Insight into the mind of a forgotten revolutionary.
A short autobiography of Bismil, translated somewhat hastily by Saket. I wish Saket had curbed his instincts a bit to spend some time on the translation and proof reading, but it is still a great insight into the mind of Bismil, who is quite scathing on himself for being ill informed and naive while trying to lead the revolutionary movement in the face of poor public participation, lack of finances and treacherous colleagues. From his rebellious, wayward childhood to becoming a staunch and truthful Arya Samaji, then a full blooded revolutionary, a brief period of disillusionment followed by a return to arms and eventually the Kakori train robbery, his betrayal, arrest and death, the book covers the short life of Bismil - just 30 when he was hanged,. Sadly, towards the end, he seems to be disillusioned due to the lack of public support for the revolutionaries , social and economic isolation and consequent extreme poverty of their families. A post note by Shiv Verma reveals the pitiful condition of his mother in 1948, blind, alone, penniless and starving even as the government was building Bismil Gate in his memory to garner votes. Bismil's socialist thoughts were pretty much par for his time and seem somewhat dated today after the world has seen its massive failure. All in all, it is worth ignoring the typos and poor proof reading and delve into this book. A big thank you to Saket Suryesh for bringing Bismil back to life with this effort.