narrating the story of J.P. Saunder's murder and motivating them.
He had planned to assassinate Bombay's governor at the Governor's Cup Competition in Poona Race Course. During this time, he had befriended Sharad Keskar, who was in fact a CID agent and was in disguise as a revolutionary. Rajguru could not succeed in the plan of killing the governor of Bombay as he was betrayed by Keskar who had already informed the British officials about his plan and whereabouts. He got caught on September 28th,1938 at a motor garage. Other revolutionaries were caught from the bomb factory in Lahore where they got all the links of bombs thrown at Central Assembly Hall and Saunder's death.
The Death Of Rajguru
After getting caught at Poona, while trying to execute the plan of assassinating Bombay's governor, other members of HSRA were arrested at the bomb factory. Previously due to the attack at the Central Assembly Hall in Delhi by the dropping of non-lethal bombs by Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt, the British police officers could link the dots. They had earlier arrested Bhagat Singh and Dutt in this matter and now Sukhdev was also under arrest along with other members.
They were tried in the court for their 'crime' and labeled as terrorists. Being a Sanskrit scholar, he was very well versed in the language; it is said that to annoy the British judges and other officials, he would answer in Sanskrit. This would annoy them and he used to have a good laugh about it, often nudging Bhagat Singh to translate his sentences to the judges. Rajguru was sentenced to death by hanging along with Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev.
On the fateful night of March 23rd, 1931, the jail authorities came to his cell to take him to his deathbed. When he was taken to the place where he was to be hanged along with two other revolutionaries, they hugged each other and he stated that "our time has come". The three revolutionaries were hanged a few hours before their scheduled time in secrecy for the cause of their motherland smiling and chanting 'Inquilab Zindabad'.
Legacy
Shivaram Rajguru did not even flinch for a second when he was to lay his life at the tender age of 22. He had an unwavering courage which can be illustrated by this incident where he touched a hot iron with his bare hands. On being asked the reason for this, he answered that he wanted to test his resilience when he would be kept in jail and Britishers would inflict torturous activities on him.
To keep his courageous deeds alive in our hearts, the government has preserved his memories in textbooks and memorials. Khed, the place where he was born, was renamed as Rajgurunagar, and a constituent college of Delhi University, Shaheed Rajguru College of Applied Sciences for Women was also named in his memory.
Shivram Hari Rajguru's resilience, courage, dedication, and infinite love for his country continue to inspire the people all around the world, transcending ages and time. His qualities still influence the people who advocate political and social changes in the society around the world.
Note for UPSC Aspirants: For UPSC aspirants interested in exploring further, here are some keywords to guide your research:Shivaram Rajguru, Indian revolutionary, independence fighter, martyr, Bharat Singh, HSRA, extremist, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, J.P. Saunders, Lahore escape, Governor of Bombay, trial, hanging, legacy.
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