India — National Days

Khudiram Bose — Youngest Revolutionary of India

Khudiram Bose was an Indian Bengali freedom fighter, who was the youngest revolutionary early in the Indian independence movement. At the time of his hanging, he was 18 years, 8 months and 8 days old.

He was born on December 3, 1889 in the village of Mohoboni at Keshpur Block in Paschim Midnapore district of West Bengal. His father, Trailokyanath Basu, was a Tahsildar of the town and mother Lakshmipriya Devi was a pious lady, who was well known for her virtuous life and generosity. Unfortunately, he lost his parents in his childhood, and was to be brought up by his sister, Anurupadevi.

Shaheed Khudiram Bose
(December 3, 1889 – August 11, 1908)

The hero who hurled the first bomb on the British, and walked upto gallows smiling for his unwavering love for motherland.

Shaheed Khudiram Bose. Image via Wikipedia.

Khudiram Bose was involved in revolutionary activities to free mother India from the clutches of British rule. At the tender age of sixteen, Bose planted bombs near police stations and targeted government officials. He was arrested three years later on charges of conducting a series of bomb attacks. The specific bombing for which he was sentenced to death resulted in the deaths of three Britishers.

Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki were chosen by Barindra Kumar Ghosh and tasked with the murder of Kingsford, the District Magistrate of Muzaffarpur, Bihar.

On the evening of April 30, 1908, Khudiram stood in front of the gate of the European Club and waited for Kingsford’s carriage to arrive. The time was around 8:30 pm. When the carriage came out, Khudiram acted quickly, holding his pistols in one hand as back-up and throwing his bomb with the other. The bomb hit its target successfully and the carriage blew up. However, the carriage was occupied not by Kingsford but instead by the wife and daughter of barrister Pringle Kennedy, a leading pleader of Muzaffarpur Bar.

Later determined not to end up in the hands of the British, Prafulla shot himself dead, and Khudiram was arrested.

Bengali Revolutionary Khudiram Bose

Khudiram Bose under British guard. Image via Wikipedia.

Though a failed mission, Khudiram has been remembered for his attempt and martyrdom for reasons more than the attempt itself. His revolutionary attempt, along with that his partner in the mission, Prafulla Chaki, marked the beginning of the intense period of armed revolution against the British Raj which came to be known as the Agni-Yuga or the fiery age.

In course of time, thousands of young men and women followed in his footsteps and enbed the British regime in India. While Kingsford had to quit his post, the British had to quit India itself. He became the first of the revolutionaries of the said period to be martyred by being hanged, and the second to sacrifice his life (the first to die by taking own life being Prafulla Chaki).

After judicial trial Khudiram Bose was proved guilty for attacking and killing three Britishers in Muzaffarpur, Bihar in 1908. He was sentenced to death by hanging. He was hanged to death at 6 am on August 11, 1908.

Martyrdom Day of Shaheed Khudiram Bose

GoldenTwine Informatics pays tributes to Shaheed Khudiram Bose, one of the youngest revolutionary, on his Martyrdom Day.

Martyrdom Day — August 11, 2017

[Graphic Design: GoldenTwine Graphic]