Stars often fall, heroes go unsung and martyrs most certainly die too young : Joan C Baez February 27th. The significance of this date lies in the fact that today in the year 1931 a valiant patriot by the name of Chandrashekhar Azad attained martyrdom while fighting the British so that we Indians could rejoice in freedom. He joined Gandhi's Non-Cooperation Movement but the violence perpetrated by the British infuriated him to such an extent that he turned a revolutionary.

Freedom fighter Sardar Bhagat Singh was hanged by the British on accusations of anti-government activities on March 23, 1931. Here, Gandhi pays tribute to the patriotism of the young martyr while disagreeing with his revolutionary methods. Excerpted from Gandhi's article in Young India. Bhagat Singh and his two associates have been hanged. The Congress made many attempts to save their lives and the Government entertained many hopes of it, but all has been in a vain. Bhagat Singh did not wish to live. He refused to apologize, or even file an appeal.

The title appears to be somewhat confusing but it is a fact, stranger than fiction. He had the largest inning of an active, daring and impetuous revolutionary. Born in Chandan Nagar, a small French pocket near Kolkata, it was a congenial ground for the growth of revolutionary movement, and is proud of producing Kanailal Datta and Rash Behari Bose. The moral and intellectual background came from Motilal Roy, the editor of Prabartak, which inspired many a youngster.