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Introduction
One evening a boy of three was out for a walk with his father. There was also an elderly man with the father. Chatting they
walked on and went beyond the village. Green crop delighted the eyes. The elders were walking along the edge of a field. Not
hearing the footsteps of the boy, the father looked back. The boy was sitting on the ground and seemed to be planting some
thing. The father became curious.
"What are you doing?" said he.
"Look, father, I shall grow guns all over the field" was the innocent reply of the boy. His eyes shone with the strong faith
that guns would grow in the field. Both the elders were struck with wonder at the little boy's words.
The boy was Bhagat Singh who later fought like a hero for India's freedom and sacrificed his life.
Family of Patriots
Bhagat Singh was born in a Sikh family of farmers in the village of Banga of Layalpur district of Punjab (now in Pakistan)
on September 27th of 1907. His family stood for patriotism, reform, and freedom of the country. His grandfather Arjun Singh
was drawn to Arya Samaj, a reformist movement of Hinduism, and took keen interest in proceedings of the Indian National Congress.
Bhagat Singh's father Kishen Singh and uncle Ajit Singh were members of Ghadr Party founded in the U.S. in early years of
this century to route British rule in India. Both were jailed for alleged anti-British activities. Ajit Singh had 22 cases
against him and was forced to flee to Iran. Thereafter he went to Turkey, Austria, Germany and finally to Brazil to escape
Black Water (Kalapani) punishment for his revolutionary activities in India.
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