18-year-old freedom movement martyr Khudiram Bose remembered on his death anniversary

Guwahati: Khudiram Bose was executed on August 11, 1908, for the Muzaffarpur conspiracy case, where he, along with freedom fighter Prafulla Chaki, attempted to assassinate Douglas Kingsford, a British judge.

Although the bombs they used did not hit Kingsford's carriage, it hit a different one and ended with the death of two people. Prafulla Chaki died by suicide before the police could arrest him. Khudiram Bose was arrested and later was sentenced to death. Khudiram was the youngest freedom fighter to be executed. He was only 18 when he was hanged to death at the Muzaffarpur Jail, which has since been renamed after him.

Khudiram Bose was born on December 3, 1889, in a village in Medinipur district of West Bengal. He was the youngest among four siblings. Khudiram Bose lost his parents early in life and he was brought up by his eldest sister.

Khudiram Bose came in contact with revolutionary freedom fighters like Aurobindo Ghosh and Barindra Ghosh at a young age. In 1902, Aurobindo Ghosh had visited Midnapore when Khudiram Bose was a teenager. He had keenly listened to talks on revolution and freedom movement. He was also part of the Anushilan Samiti in Kolkata.

Khudiram Bose became a volunteer when he was just 15. He was arrested for distributing booklets and other literature among local residents against the British colonial rulers. When Khudiram Bose was hanged, reports in the then newspapers said that he went to the gallows with a smile on his face and the Bhagavad Gita in his hand.

Like Bose, many freedom fighters were deeply influenced by the Bhagavad Gita. Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Aurobindo Ghosh, Bipin Chandra Pal among others were deeply influenced by the Bhagavad Gita. It is said that Mahatma Gandhi turned to the Bhagavad Gita whenever he was disturbed.