Today (July 23) marks the birth anniversaries of two Indian revolutionaries - Chandrashekhar Azad and Lokmanya Tilak.
Let us get to know about their great lives in brief:
Chandrashekhar Azad was born on July 23, 1906, in Madhya Pradesh's Jhabua district. He joined the freedom struggle at a very young age. When he was 15, he was arrested for taking part in Mahatma Gandhi's e Non-Cooperation Movement. However, after the movement was suspended in 1922, Azad became aggressive and became past of the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA), a revolutionary organisation. He was involved in the Kakori Train Robbery of 1925, in the attempt to blow up the Viceroy of India's train in 1926, and the shooting of J. P. Saunders at Lahore in 1928 to avenge the killing of Lala Lajpat Rai. He was jailed several times for his protests against the British. However, his ability to evade capture and remain a "free" man till his death is perhaps the most important. The revolutionary leader died at Alfred Park, which was renamed as Chandra Shekhar Azad Park, in Allahabad on February 27, 1931.
Lokmanya Tilak (Keshav Gangadhar Tilak) was born on July 23, 1856, in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri. He was one of the first and strongest advocates of Swaraj (self-rule). His quote in Marathi inspired many freedom fighters: "Swarajya is my birthright and I shall have it!". He worked closely with many Indian National Congress leaders during the freedom movement. The trio of Lokmanya Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal was famously called as 'Lal Bal Pal'. He had been tried thrice for sedition charges by British India Government. Tilak also started two weeklies, Kesari in Marathi and Maratha in English. He is also credited for starting the Ganapati festival and Shiv Jayanti to build a national spirit among the fellow countrymen.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and others honoured the two great sons of India. Here are the Twitter reactions:
