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skand_prateek's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
"Revolution is an inalienable right of mankind. Freedom is an imperishable birthright of all."
- शहीद भगत सिंह
It was his indomitable and unwavering resolve that ignited the minds of millions of Indians; his name became synonymous with the word "Revolution" in the country and his ideologies became the blueprint for every rebellious heart. Shaheed Bhagat Singh is the epitome of not only martyrdom, but of reason and practicality as well. "Why I am an Atheist" and other writings by him are a profound collection that delves into the mind of one of India's most revered freedom fighters. It is more than just a political manifesto; it is a philosophical exploration of belief, identity, and revolutionary thought. His socialist ideology is very much influenced by Marx, Lenin and Bakunin.
Bhagat Singh’s declaration of atheism is rooted in a rationalist and humanist philosophy. He argues that his atheism is not the product of his vanity, but his mode of thinking. He critiques religion not merely as a personal belief system but as a social construct that, in his view, perpetuates inequality and impedes progress. Singh argues that religion often serves as an opiate, dulling the masses to the injustices around them. This echoes Marxist philosophy, which views religion as a tool of the ruling class to maintain social order and prevent revolutionary consciousness.
Furthermore, Singh's atheism is intertwined with his commitment to scientific reasoning and empirical evidence. He champions a worldview that prioritizes logic and skepticism over dogma and superstition. Through his rejection of religion, Singh not only challenges the status quo but also invites readers to question the foundational beliefs that shape their understanding of the world. It can be seen as a rebellion against the paternal authority that religion often represents. Freud’s theories suggest that God is a projection of the father figure, embodying both the comforting and tyrannical aspects of paternal authority. By rejecting God, Singh symbolically rejects the oppressive authority of the British Empire and the traditional structures of Indian society.
Bhagat Singh’s broader works, which include his essays and letters on revolution and colonial oppression, further demonstrate his commitment to a rational and equitable social order. His critique of imperialism is not just a political stance but a moral and ethical one. For Singh, the struggle for independence is as much about freeing the mind from colonial subjugation as it is about political liberation.
He also writes about the malevolent nature of structured religions and over-idealistic Arya samajist conception of morality in his letters to Shaheed Sukhdev and his father. His letter to his friend Jaidev Gupta is the written proof of his affinity to books and the importance he ascribes to education - "'Study' was the cry that reverberated in the corridors of my mind. Study to enable yourself to face the arguments advanced by opposition. Study to arm yourself with arguments in favor of your cult. (Therefore,) I began to study".
Bhagat Singh's view on human life and the value he attached to it, clarifies his stand on violence, which, by the way, is very different from what a fraction of our hyperactive youth likes to believe. Singh writes
"Let me announce with all the strength at my command, that I'm not a terrorist and I never was, except perhaps in the beginning of my revolutionary career. And I am convinced that we cannot gain anything through those methods".
His works remain a powerful call to embrace reason, justice, and human dignity, making them as relevant today as they were in his time.
- शहीद भगत सिंह
It was his indomitable and unwavering resolve that ignited the minds of millions of Indians; his name became synonymous with the word "Revolution" in the country and his ideologies became the blueprint for every rebellious heart. Shaheed Bhagat Singh is the epitome of not only martyrdom, but of reason and practicality as well. "Why I am an Atheist" and other writings by him are a profound collection that delves into the mind of one of India's most revered freedom fighters. It is more than just a political manifesto; it is a philosophical exploration of belief, identity, and revolutionary thought. His socialist ideology is very much influenced by Marx, Lenin and Bakunin.
Bhagat Singh’s declaration of atheism is rooted in a rationalist and humanist philosophy. He argues that his atheism is not the product of his vanity, but his mode of thinking. He critiques religion not merely as a personal belief system but as a social construct that, in his view, perpetuates inequality and impedes progress. Singh argues that religion often serves as an opiate, dulling the masses to the injustices around them. This echoes Marxist philosophy, which views religion as a tool of the ruling class to maintain social order and prevent revolutionary consciousness.
Furthermore, Singh's atheism is intertwined with his commitment to scientific reasoning and empirical evidence. He champions a worldview that prioritizes logic and skepticism over dogma and superstition. Through his rejection of religion, Singh not only challenges the status quo but also invites readers to question the foundational beliefs that shape their understanding of the world. It can be seen as a rebellion against the paternal authority that religion often represents. Freud’s theories suggest that God is a projection of the father figure, embodying both the comforting and tyrannical aspects of paternal authority. By rejecting God, Singh symbolically rejects the oppressive authority of the British Empire and the traditional structures of Indian society.
