Shaheed Udham Singh Jayanti 2023: Celebration of the birth anniversary of revolutionary Udham Singh

Shaheed Udham Singh Jayanti marks the birth anniversary of the great Indian revolutionary Udham Singh. Singh was responsible for avenging the death of an unarmed crowd at the Jallianwala Bagh by assassinating Michael O’Dwyer. The day is observed every year by people all over India on December 26 with various events organized in the honor of Udham Singh. Find some more engrossing details related to Shaheed Udham Singh Jayanti 2023 such as its history, significance, celebration, and more from this article below.

Shaheed Udham Singh Jayanti 2023 Overview

Shaheed Udham Singh Jayanti 2023 Date

Below mentioned are the upcoming dates for Shaheed Udham Singh Jayanti for the next 5 years.

Shaheed Udham Singh Jayanti Significance

Shaheed Udham Singh Jayanti reminds us of the ultimate sacrifice that Udham Singh made to bring justice to those killed in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre on his own. His actions stirred a new sense of excitement among the Indian freedom fighters and even the foreign media praised his actions. The Times of London called Singh a “fighter for freedom and Bergeret from Rome called his action courageous. To celebrate the life and role of Udham Singh in the freedom movement of the country, Shaheed Udham Singh Jayanti is observed every year on December 26.

About Shaheed Udham Singh

Udham Singh was an Indian revolutionary, known for assassinating the former lieutenant governor of the Punjab, Michael O’Dwyer. O’Dwyer was responsible for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar in 1919. Singh is referred to as Shaheed-i-Azam (meaning the great martyr) Sardar Udham Singh.

Early Life

Udham Singh was born Sher Singh on 26 December 1899 in Sunam to Narain Kaur and Tehal Singh. His father was a low-skilled low-paid manual laborer and he also had an elder brother, Sadhu. When Udham was three years old, his mother died and before he even turned eight, his father died as well. Following their father’s death, Singh and his brother were sent to an orphanage after their uncle was unable to maintain them. It was at the orphanage that Sher Singh was renamed Udham Singh. When Udham was about 18 years old, his brother too died of an unknown illness. After his brother’s demise, Udham Singh began to serve the British Indian Army during the First World War. After working here and there for a while, he returned to the orphanage in early 1919.

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Jallianwala Bagh Massacre

On April 10, 1919, several local leaders of the Indian National Congress were arrested under the Rowlatt Act. Three days later on 13 April, over twenty thousand unarmed people assembled in Jallianwala Bagh to celebrate the Baisakhi festival and at the same time to protest the arrests peacefully. Along with his friends, Singh was serving water to the crowd when suddenly British troops opened fire. Several hundred innocent people were killed in the event that came to be known as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

In the wake of this incident, Udham Singh joined forces with revolutionaries, served some time in prison for his revolutionary actions, and finally reached London in 1934. There he made plans to assassinate Michael O’Dwyer and was able to enter an event at Caxton Hall where O’Dwyer was scheduled to speak at a joint meeting. Singh hid a revolver in a book, entered the hall, and shot O’Dwyer twice. The bullets passed through O’Dwyer’s heart and right lung and he died instantly.

Execution of Udham Singh

Singh was charged with the murder of Michael O’Dwyer and imprisoned at Brixton Prison. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to death by hanging on 31 July 1940.

Shaheed Udham Singh Jayanti 2023 Celebration

Every year Shaheed Udham Singh Jayanti is celebrated by people all over the country with great enthusiasm. People pay their tributes to Udham Singh and all other revolutionaries  who gave their lives for the freedom of the country. You can also celebrate this day by watching patriotic movies based on the life of Udham Singh or other freedom fighters. There are a lot of good Hindi movies based on revolutionaries like Udham Singh, Bhagat Singh, Mangal Pandey, and many others.

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