The First Revolutionary
“Dear students, tell me who was the first revolutionary in the history of Indian Independence?” asked Surbhi, the teacher of VII grade. “Bhagat Singh madam,” came the instant answer “No,” she politely replied. “Subash Chandra Bose?” another student asked her back “No” “Chandrashekhar Azad,” one more reply “Though your replies are all correct, you all need to dig deeper into this subject,” she encouraged. “Mangal Pandey,” one boy screamed. “Wow, this was 1857, but then his heroics had some precedence as well.” “Dear students, the names you all called out were lucky ones, they found a mention in our history books. There are many more unsung heroes who laid their lives down for our Motherland; their sacrifices either went unnoticed or unmentioned. A few local villagers of those times knew about the ultimate sacrifices. With the passage of time, even such stories get buried. The first act of revolution, much before 1857 had happened in 1784-85. This act was recognized and credit is rightl