Bhagat Singh’s broader works, which include his essays and letters on revolution and colonial oppression, further demonstrate his commitment to a rational and equitable social order. His critique of imperialism is not just a political stance but a moral and ethical one. For Singh, the struggle for independence is as much about freeing the mind from colonial subjugation as it is about political liberation.
He also writes about the malevolent nature of structured religions and over-idealistic Arya samajist conception of morality in his letters to Shaheed Sukhdev and his father. His letter to his friend Jaidev Gupta is the written proof of his affinity to books and the importance he ascribes to education - "'Study' was the cry that reverberated in the corridors of my mind. Study to enable yourself to face the arguments advanced by opposition. Study to arm yourself with arguments in favor of your cult. (Therefore,) I began to study".
Bhagat Singh's view on human life and the value he attached to it, clarifies his stand on violence, which, by the way, is very different from what a fraction of our hyperactive youth likes to believe. Singh writes
"Let me announce with all the strength at my command, that I'm not a terrorist and I never was, except perhaps in the beginning of my revolutionary career. And I am convinced that we cannot gain anything through those methods".
His works remain a powerful call to embrace reason, justice, and human dignity, making them as relevant today as they were in his time.
sidharthvardhan's review against another edition
5.0
My mom was a great fan of Bhagat Singh – and ‘fan’ is the word, she had two paintings with revolutionary guys like Bhagat Singh, Chandershekhar Azad and S. C. Bose in room, the only good reason for her to go to cinema was to watch Bhagat Singh movie and believe me she could have whistled if she knew how (I’m not exaggerating).
What is more, she would weep every time she saw the ending, whichever version - and sometimes she saw them three times a day. Now this could be embaressing to someone like me; why would you see a movie which is sure to make you weep? I, I always prefer Disney -Pixar or Marvel-Diamond productions kind of movies.
And so this rating might be a little biased.
In 1919, a kid of twelve visits Jallianwallah Bagh hours after the massacre – such a incident, seeing dead bodies all around you should be enough to challenge anyone’s faith but BS didn’t turn atheist for next few years. He joins the Gandhi’s non-cooperation movement. He was disappointed when Gandhi called back the movement in 1922 deciding that ‘people of India were not yet prepared for independence’ - something similar to attitude of British Empire at that time. It was these theories which prompted SC Bose's famous statement claiming freedom is a birth right. The trouble is Indians (including 14 year old BS before 1921) think of Gandhi as a god and, to quote Nietzsche , we are too cruel with our gods, we do not allow them right to make mistakes.
Anyway, losing his faith in Gandhi, Bhagat Singh joined socialist movement and become anarchist:
The faith here is not limited to religious beliefs but extend to ideas in general, including country’s then blind belief in Gandhi. In fact, if you look at top leadership of two leading political parties of country, they have both got their authority from these blind faiths – one from blind faith in Nehru-Gandhian ancestry; other from blind faith in assumption that hero from a Sanskrit poem was in fact a God.
BS is not asking you to abandon everything but rather to challenge those beliefs by reason:
He actually goes further on as to how these dogmas lead to political and religious terrorism:
What he did is history …. And movies (at least six of them in Bollywood). I won’t go into details of all that. If you happen to have just come from that cozy place we call under-the-rock; he had, for example, fasted for 116 days at a stretch for his prisoner rights (which gained him popularity); before that threw non-lethal bombs in parliament (he didn't want to kill anyone) and let himself (along with his partner in crime) arrested so that he could tell the country about his ideas and didn’t appeal against his death sentence.
In this particular semi-auto-biographical essay, BS makes a lot of arguments in favor of atheism. He wrote this in an effort to defend himself from accusation of vanity (the old Indian thing, atheism =vanity or arrogance). A lot of them are commonplace, others are special. Just think how hard it is to die at a young age for an idea, if you do not believe in afterlife:
His idea of freedom was not limited to political sovereignty:
This much at age of twenty three.
This is the kind of thing that should be taught at schools. His clear-minded religious and political philosophy stands as a voice of conscience for power holders of the country.
Given the way he had been disillusioned from so many dogmas, if he had lived on he could probably have freed himself of past as well – and probably would have felt disgusted at this Pakistan bashing and British Empire bashing which Indian politician love to indulge in so much.
What is more, she would weep every time she saw the ending, whichever version - and sometimes she saw them three times a day. Now this could be embaressing to someone like me; why would you see a movie which is sure to make you weep? I, I always prefer Disney -Pixar or Marvel-Diamond productions kind of movies.
And so this rating might be a little biased.
