Wrestler-scholar who sacrificed his life for India's freedom in 1931

August 24 marks the birth anniversary of one of India's greatest revolutionaries — martyr Shivaram Hari Rajguru. He was a skilled wrestler, shooter and a scholar of Sanskrit, but such was the yearning to see his country free from the yoke of colonial rule that he boldly set forth on the path that would lead him to the gallows.

Born into a simple Brahmin family at Khed village in Pune, Rajguru grew up inspired by the ideology of Lokmanya Tilak. At age 15, he walked six days to Varanasi to seek admission to a Sanskrit school, where he met fellow revolutionaries. After he failed in his English exam, his elder brother punished him by making him read out a lesson in English before his wife. Enraged, Rajguru left home with only 11 paise.

Destiny took him where only the bravest of the brave tread. After attending training camps of the Seva Dal, Rajguru became a member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army (HSRA). His shooting skills earned him the title of 'gunman'.

In what was a reflection of his grit, he once touched a blazing hot iron rod when asked by the great freedom fighter, Chandra Shekhar Azad, if he could endure police torture.

There was no turning back.

He was so determined to get rid of the British that he did not mind using force against them, bringing him in direct conflict with the peaceful non-cooperation movement of Mahatma Gandhi. After coming in contact with like-minded and young revolutionaries Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev, the trio, on December 17, 1928, assassinated British officer John Saunders to avenge the death of the 'Lion of Punjab', Lala Lajpat Rai.

For this daring act, Rajguru, along with Sukhdev and Bhagat Singh, was hanged on March 23, 1931, by the British government. He was 22.

In a tribute to this young man's valour and supreme sacrifice, his birthplace has been renamed Rajgurunagar. His ancestral home, located 45 km north of Pune, is now called Rajguru Wada. The Martyr Rajguru Memorial Committee regularly holds activities at his birthplace.

In 1953, a shopping complex in Hisar was named Rajguru Market in his honour.

He lives on in the memory of a grateful nation.