113th birth anniversary of Chandra Shekhar Azad

New Delhi, July 23: Today happens to be 113th birth anniversary of revolutionary freedom fighter Shaheed Chandra Shekhar Azad. Senior politicians and celebrities paid tribute to Chandra Shekhar Azad for his sacrifice in the freedom movement of India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "On his birth anniversary, my tributes to the great Chandra Shekhar Azad. A brave son of Bharat Mata, he sacrificed himself so that his fellow citizens get freedom from colonialism. Generations of Indians are inspired by his courage."

Cricketer Virencer Sehwag called Azad as, "Hero of Kakori".

Union Minister Ananth Kumar said, "His name "Azad" signifies the struggles and sacrifices our forefathers have undergone to ensure that our Bharat remains free.

Summary of Chandra Shekhar Azad's life :

• Azad was born as Chandrashekhar Tiwari on 23 July 1906 in Bhavra village, in the present-day Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh."
• His mother wanted her son to be a great Sanskrit scholar and persuaded his father to send him to Kashi Vidyapeeth, Banaras, to study. In December 1921, when Mohandas K. Gandhi launched the Non-Cooperation Movement, Chandra Shekhar, then a 15-year-old student, joined.
• Azad joined Hindustan Republican Association formed by Ram Prasad Bismil
• He was involved in the Kakori Train Robbery of 1925, in the attempt to blow up the Viceroy of India's train in 1926, and at last the shooting of J. P. Saunders at Lahore in 1928 to avenge the killing of Lala Lajpat Rai.
• Azad and Bhagat Singh secretly reorganised the HRA as the HSRA in September 1928 to achieve their primary aim of an independent India based on socialist principle.
• Azad died at Alfred Park in Allahabad on 27 February 1931. The police surrounded him in the park after an unknown informant told them he was there.

Alfred Park in Allahabad, where Azad died, has been renamed Chandrashekhar Azad Park. Several schools, colleges, roads and other public institutions across India are also named after him.