July 23 - India: Birth day anniversary of CHANDRA SEKHAR AZAD

Chandra Shekhar Azad (23 July 1906 – 27 February 1931), popularly known as Azad ("The Free"), 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.
Chandra Shekhar Azad was born on 23 july 1906 in Bhavra village, in the present-day Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh. His forefathers were from the Badarka village near Kanpur (in present-day Unnao District). His mother, Jagrani Devi, was the third wife of Sitaram Tiwari, whose previous wives had died young. After the birth of their first son, Sukhdev, in Badarka, the family moved to Alirajpur State.

A monument of Chandra Shekhar Azad in his native village Badarka

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. 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 Free) in court, he was known as Chandra Shekhar Azad among the people.