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Atheism
SinghbegantoquestionreligiousideologiesafterwitnessingtheHindu
MuslimriotsthatbrokeoutafterGandhidisbandedtheNonCooperation

Wikisourcehasoriginaltext
relatedtothisarticle:
WhyIamanatheist?

Movement.Hedidnotunderstandhowmembersofthesetwogroups,
initiallyunitedinfightingagainsttheBritish,couldbeateachother'sthroatsbecauseoftheirreligious
differences.[85]Atthispoint,Singhdroppedhisreligiousbeliefs,sincehebelievedreligionhinderedthe
revolutionaries'struggleforindependence,andbeganstudyingtheworksofBakunin,Lenin,Trotskyallatheist
revolutionaries.HealsotookaninterestinSohamSwami'sbookCommonSense,[g]whichadvocatedaformof
mysticatheism.[86]
Whileinprisonin193031,BhagatSinghwasapproachedbyRandhirSingh,afellowinmate,andaSikhleader
whowouldlaterfoundtheAkhandKirtaniJatha.AccordingtoBhagatSingh'scloseassociateShivaVerma,who
latercompiledandeditedhiswritings,RandhirSinghtriedtoconvinceBhagatSinghoftheexistenceofGod,and
uponfailingberatedhim:"Youaregiddywithfameandhavedevelopedanegothatisstandinglikeablackcurtain
betweenyouandGod".[87][h]Inresponse,BhagatSinghwroteanessayentitled"WhyIamanAtheist"toaddress
thequestionofwhetherhisatheismwasbornoutofvanity.Intheessay,hedefendedhisownbeliefsandsaidthat
heusedtobeafirmbelieverintheAlmighty,butcouldnotbringhimselftobelievethemythsandbeliefsthat
othersheldclosetotheirhearts.Heacknowledgedthefactthatreligionmadedeatheasier,butalsosaidthat
unprovenphilosophyisasignofhumanweakness.[87]Inthiscontext,henoted:
AsregardtheoriginofGod,mythoughtisthatmancreatedGodinhisimaginationwhenherealised
hisweaknesses,limitationsandshortcomings.Inthiswayhegotthecouragetofaceallthetrying
circumstancesandtomeetalldangersthatmightoccurinhislifeandalsotorestrainhisoutburstsin
prosperityandaffluence.God,withhiswhimsicallawsandparentalgenerositywaspaintedwith
variegatedcoloursofimagination.Hewasusedasadeterrentfactorwhenhisfuryandhislawswere
repeatedlypropagatedsothatmanmightnotbecomeadangertosociety.Hewasthecryofthe
distressedsoulforhewasbelievedtostandasfatherandmother,sisterandbrother,brotherand
friendwhenintimeofdistressamanwasleftaloneandhelpless.HewasAlmightyandcoulddo
anything.TheideaofGodishelpfultoamanindistress.[87]
Towardstheendoftheessay,BhagatSinghwrote:
LetusseehowsteadfastIam.Oneofmyfriendsaskedmetopray.Wheninformedofmyatheism,
hesaid,"Whenyourlastdayscome,youwillbegintobelieve."Isaid,"No,dearsir,Nevershallit
happen.Iconsiderittobeanactofdegradationanddemoralisation.Forsuchpettyselfishmotives,I
shallneverpray."Readerandfriends,isitvanity?Ifitis,Istandforit.[87]

Killingtheideas
IntheleaflethethrewintheCentralAssemblyon9April1929,hestated:"Itiseasytokillindividualsbutyou
cannotkilltheideas.Greatempirescrumbled,whiletheideassurvived."[89]Whileinprison,Singhandtwoothers
hadwrittenalettertoLordIrwin,whereintheyaskedtobetreatedasprisonersofwarandconsequentlytobe
executedbyfiringsquadandnotbyhanging.[90]PrannathMehta,Singh'sfriend,visitedhiminthejailon20
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March,fourdaysbeforehisexecution,withadraftletterforclemency,buthedeclinedtosignit.[26]

Criticism
Singhwascriticisedbothbyhiscontemporaries,andbypeopleafterhisdeath,forhisviolentandrevolutionary
stancetowardstheBritishaswellashisstrongoppositiontothepacifiststancetakenbyGandhiandtheIndian
NationalCongress.[91][92]Themethodsheusedtoconveyhismessage,suchasshootingSaunders,andthrowing
nonlethalbombs,stoodinstarkcontrasttoGandhi'snonviolentmethodology.[92]

