On a day when the entire nation pays its tribute to revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev, Ludhiana takes special pride for giving the country the eldest of the famed trio — Sukhdev Thapar — who laid down his life along with two others while fighting for India’s freedom.Sukhdev was just 23, a few months elder to Bhagat Singh, when the trio sacrificed their lives for the nation on March 23, 1907. Rajguru was 22 at that time.Sukhdev was born in Ludhiana on May 15,1907 to Ram Lal Thapar and Rali Devi in Naughara area of the city and did his schooling from Lyallpur (now in Pakistan) after his family shifted to the area.Bhagat Singh’s father Kishan Singh, who lived in Banga, was a frequent visitor to Ram Lal’s house and that brought Bhagat and Sukhdev together where they were just not playmates, but also developed a sense of patriotism while listening to the elders in their families.Seeds of patriotism had taken roots early in Sukhdev as he often bought posters of Rani Jhansi from his savings. Sukhdev even taught the downtrodden, especially Dalit children, who were denied admissions in schools due to untouchability.Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev were much influenced by the nationalist zeal in their families.Among the revolutionaries, Sukhdev was made a prime accused by the British police as he was believed to be the master strategist in the killing of the young police officer John Saunders and hatching Delhi Assembly bombing with 24 others in Delhi. The trio was put to gallows secretly in a Lahore Jail on March 23, 1907.Sukhdev’s memorialIt’s matter of pride that the city has got the ancestral house of Shaheed Sukhdev Thapar in Naughara locality. Though Shaheed Sukhdev Yadgar Committee has made sincere efforts to relive the memories by building a memorial at Sukhdev’s birth place, the government should also pitch in to protect the memories of the great martry. Firstly, the authorities should see that the ancestral house is taken care of properly. They should also make the street leading to the ancestral house from Chaura Bazaar free of encroachments so that visitors can easily access the place.Lessons for today’s youthThe youth must study authentic history to know facts about these martyrs and particularly their maturity who understood life at such a young age and rose above caste and religion for the greatest cause.Today’s youth should also say no to drugs. They should also take a pledge that they won’t fall prey to drugs and prevent others from getting trapped in this scourge. Instead, our youth should get intoxicated with the love for the motherland and its people to help bring a just social order that was envisaged by Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev.(The writer is a city-based social activist)

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