Chandra Shekhar Azad 
pronunciation (help·info) (23 July 1906 – 27 February 1931), popularly known as Azad ("The Liberated"), was an Indian revolutionary who reorganised the Hindustan Republican Association under the new name of Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) after the death of its founder, Ram Prasad Bismil, and three other prominent party leaders, Roshan Singh, Rajendra Nath Lahiri and Ashfaqulla Khan. He is considered to be the mentor of Bhagat Singh and chief strategist of the HSRA.
Early life[edit]
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. Gandhilaunched the
Non-Cooperation Movement, Chandra Shekhar, then a 15-year old student, joined. As a result, he was arrested. On being produced before a magistrate, he gave his name as 'Azad', father's name as 'Swatantrata' (independent) and residence as 'Jail'. From that day onward, having announced his name to be Azad (
The Liberated) in court, he was known as Chandra Shekhar Azad among the people.
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Revolutionary life[edit]
After suspension of the non-cooperation movement in 1922 by Gandhi, Azad became more aggressive. He committed himself to achieve complete independence by any means. Azad also believed that India's future lay in socialism. He met a young revolutionary, Pranvesh Chatterji, who introduced him to Ram Prasad Bismil who had formed the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA), a revolutionary organisation. Azad was impressed with the aim of HRA, i.e., an independent India with equal rights and opportunity to everyone without discrimination of caste, creed, religion or social status. On introduction, Bismil was impressed by Azad, when Azad reportedly put his hand over a lamp and did not remove it till his skin burnt. He then became an active member of the HRA and started to collect funds for HRA. Most of the fund collection was through robberies of government property. He also wanted to build a new India based on socialist principles. Azad and his compatriots also planned and executed several acts of violence against the British. Most of his revolutionary activities were planned and executed from Shahjahanpur which was also the hometown of Ram Prasad. He was involved in the
Kakori Train Robbery of 1925, in the attempt to blow up the Viceroy'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.
[citation needed]
Despite being a member of Congress,
Motilal Nehru regularly gave money in support of Azad.
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