Looking back in time

Bhagat Singh folded the page of the book that he was reading in the prison before he was to be hanged. Knowing that he will never return, whom did he fold that page for?” questions Harish Jain, author of ‘Bhagat Singh’s Jail Note Book’. The book was released by the chief minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal recently at India Habitat Centre in the national Capital. 

The event witnessed a panel discussion by, Arvind Kejriwal, Kuldip Naiyar, Sumail Sindhu, Harish Jain and Dr Rajinder Brar. The book has been edited by Chandigarh-based publisher Harish Jain and Malwinder Jit Singh Waraich, a lawyer and academician. The intention behind the book is to make Bhagat Singh’s world of books spirited and vibrant for the reader. It carries the quotes from various books that he read during imprisonment. 

The book brings the great martyr’s intellectual side to the fore and provides an opportunity to enter into his revolutionary mind. Bhagat Singh had fascination with reading and the book helps the reader walk along with him and have a clear image of which path he preferred to follow and how he lived through it. It is a checkered history based on the lives of Bhagat Singh and his family members Bhupendra Hooja, Malwinderjit Singh Waraich and Professor Chaman Lal.

Noted journalist Kuldip Naiyar and historian Sumail Singh Sidhu said, “The ideals of Bhagat Singh are more relevant in the present times. The book is an imaginary biography on Bhagat Singh and delivers the two years of his life in jail.” Harish Jain said that they have been working on the book for a long time and whatever has been written is all based on record.

 Jain also claimed that the book settles the debate that Jail Notebook comprises notes from 46 books and not 400 books as has been known so far.  “Bhagat Singh was citing original authors in his quotes, by picking the same as secondary sources,” he further added. 

“Bhagat Singh is an inspiration to the youths. His martyrdom and thoughts inspire us even today. However, his dream of a proud nation is not yet fulfilled. We still have to do a lot to fulfill his dream,” Kejriwal said while releasing ‘Bhagat Singh’s Jail Notebook: Its context and relevance’. He also said that he would request Manish Sisodia to make the book available in all the libraries across the national Capital so that Bhagat Singh’s thoughts reach as many people as possible.

“AAP is fighting against corruption. The government at the Centre during the movement of social activist Anna Hazare has been replaced, but the anti-people system continues,” he added. The book is a treasure trove for every Bhagat Singh admirer, as it helps one to understand his greatness and make everyone keep a copy on his/her bookshelf for the generations to come.