This incident took place 111years ago. On closer look one would find similarity in reckless firing ordered by General Dyer on gathering at Jalianwala Bag and action initiated by Charles Rand under the pretext of Plague prevention. Just as Udham Singh murdered General Dyer subsequently, Damodar Chapekar killed Rand. While Jalianwala Bag episode is vehemently mentioned in history of Independence, outbreak of plague in Bombay Presidency and its political fall out are hardly mentioned in annals of history. Lala Lajpat Rai inspired Bhagat Singh who was sent to gallows along with his friends Sukhdev and Rajguru. Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak inspired Damodar Chapekar. Lal (Lala Lajpat Rai), Bal (Bal Gangadhar Tilak) and Pal (Bipin Chandra Pal) trio constituted the extremist faction of National Movement. In turn Damodar Chapekar inspired Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. However Chapekar brothers find hardly any mention in history of Independence. If Udham Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh and others were fired by spirit of patriotism, were Chapekar brothers merely schizophrenic., all under 30 years of age, to have laid down their life, to free the mother land from bondage of foreign rulers ? Vasudev Chapekar, the youngest of three was barely 20 year old when hanged. At that tender age what must have prompted him to take this path of leaving away his love or may be could have been a career elsewhere. They were certainly not sponsored or funded by anyone, yet they laid down their lives for the country and welfare of generations to come. . Chapekar brothers were even described as first individual martyrs by Lala Lajpat Rai. When it comes to paying tribute and express gratitude, there are places named after Shahid Bhagat Singh (a road in Mumbai and a Bus terminal in Delhi to name a few). But hardly a street or a round about is named outside Pune after the persons who was the earliest individual martyrs. Does it mean that nation does not recognize the contribution of Chapekar in freedom struggle or does it think that they did it so just to while away the time or were they unpractical minded people…
It was openly famous that Lala ji was inspiration to Bhagat Singh. What is not known was, Bal Gangadhar Tilak was non descript political guru of Damodar Chapekar. And Lal (Lala Lajpat Rai), Bal (Bal Gangadhar Tilak), along with Pal (Bipin Chandra Pal ) were the famous trio of extremist faction of Nationalist movement.
The Politics or History of triangle of triolaying down lives for mother land from east was completed by Badal, Benoy and Dinesh, who killed Col N S Simpson who was the Inspector General of Prison then at Kolkatta on 8 th Dec 1930. Yet outside Bengal hardly anyone knows Badal, Benoy and Dinesh and outside Maharashtra nobody has probably heard of Chapekar Brothers.
Isn’t 22 nd June really a historical date about which we know hardly anything.
