By Kalpana Pandey
On the occasion of the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh and his comrades Sukhdev and Rajguru, let us take a brief look at Bhagat Singh’s prison diary. This diary, which was similar in size to a school notebook, was given to Bhagat Singh by the prison authorities on September 12, 1929, with the inscription "404 pages for Bhagat Singh”. During his imprisonment, he made notes in this diary based on 43 books written by 108 different authors, including Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, and Lenin. He took extensive notes on history, philosophy, and economics.
Bhagat Singh’s focus was not only on the struggle against colonialism but also on issues related to social development. He was particularly inclined to read Western thinkers. Moving beyond the narrow vision of nationalism, he advocated solving problems from a modern global perspective. This global vision was shared by only a few leaders of his time, such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.
In 1968, Indian historian Ji Deol had the opportunity to see the original copy of Bhagat Singh’s prison diary with Bhagat Singh’s brother, Kulbir Singh. Based on his notes, Deol wrote an article about Bhagat Singh in the journal People’s Path, in which he mentioned the 200-page diary. In his article, Ji Deol noted that Bhagat Singh made interpretations on topics such as capitalism, socialism, the origin of the state, Marxism, communism, religion, philosophy, and the history of revolutions. He also suggested that the diary should be published, but this did not happen.
In 1977, Russian scholar L. V. Mitrokhov came across the diary. After gathering details from Kulbir Singh, he wrote an essay which was later included as a chapter in his book *Lenin and India* in 1981. In 1990, *Lenin and India* was translated into Hindi and published by Pragati Prakashan, Moscow under the title *Lenin and Bharat*.
On the other hand, in 1981, G.B. Kumar Hoja, who was then the Vice Chancellor of Gurukul Kangri, visited Gurukul Indraprastha near Tughlaqabad, near Delhi. The administrator, Shakti Vish, showed him some historical documents kept in the basement of the Gurukul. G.B. Kumar Hoja borrowed a copy of this notebook for a few days, but he could not return it because Shakti Vish was soon assassinated.
In 1989, on the occasion of the martyrdom day of 23 March, some meetings of the Hindustani Manch were held in which G.B. Kumar Hoja participated. There, he shared information about the diary. Impressed by its importance, the Hindustani Manch decided to publish it. The responsibility was given to Bhupendra Hoja, editor of the Indian Book Chronicle (Jaipur), who was supported by the Hindustani Manch’s general secretary Sardar Oberoi, Professor R.P. Bhatnagar, and Dr. R.C. Bhartiya. However, it was later claimed that its publication was stopped due to financial difficulties. This explanation seems unreasonable, as it is unlikely that the above-mentioned educated middle-class people could not afford to print a few copies at a time when the expenses were relatively low. More likely, they either failed to recognize its importance or were simply not interested.
Meanwhile, Dr. Prakash Chaturvedi obtained a typed photocopy from the Moscow archives and showed it to Dr. R.C. Bhartiya. The Moscow copy was found to be word-for-word identical to the handwritten copy recovered from the basement of Gurukul Indraprastha. A few months later, in 1991, Bhupendra Hoja started publishing extracts from this notebook in the Indian Book Chronicle. This was the first time that Shaheed Bhagat Singh’s jail notebook reached the readers. At the same time, Professor Chaman Lal told Hoja that he had seen a similar copy in the Nehru Memorial Museum in Delhi.
In 1994, the Jail Notebook was finally published in book form by the Indian Book Chronicle, with forewords by Bhupendra Hoja and G.B. Hoja. However, neither of them knew that the original copy of the book was in the possession of Bhagat Singh’s brother, Kulbir Singh. They were also unaware of G. Deol’s article (1968) and Mitrokhan’s book (1981).
Moreover, Dr. Jagmohan Singh, son of Bhagat Singh’s sister Bibi Amar Kaur, never mentioned the jail notebook. Similarly, Virendra Sandhu, daughter of Bhagat Singh’s brother Kaltar Singh, wrote two books on Bhagat Singh, but she too did not refer to the diary. This shows that Bhagat Singh’s family members were either unaware of the existence of the notebook or had no interest in it. Although Kulbir Singh had the diary, he never tried to share it with historians, publish it as a book, or issue it in newspapers. His financial condition was not so bad that he could not publish it himself.
It is unfortunate that Indian historians have ignored this important historical document, and it was first published by a Russian author. The Congress Party, which remained in power for the longest time, showed no curiosity about Bhagat Singh’s intellectual and ideological contribution to the freedom movement. Their ideological differences with him may have been the reason why they never paid attention to researching Bhagat Singh’s thoughts and actions.
After the formation of the Bhagat Singh Research Committee, Bhagat Singh’s nephew, Dr. Jagmohan Singh, and Professor Chaman Lal from the Centre for Indian Languages, JNU, compiled and published the writings of Bhagat Singh and his associates for the first time in 1986, titled *Documents of Bhagat Singh and His Associates*. This publication also did not mention the jail notebook. It was only referred to in the second edition published in 1991. Currently, the third edition of this book is available, in which these two scholars have done an invaluable job of including many rare pieces of information and presenting it to the readers.
