A stamp issued in the memory of Madan Lal Dhingra; Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

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A life of affluence often leads to people living in a bubble, ignorant of the hardships and misery of the real world. Son of a surgeon, Madan Lal Dhingra had a similar sort of upbringing. It was only during his time at Lahore’s Government College University that the material realities of people outside of his class made him take off his rose coloured glasses.

The country was drowned in a fervour of freedom. While the idea was to secure a home rule instead of complete independence, the nationalist movement attracted many into its fold including Dhingra. 	In particular, conditions of poverty moved him to a great extent. Like a true revolutionary, he first read the literature and then got into the praxis.

Madan realised that the policies of the colonial government were extremely parasitic in nature and were designed in a way that India would never be able to develop itself. He identifies structural problems within the economy and these engraved him to a great extent. 

> Now was the time of action and his first great act of defiance was against college uniform blazers made of imported cloth. As a follower of the Swadeshi, Dhingra could not have this and he led a student protest to the principal’s office.

He was expelled and his father, apolitical and privileged in today’s terms, asked him to apologize and give up activism. But Madan Lal had already chosen the course of his life. He got a job, started living independently. He worked at a tanga transport service, factories and many other low-level jobs. Throughout, he was discriminated against, removed for unionising attempts and all of this fueled his fury.

While he was trying to figure out a way through life on one side, on the other his family was constantly worried about him. Dhingra’s brother asked him to go to London to study and after much insistence, he finally agreed.

> It was in London that his life completely changed. Instead of getting distant from anti-British activities, he was sucked right into the India House, a meeting place for like-minded compatriots. After getting in touch with Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and Shyamji Krishna Varma, Lal started diverting towards the idea of liberation via assassination.

He joined the secret society founded by Savarkar and started practising at a shooting range.

In 1905 Bengal was partitioned, enraging many. Dhingra had found his target, India’s Viceroy Lord Curzon Wyllie. Initially, the plan was to kill Bengal’s ex-Governor Bampfylde Fuller but couldn't do so when he did not show up at the meeting at the designated time.

On 1 July 1909, many had gathered at the Indian National Association. Various Indian and English dignitaries were present there, including Curzon and Madan Lal was ready to execute his plan. Four of his bullets hit Curzon and other shots hit Cawas Lalcaca who tried to save his life. Madan’s suicide attempt could not be successful and he was immediately arrested by the police.

On the 23rd of the same month, he was produced in front of the court. Although Dhingra was defending himself, he did not believe the entire judicial process to be legitimate. He declared all of his actions were committed to gain freedom for India. He was eventually hanged on 17 August 1909.

> Before the verdict, Dhingra said ”*I wish that English people should sentence me to death, for in that case the vengeance of my countrymen will be all the more keen. I put forward this statement to show the justice of my cause to the outside world, and especially to our sympathisers in America and Germany*”.

Madan Lal belonged to a group of people who had a very different vision of sovereignty for India. Their ideas belonged to the mosaic of many that eventually gained the country its freedom.

It is said that the man this freedom fighter swore to kill was his father’s friend. Today marks the assassination of Sir William Hutt Curzon at the hands of Madan Lal Dhingra, who shot him in Britain.