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Bhagat Singh vs Sobha Singh: You Decide!



This is an old post; to the best of my knowledge, this plan has since been dropped since I have not read anything about it since this article linked above from The Indian Express

Amazing act of brilliance and insensitivity on the part of the "honourable" Government of India.. apparently, they are intending to rename Connaught Place after Sardar Sobha Singh - the man who gave evidence against shaheed-e-azam Sardar Bhagat Singh.....

This is carrying things too far - naming of an important landmark after a person is a great honour, and not to be taken lighly. As it is we are in the habit of naming everything after Nehru-Gandhi, instead of deserving people. Cant we think of any other, better candidates - Homi Babha, Mother Teresa, Major Dhyan Chand, MF Hussain, JRD Tata, Bhagat Singh, Sardar Patel etc etc- the list can be literally endless!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sobha_Singh_(builder)

Read wiki, and it gets more and more interesting... he was knighted by the British... and this is the guy you want to commemorate! Sick, that's what it is. Why should anyone show patriotism when they dont even get the honour afterwards? Not only that, the people due to whom they were caught are commemorated - both by the enemy as well as by friends! What kind of message are we giving out to the public at large? I dont ordinarily air political views on this blog, but this is too much - the Congress is doing the nation -and the memory of the one freedom fighter who has become synonymous with bravery and the freedom struggle - a huge disservice. Are these gentlemen who are currently in charge doing any good????

These are the words of a person who was once an ardent Congress supporter. The list of scams, misgovernment, idiotic decisions, inaction on the policy front are already on the verge of driving me away.... this act of crass stupidity and abject insensitivity have forced me to give vent to my feelings. You are honoring a person knighted by the british in 1938 - the same person who gave evidence against the freedom fighter the british called enemy no 1. The connection is obvious. Let us put this in the proper perspective- Rabindranath Tagore returned all british honors when he understood their intentions, Sobha Singh - at least from records available to me - did not return them, indeed accepted them with alacrity. Who is a genuine patriot? Are you the Government of India or some other place? Words fail me... they are doing all they can to self-destruct, it seems. 
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Comments

  1. srav.one10 February 2012 at 21:13

    Get Your facts straight man...
    The one tha gave evidence against Bhagat Singh and the one that got PadmaShri are not the same Sobha Singh

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous27 June 2012 at 18:01

      he is the same man - builder in delhi / father of khushwant singh and the one who witnessed against bhagat singh.

      Delete
    2. Unknown29 March 2013 at 02:02

      frst gt ur facts right ....he is d same man.....googel it out.

      Delete
  2. Reflections Of Vishal V Kale11 February 2012 at 06:22

    Thanks Srav.one... have looked it up! But the rest of the article stands as is... Sobha Singh, the builder of modern delhi

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous27 June 2012 at 18:02

      he is the same man - builder in delhi / father of khushwant singh and the one who witnessed against bhagat singh.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous12 February 2012 at 14:05

    I agree with many things mentioned ... but in what way MF Hussain can be put on par with great personalities (fridom fighters like shivaji , maharana pratap, chandra shekhar azad, bhagat singh, ram prasad bismil, rajguru sukhdev) ??????????? its still unclear.. for him nudity is purity and so he made portrait of hindu daities in nude and some of them on completely objectionable subject(created by his crap mind eg-> rescue of sita by hanuman)... while he has made portrait of his mother and daughter completely clothed.. so he meant they were not pure ?????.......


    Sunil

    ReplyDelete
  4. Reflections Of Vishal V Kale12 February 2012 at 17:48

    Hi Sunil...
    Point well taken. I had forgotten about those episodes. But am glad that you agree with my basic proposition that we can name places, roads and institutions after other people as well - apart from Nehru, Rajiv, Indira etc.

    Vishal

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nicholas Almeida18 March 2012 at 21:10

    Thanks Vishal for this important social message.. God Bless You..

    ReplyDelete
  6. Venu28 March 2012 at 05:31

    I am in full agreement with Vishal. It is spirit behind the message that matters not the specifics.we are all so short-sighted in our thinking and practice that we often do not place great people in esteemed positions. I also really can not understand how come MF Hussain does not picture his family ladies nudely, but the goddesses. Does not he ubpnderstand how many people are hurt by this. How can an artist be insensitive masses at large and still be an artist??

    Venu komanduri

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Reflections Of Vishal V Kale11 April 2012 at 07:04

      Thanks for the visit and the comment, Venu... my apologies for the delay in responding!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous8 July 2012 at 06:40

      agree with venu

      Delete
  7. Asha3 May 2012 at 10:28

    @Vishal: Bhagat Singh should be give the respect he deserves.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Reflections Of Vishal V Kale3 May 2012 at 10:30

    True, Asha.... thanks for the visit

    ReplyDelete
  9. Unknown26 June 2012 at 16:02

    Hi Vishal!

    How do you know CP is gonna be named after Sobha Singh?? I'm not a gr8 reader I admit, but never came across such news?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Unknown26 June 2012 at 16:04

    Hi Vishal!

    Where did you come across the news that CP is gonna be names after Sobha Singh? Not that am a gr8 reader but this news somehow skipped my notice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Reflections Of Vishal V Kale27 June 2012 at 18:09

      Hi Soujanya... it isnt going to be renamed, not anymore. But there was a plan for the same, just click the link given in the article

      Delete
  11. Anonymous27 June 2012 at 16:07

    i Couldn't find any facts states that Shobha Sing was the main witness stood against Bhagat Singh. Could you please share the details.

    Vineet

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Reflections Of Vishal V Kale27 June 2012 at 18:30

      There were plenty of references when I penned this article: In wikipedia and The Indian Express (both links enclosed); however, both these links have since been removed. There is one reference in India Today in one of the columns by Rajesh Ramachandran... http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/teach-royals-their-history/1/145059.html

      Delete
    2. Unknown5 July 2012 at 13:52

      Wikipedia still has the reference. If u try n find Sobha Singh in there.

      Delete
  12. Unknown3 July 2012 at 10:16

    Hi Mr. Vishal,
    It's a Superb Article. Thanks for conveying this untold truth friend. I completely agree with you. The links you provided are good one.
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  13. JD3 July 2012 at 22:51

    Can I get reliable material to know about Sobha Singh, Where to get. I 'd be glad to receive immediate response
    JDash

    ReplyDelete
  14. Philip George27 July 2012 at 10:59

    Nice Blog..
    i should say i am so unhappy about the incident.
    when will people like Us have a voice on things?
    btw 1 suggestion about ur blog. use a lighter shade of blue.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Reflections Of Vishal V Kale27 July 2012 at 12:59

      Thanks Philip! And I'll try a lighter shade of blue and see how it comes out: especially the white letters. If it looks better and more professional, no problems in changing!

      Delete
  15. Ritesh22 August 2013 at 09:02

    Dear vishal kale, good article to counter Congress atrocities. Do you know the current status of this brazen ridiculous decision ? Also does anyone know if there is a connection between Sobha Singh/Khushwant Singh and KP Singh of DLF fame.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Reflections Of Vishal V Kale8 January 2014 at 19:06

      Dear Ritesh,
      Sorry for the delay in responding. To the best of my knowledge, nothing has been done so far. I, too, have not read anything else on this. And no, I have no idea of any connection between DLF and Sobha Singh

      Delete
  16. Anonymous30 September 2013 at 15:59

    Just a thought.... will any public pay homege to Bhagat Singh by naming thier home/ belongings to prove that public is more sensible and commemorate martyr than paralyzed/hypocritical Govt. officials who do not pay homage to such sacrifices

    - hoysala

    ReplyDelete

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