Popularity
SubhasChandraBosesaidthat:"BhagatSinghhadbecomethesymbolof
thenewawakeningamongtheyouths."NehruacknowledgedthatBhagat
Singh'spopuaritywasleadingtoanewnationalawakening,saying:"Hewasa
cleanfighterwhofacedhisenemyintheopenfield...hewaslikeasparkthat
becameaflameinashorttimeandspreadfromoneendofthecountrytothe
otherdispellingtheprevailingdarknesseverywhere".[19]Fouryearsafter
Singh'shanging,theDirectoroftheIntelligenceBureau,SirHorace
Williamson,wrote:"Hisphotographwasonsaleineverycityandtownship
andforatimerivaledinpopularityeventhatofMr.Gandhihimself".[19]

LegacyandMemorials
Seealso:HussainiwalaNationalMartyrsMemorial,BhagatSinghBirth
PlaceMemorialinPakistan,BhagatSinghAncestralHomeMemorialat
KhatkarKalan,andBhagatSinghMemorialFairinPakistan

WallpaintingofSingh,Rewalsar,
HimachalPradesh.

BhagatSinghremainsasignificantfigureinIndianiconographytothepresent
day.[93]Hismemory,however,defiescategorisationandpresentsproblemsforvariousgroupsthatmighttryto
appropriateit.PritamSingh,aprofessorwhohasspecialisedinthestudyoffederalism,nationalismand
developmentinIndia,notesthat
BhagatSinghrepresentsachallengetoalmosteverytendencyinIndianpolitics.Gandhiinspired
Indiannationalists,Hindunationalists,Sikhnationalists,theparliamentaryLeftandtheproarmed
struggleNaxaliteLeftcompetewitheachothertoappropriatethelegacyofBhagatSingh,andyet
eachoneofthemisfacedwithacontradictioninmakingaclaimtohislegacy.GandhiinspiredIndian
nationalistsfindBhagatSingh'sresorttoviolenceproblematic,theHinduandSikhnationalistsfindhis
atheismtroubling,theparliamentaryLeftfindshisideasandactionsasmoreclosetotheperspective
oftheNaxalitesandtheNaxalitesfindBhagatSingh'scritiqueofindividualterrorisminhislaterlifean
uncomfortablehistoricalfact.[94]
On15August2008,an18foottallbronzestatueofSinghwasinstalledintheParliamentofIndia,nexttothe
statuesofIndiraGandhiandSubhasChandraBose.[95]AportraitofSinghandDuttalsoadornsthewallsof
theParliamentHouse.[96]
TheplacewhereSinghwascremated,atHussainiwalaonthebanksoftheSutlejriver,becamePakistani
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territoryduringthepartition.On17January1961,itwastransferredto
Indiainexchangefor12villagesneartheSulemanki
Headworks.[67]BatukeshwarDuttwascrematedthereon19July1965
inaccordancewithhislastwishes,aswasSingh'smother,
Vidyawati.[97]TheNationalMartyrsMemorialwasbuiltonthe
cremationspotin1968[98]andhasmemorialsofSingh,Rajguruand
Sukhdev.Duringthe1971IndiaPakistanwar,thememorialwas
damagedandthestatuesofthemartyrswereremovedbythe
PakistaniArmy.Theyhavenotbeenreturned[67][99]butthememorial
wasrebuiltin1973.[97]

TheNationalMartyrsMemorial,built
atHussainiwalainmemoryofBhagat
Singh,SukhdevandRajguru

