Ram Mohammad Singh Azad: One Name, One Nation, One Purpose
By Amit Kumar
“I am proud to die, to have to free my native land… Down with British
Imperialism!” – Shaheed Udham Singh
Today, India solemnly observes the martyrdom of Shaheed-i-Azam Sardar Udham Singh, one of the bravest sons of the soil, who laid down his life for the cause of India’s freedom. On 31st July 1940, he was executed by the British at London’s Pentonville Prison for the assassination of Michael O’Dwyer, the former lieutenant governor of Punjab, an act of retribution for the horrific Jallianwala Bagh Massacre of 1919.
Born Sher Singh on 26 December 1899 in Sunam, Punjab, Udham Singh was orphaned young and raised at the Central Khalsa Orphanage in Amritsar, where he was renamed Udham, meaning “uprising.” It was in Amritsar that fate intertwined his life with one of the darkest chapters of colonial rule, the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, where over a thousand peaceful Indians were killed on the orders of General Dyer, with administrative sanction from Michael O’Dwyer. Singh was among the survivors, serving water to the
gathered crowd on that tragic day.
The massacre left an indelible scar on young Udham’s heart. He vowed revenge, a promise he kept over two decades later in Caxton Hall, London, on 13 March 1940, when he fatally shot O’Dwyer during a public meeting. “I did it because he deserved it,” Singh said upon his arrest, displaying neither regret nor fear, only the steely resolve of a revolutionary who had waited 21 years for justice.
More than an act of vengeance, it was a symbolic blow to colonial tyranny. While some contemporaries, including Jawaharlal Nehru, initially condemned the act, history now hails it as a powerful message of defiance from an oppressed people.
In custody, he adopted the name Ram Mohammad Singh Azad, reflecting India’s unity across religion and his dream of a free nation where Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs would live as equals. Even in his final courtroom speech, censored at the time, he denounced British imperialism with passion and courage. “I am dying for a purpose… I hope that in my place will come thousands of my countrymen to drive you dirty dogs out,” he thundered.
His execution sparked waves of admiration across India. Tributes poured in from political parties, revolutionaries, and even sections of the international press. The Times of London acknowledged him as “a fighter for freedom.”
After independence, India did not forget him. In 1974, Udham Singh’s remains were repatriated and cremated with full honours. His ashes now rest in various sacred places across the country, including the Jallianwala Bagh, which he had once filled with courage and commitment.
His hometown was renamed Udham Singh Nagar in his honour in 1995, and his life continues to inspire generations of Indians. Statues, memorials, and annual marches in Sunam mark his sacrifice, while books, documentaries, and films revisit his extraordinary life.