What influenced Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh in his early life?

As we mark the death anniversary of the martyrs, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru, here is a walk down the memory lane.

Photos of Shaheed Bhagat Singh - left, at age 12, and right, at age 16 Source: J Singh

This is an interview with Prof Jagmohan Singh, an acclaimed historian and writer in his own right, but also the nephew of Shaheed e Azam Bhagat Singh.

 This was a three-part interview we aired last year (in 2015), to mark Shaheedi diwas on March 23, and the first part talked about the early influences in Bhagat Singh's life .

 According to Prof Jagmohan Singh, Bhagat Singh was born into a family where previous generations clearly chose the path of the "common good" rather than pursuing personal gain. Apart from being smitten by the philosophy of Kartar Singh Sarabha and Lala Lajpat Rai, the young Bhagat Singh grew up in an atmosphere whcih exposed him to Arya Samaj, Sikhism, Sufism, even Marxism and Socialism. Prof Sahib also tells us that Shaheed Bhagat Singh was a "born journalist" and a great lover of the arts

Mata Vidyawati, the mother of Shaheed e Azam Bhagat Singh Source: J Singh