TheShaheediMela(Punjabi:MartyrdomFair)isaneventheld
annuallyon23MarchwhenpeoplepayhomageattheNationalMartyrsMemorial.[100]Thedayisalso
observedacrosstheIndianstateofPunjab.[101]
TheShaheedeAzamSardarBhagatSinghMuseumopenedonthe50thdeathanniversaryofhisdeathathis
ancestralvillage,KhatkarKalan.ExhibitsincludeSingh'shalfburntashes,thebloodsoakedsand,andthe
bloodstainednewspaperinwhichtheasheswerewrapped.[102]ApageofthefirstLahoreConspiracyCase's
judgementinwhichKartarSinghSarabhawassentencedtodeathandonwhichSinghputsomenotesisalso
displayed,[102]aswellasacopyoftheBhagavadGitawithBhagatSingh'ssignature,whichwasgiventohimin
theLahoreJail,andotherpersonalbelongings.[103][104]
TheBhagatSinghMemorialwasbuiltin2009inKhatkarKalanatacostof168million(US$2.5million).[105]
TheSupremeCourtofIndiaestablishedamuseumtodisplaylandmarksinthehistoryofIndia'sjudicial
system,displayingrecordsofsomehistorictrials.ThefirstexhibitionthatwasorganisedwastheTrialof
BhagatSingh,whichopenedon28September2007,onthecentenarycelebrationsofSingh'sbirth.[68][69]
InSeptember2007,theGovernorofPunjab,Pakistan,KhalidMaqbool,announcedthatamemorialtoSingh
wouldbedisplayedattheLahoreMuseum.Accordingtothegovernor,Singhwasthefirstmartyrofthe
subcontinentandhisexamplewasfollowedbymanyyouthsofthetime.[106][107]However,thepromisewasnot
fulfilled.[108]

Moderndays
TheyouthofIndiastilldrawtremendousamountofinspirationfrom
Singh.[109][110][111]Hewasvotedthe"GreatestIndian"inapollbytheIndian
magazineIndiaTodayin2008,aheadofBoseandGandhi.[112]Duringthe
centenaryofhisbirth,agroupofintellectualssetupaninstitutionnamed
BhagatSinghSansthantocommemoratehimandhisideals.[113]The
ParliamentofIndiapaidtributesandobservedsilenceasamarkofrespect
inmemoryofSinghon23March2001[114]and2005.[115]InPakistan,aftera
longstandingdemandbyactivistsfromtheBhagatSinghMemorial
FoundationofPakistan,theShadmanChowksquareinLahore,wherehe
washanged,wasrenamedasBhagatSinghChowk.Thismovewas

StatuesofBhagatSingh,Rajguru
andSukhdevattheIndiaPakistan
Border,nearHussainiwala

challengedinaPakistanicourtandheld.[116][117]On6September2015,the
BhagatSinghMemorialFoundationfiledapetitionintheLahorehighcourt
andagaindemandedtherenamingoftheChowktoBhagatSinghChowk.[118]
Movies
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SeveralfilmshavebeenmadeportrayingthelifeandtimesofSingh.ThefirstisthelongignoredShaheedeAzad
BhagatSingh(1954),followedbyShaheedBhagatSingh(1963),starringShammiKapoorasBhagatSingh.Two
yearslater,ManojKumarportrayedBhagatSinghinanimmenselypopularandlandmarkfilm,Shaheed.Three
majorfilmsaboutSinghwerereleasedin2002butallwereunsuccessful:ShaheedEAzam,23March1931:
ShaheedandTheLegendofBhagatSingh.The2006filmRangDeBasantiisafilmdrawingparallelsbetween
revolutionariesofBhagatSingh'seraandmodernIndianyouth.[119]
In2008,NehruMemorialMuseumandLibrary(NMML)andActNowforHarmonyandDemocracy(ANHAD),a
nonprofitorganisation,coproduceda40minutedocumentaryonBhagatSinghentitledInqilab,directed
byGauharRaza.[120][121]
Theatre
Singh,SukhdevandRajguruhavebeentheinspirationforanumberofplaysinIndiaandPakistan,thatcontinue
toattractcrowds.[122][123][124]
Songs
AlthoughcreatedbyRamPrasadBismil,thepatrioticHindustanisongs,"SarfaroshikiTamanna"("Thedesireto
sacrifice")and"MeraRangDeBasantiChola"("OMother!Dyemyrobethecolourofspring"[125])arelargely
associatedwithSingh'smartyrdomandhavebeenusedinanumberofrelatedfilms.[126]
Other
In1968,apostagestampwasissuedinIndiacommemoratingthe61stbirthanniversaryofSingh.[127]In
September2006,IndianGovernmentresolvedtoissuecommemorativecoinsinhismemory.[128]A5coinwas
finallyreleasedforcirculationin2012.[129]

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