In 1919, a kid of twelve visits Jallianwallah Bagh hours after the massacre – such a incident, seeing dead bodies all around you should be enough to challenge anyone’s faith but BS didn’t turn atheist for next few years. He joins the Gandhi’s non-cooperation movement. He was disappointed when Gandhi called back the movement in 1922 deciding that ‘people of India were not yet prepared for independence’ - something similar to attitude of British Empire at that time. It was these theories which prompted SC Bose's famous statement claiming freedom is a birth right. The trouble is Indians (including 14 year old BS before 1921) think of Gandhi as a god and, to quote Nietzsche , we are too cruel with our gods, we do not allow them right to make mistakes.
Anyway, losing his faith in Gandhi, Bhagat Singh joined socialist movement and become anarchist:
“Any man who stands for progress has to criticize, disbelieve and challenge every item of the old faith."
The faith here is not limited to religious beliefs but extend to ideas in general, including country’s then blind belief in Gandhi. In fact, if you look at top leadership of two leading political parties of country, they have both got their authority from these blind faiths – one from blind faith in Nehru-Gandhian ancestry; other from blind faith in assumption that hero from a Sanskrit poem was in fact a God.
BS is not asking you to abandon everything but rather to challenge those beliefs by reason:
“Item by item he (a person) has to reason out every nook and corner of the prevailing faith. If after considerable reasoning one is led to believe in any theory or philosophy, his faith is welcomed. His reasoning can be mistaken, wrong, misled and sometimes fallacious. But he is liable to correction because reason is the guiding star of his life."
He actually goes further on as to how these dogmas lead to political and religious terrorism:
"But mere faith and blind faith is dangerous: it dulls the brain, and makes a man reactionary."
What he did is history …. And movies (at least six of them in Bollywood). I won’t go into details of all that. If you happen to have just come from that cozy place we call under-the-rock; he had, for example, fasted for 116 days at a stretch for his prisoner rights (which gained him popularity); before that threw non-lethal bombs in parliament (he didn't want to kill anyone) and let himself (along with his partner in crime) arrested so that he could tell the country about his ideas and didn’t appeal against his death sentence.
In this particular semi-auto-biographical essay, BS makes a lot of arguments in favor of atheism. He wrote this in an effort to defend himself from accusation of vanity (the old Indian thing, atheism =vanity or arrogance). A lot of them are commonplace, others are special. Just think how hard it is to die at a young age for an idea, if you do not believe in afterlife:
“The day we find a great number of men and women with this psychology who cannot devote themselves to anything else than the service of mankind and emancipation of the suffering humanity; that day shall inaugurate the era of liberty. Not to become a king, nor to gain any other rewards here, or in the next birth or after death in paradise, shall they be inspired to challenge the oppressors, exploiters, and tyrants, but to cast off the yoke of serfdom from the neck of humanity and to establish liberty and peace shall they tread this-to their individual selves perilous and to their noble selves the only glorious imaginable-path."
His idea of freedom was not limited to political sovereignty:
“The ultimate goal of Anarchism is complete independence, according to which no one will be obsessed with God or religion, nor will anybody be crazy for money or other worldly desires. There will be no chains on the body or control by the state. This means that they want to eliminate: the Church, God and Religion; the state; Private property." - (not from this essay)
This much at age of twenty three.
This is the kind of thing that should be taught at schools. His clear-minded religious and political philosophy stands as a voice of conscience for power holders of the country.
Given the way he had been disillusioned from so many dogmas, if he had lived on he could probably have freed himself of past as well – and probably would have felt disgusted at this Pakistan bashing and British Empire bashing which Indian politician love to indulge in so much.
voodoo_dexter's review against another edition
5.0
Any man who stands for progress has to criticize, disbelieve and challenge every item of the old faith- Bhagat Singh
The read was quite short in terms of the number of pages but, way too big of a task to read through those lines and not feel the perseverance of the author. If you are versed in the history of Indian freedom movements and Indian freedom fighters, Bhagat Singh would be a familiar name. Each word, each sentence leaves a remarkable impression on the reader. The book is an amalgamation of various letters and essays by the author, which primes the user to read further on the references made by the author.
zapod838's review against another edition
5.0
The genuine thoughts of a young mind reflect one's persona through their observations and learnings, their curiosity towards life, and their understanding of untethered notions. Bhagat Singh questioned moral values, even though society functioned on the basis of premature thoughts and convictions. He suggested the way of renunciation, and his words were a true reflection of how radical and firm he was with his notions. No, Bhagat, you were not practicing vanity; you were simply questioning the old-age influence of the ruling class.
I stand for it.
I stand for it.