Gandhi offered little support to the three activists for their violent activism.

On March 23, 1931, the three were taken to the gallows in the middle of the night at the Lahore Central Jail to avoid public attention and later their bodies were quickly cremated.īhagat’s killing assumed great significance at the time. Eventually, Nawab Ahmed Khan from Kasur agreed to sanction the death verdict which Bhagat and his friends accepted with characteristic zeal. In fact, the British government could not find a single magistrate in Lahore who would agree to sign the order to hang Bhagat and his comrades. Initially an atheist, he had a deep respect for all faiths and believed in social harmony.īhagat’s fiery diatribe against the British Crown made him a formidable force. Bhagat had also lobbed an explosive device at the Central Legislative Assembly session in Delhi to oppose the Defense India Act, which didn’t lead to any casualties but did cause a furor within the British government.īelonging to a progressive and educated family that supported liberation movements, Bhagat was an ardent admirer of literature from around the world, and especially Allama Iqbal’s poetry. The handsome young Bhagat (Nirvaan Nadeem) is arrested along with his two comrades, Rajguru Dutt and Sukhdev for killing a British DSP mistakenly as revenge for the murder of freedom activist Lala Lajpat Rai at a peaceful protest march against the Simon Commission. The name of the magistrate catches the attention of Baba Bhoga and he recounts a fascinating tale dating back to the Colonial era.īhagat Singh springs to life as Baba Bhoga starts to reminisce about him. The officials are on their way to investigate the murder of magistrate Nawab Ahmed Khan from Kasur. Two police officers arrive to pay their respects and start a discourse with Baba Bhoga (Sarfraz Ansari), an old devotee. The play opens to a dholia and a group of narcoleptic dhamalis on the shrine of Baba Shah Jamal. The audience was a disciplined motley of people from all kinds of backgrounds, among them a number of university students. The premiere of Mera Rang De Basanti Chola was held to packed audience at the Alhamra Hall in Lahore. Even more intriguing is how the magistrate who ratified the execution orders was accidentally murdered some four decades later at the same spot. Many of us look towards the social uprising in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya as a sign of hope, which is why Ajoka Theatre’s new production, Mera Rang De Basanti Chola (based on freedom fighter Bhagat Singh’s life) is relevant and was highly appreciated.įew among us might know that one of the most influential revolutionaries of his time, the young Bhagat Singh, lived and was hanged in Lahore.

Mera rang de basanti chola