The notes written by Bhagat Singh in this notebook clearly reveal his perspective. The restless desire for freedom led him to copy the ideas of Byron, Whitman, and Wordsworth on freedom. He read Ibsen’s plays, Fyodor Dostoevsky’s famous novel *Crime and Punishment*, and Victor Hugo’s *Les Miserables*. He also read the writings of Charles Dickens, Maxim Gorky, J.S. Mill, Vera Figner, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Charles Mackie, George D. Hess, Oscar Wilde, and Sinclair.
In July 1930, during his imprisonment, he read Lenin’s *The Decline of the Second International* and *”Left-Wing” Communism: An Infantile Disease*, Kropotkin’s *Mutual Aid*, and Karl Marx’s *The Civil War in France*. He took notes on events in the lives of Russian revolutionaries Vera Figner and Morozov. His notebook also included the poetry of Omar Khayyam. To obtain more books, he wrote letters to Jaydev Gupta, Bhau Kulbir Singh, and others, requesting them to send him reading material.
On page 21 of his notebook, he wrote a quote from American socialist Eugene V. Debs: "Wherever there is a lower class, I am there; wherever there are criminal elements, I am there; if there is a prison, I am not free.” He also noted the struggles for freedom of Rousseau, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry, as well as the inalienable rights of man. In addition, he quoted the famous quote from author Mark Twain: "We have been taught how terrible it is to behead people. But we have not been taught that the death that comes from imposing a lifetime of poverty and oppression on all people is even more terrible. ”
To understand capitalism, Bhagat Singh made numerous calculations in this notebook. At that time, he recorded inequality in Britain – one-ninth of the population controlled half of the production, while only one-seventh (14%) of the production was distributed to two-thirds (66.67%) of the people. In the United States, the richest 1% owned $67 billion in assets, while 70% of the population owned only 4% of the assets.
He also quoted a statement by Rabindranath Tagore that described the Japanese people’s lust for wealth as "a terrible menace to human society”. Furthermore, he referred to bourgeois capitalism, drawing on Maurice Halkett’s *From Marx to Lenin*. An atheist, Bhagat Singh wrote under the title "Religion – Advocate of the Established System: Slavery” that "Slavery is supported in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, and the power of God does not condemn it.” Trying to understand the reasons behind the emergence of religion and its functioning, he turned to Karl Marx.
In his writing, entitled Hegel’s attempts to synthesize the philosophy of justice Under the title "Marx’s Thoughts on Religion,” he writes :
” Man creates religion; religion does not create man. To be human is to be part of the human world, the state, and society. The state and society together give rise to a distorted worldview of religion.” …”
His perspective appears to be that of a social reformer, aiming to abolish capitalism and establish classical socialism. In his notebook, he includes several excerpts from the Communist Party manifesto. He has sung the anthem International He also quoted the lines of. In the writings of Friedrich Engels, through excerpts on the revolution and counter-revolution in Germany, he seems to oppose the superficial revolutionary ideas of his colleagues.
In the country, mob violence—punishment by mob—has begun in the name of religion, caste, and cows, and they have taken the form of T-Pain. Rights of Man The quotes he quotes are still relevant today. His notebook reads: "They learn these things from the very governments under which they live. In return, they inflict on others the same punishments to which they have become accustomed… The brutal scenes shown to the public have the effect of either desensitizing them or of inciting them to revenge. Instead of reason, they build their image on the basis of these low and false ideas of ruling the people by terror.” ”
Regarding ” natural and civil rights,” he noted: "It is only the natural rights of man that form the basis of all civil rights.” He also quoted the words of the Japanese Buddhist monk Koko Hoshi: "It is only fitting for a ruler that no one should suffer from cold or hunger. When a person lacks even the basic means of survival, he cannot uphold moral standards.” ”
He quoted from various authors on the aim of socialism (revolution), the aim of world revolution, social unity, and many other issues. Bhagat Singh’s associates have noted that while in jail, he wrote four books. Their titles are: 1. Autobiography, 2. Revolutionary Movements, 3. Revolutionary Movements in India, 4. Ideals of Socialism, 5. At Death’s Door. These books were destroyed after his release from jail, fearing reprisals from the British authorities.
Bhagat Singh’s vision was to build a just, socialist India after independence—free from casteism, communalism, and inequality. His writings and essays clearly reflect this vision, and the Jail Notebook is a testament to his deep study. Bhagat Singh’s Jail Notebook is not only a record of his revolutionary ideas and intellectual pursuits, but also a testament to his enduring legacy in the freedom struggle.
The notebooks reveal his reflections on a variety of topics—from natural and civil rights to the inherent inequalities of his time. They also highlight his deep analysis of social, political, and religious issues, and emphasize his vision for a just and equal society.
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Kalpana Pandey
kalapana281083@gmail.com
9082574315
