One of the most noteable Indian quintessential firebrand revolutionary,Chandra Shekhar Azad, popularly known as ‘Azad‘, was born on 23 July 1906.

He  was part of a group of young revolutionaries who dedicated their lives towards a single goal – securing freedom for his beloved motherland by driving the British away from India. He was one of the most important revolutionaries who reorganised the Hindustan Republican Association under the new name of Hindustan Socialist Republican Association(HSRA) after the death of its founder Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil. He was the chief strategist of the HSRA. He played key role in Kakori Train Robbery (1926), the attempt to blow up the Viceroy’s train (1926), and the shooting of Saunders at Lahore (1928) to avenge the killing of Lala Lajpat Rai.As a revolutionary, he adopted the last name Azad, which means “free” in Urdu.

A grand departure from the non-violent route that Gandhi and the Congress adopted to attain self-rule, Azad’s way of violent usurping freedom set the patriotic sentiments of Indians on fire. He is still remembered as one of the bravest and awe-inspiring figures of Indian armed revolution. He dreamt of a free India based on socialist ideals and committed himself towards realizing his dream. Azad was also a believer in socialism as the basis for future India, free of social and economic oppression and adversity His contributions did not lead to immediate freedom, but his grand sacrifice intensified the fire in Indian revolutionaries to fight the British rule even more fiercely.