Chaman Lal
Though many snap shots of Shaheed Bhagat Singh are withinside the public domain, now no longer all are actual. The maximum not unusualplace photo is an imaginary portray of the martyr, which isn’t always even near his actual photo. This ‘portray’ photo turned into popularised through the media after the 1970s, whilst religion-primarily based totally politics commenced influencing Indian politics, of which Punjab have become a sad goal at some point of the Khalistan movement.
Till 1970s, the maximum famous photo of Bhagat Singh turned into a photo with a hat, which turned into clicked on April 3, 1929 — 5 days earlier than he and BK Dutt hurled bombs withinside the Central Assembly, now known as Indian Parliament, in Delhi. Bhagat Singh and Dutt were given clicked from a Kashmiri Gate photographer, whose proof is recorded withinside the Assembly bomb case proceedings. This photo nonetheless is still maximum famous out of doors Punjab.
During the martyr’s beginning centenary celebrations in 2007, Prof Jagmohan Singh, son of Bibi Amar Kaur, the more youthful sister of Bhagat Singh, and every other nephew Abhey Singh Sandhu, researchers MJS Waraich and I published playing cards of the 4 actual pictures of the martyr and disbursed them throughout India to create awareness. I wrote to the Central and Punjab governments to best use the actual snap shots, despite the fact that one with a turban. It had a few impact; for few years, they used the white turban image in authorities advertisements. However, during the last 4-5 years, they have got once more commenced the use of the portray-primarily based totally photo. It is unlucky as no different countrywide leader’s face has ever been distorted through the use of his or her portray-primarily based totally snap shots. Only Bhagat Singh, Udham Singh and Kartar Singh Sarabha are proven in imagined snap shots, as their actual snap shots do now no longer fit sectarian politicians and parties. It reminds one in every of a weird incident recently, whilst the Yogi authorities in Uttar Pradesh painted Ambedkar’s statue in saffron, and in reaction, the BSP repainted it in blue!
Our reputable countrywide icons must now no longer be subjected to such conduct. Bhagat Singh seems extra good-looking in his white kurta-pyjama-turban photo than imposed imaginary yellow and saffron hues with a pistol in his hand. He continually wore a white khadi turban and kurta-pyjama, as showed through his own circle of relatives members.
One of those snap shots turned into posted through The Tribune at the the front web page at some point of the starvation strike of the revolutionaries in Lahore jail.
