The cases of the Kakori accused began in courts. Many lawyers represented the accused revolutionaries free of charge. But all efforts proved futile. Those who appealed for mercy were let off. Those who did not were punished. The court awarded death sentence to Bismil and some others. The capital punishment to the prominent revolutionaries was a setback for the revolutionary party. They tried to save Bismil and others but all their efforts failed.
At last the call from the hangman’s noose came for the poet revolutionary. He looked calm, collected and cheerful. Before getting hanged he recited a couplet to the uniformed audience from the gallows which became a pair of historic lines so often quoted in the context of the martyrs. The lines are to the following effect.
Around the funeral pyres of the martyrs
fairs would be held every year,
That will be the only memorial to the ones
who laid down their lives for country dear.
With those famous words Ram Prasad Bismil embraced death leaving the countrymen emotionally shaken. It was gravely painful for Azad. He tried his best to free his condemned comrades but didn’t succeed. After Bismil who became the leader of the party was an indecisive weak kneed fellow who botched up several plans. He failed every one. The failure to save Bismil and others always pained Azad whenever he remembered his martyr comrades.
Azad as a monk
The police was in hot pursuit of Azad. The government had announced a reward on his head. Giving a slip to the police Azad reached the forest near Jhansi. Here he met several new revolutionaries. He taught the militant fellows the use of the gun and the marksmanship. After some time he got fed-up with the wild life. He erected a hut near the Dingarpur village and started living there in the guise of a celibate monk. The villagers thought that he was some accomplished godman. They respected him and regularly paid obeisance to him. The simple village folk began treating his hut as a virtual temple. After some time a crowd of devotees began collecting there everyday to seek his blessings.
One day, he addressed to the crowd, “Brothers! you consider me a man of religion, some godman. I am not that. I request you with folded hands not to waste your time on me. Save your time and let me live peacefully.”
It had just the opposite effect. Now more people started coming to him. Even the zamindar arrived.
“I am a celibate monk.” Azad said to him and made a request, “They call me Hari Shankar. Tell me about some secluded place to live at. I will be grateful to you.”
“No place can be more secluded then my house. You can stay with me.”
The zamindar took Azad to his house arranged for his stay there. Gradually Azad took him into confidence. One day he turned over his weapons to zamindar. They started going to jungle for hunting. Zamindar had become very interested in Azad’s marksmanship. After some time he took leave of the zamindar and went to Jhansi town. There he learnt driving. The police was making all efforts to nab Azad in U.P. At the place of the service Azad was known as Hari Shankar so, no one suspected him. But U.P. was not a safe place for him. He left Jhansi and reached Bombay (Mumbai).
For several days he walked the streets aim- lessly. He found no place to live or means to make both ends meet. In the end he reached Bombay docks and joined the group porters. He loboured to earn his bread. At night he would sleep in godown.
Now staying at Bombay working as a porter was serving no purpose. He was getting fed up with the mechanical life of Mumbai. And U.P. was his action area. He must return to that state if he was to reorganise the party. Azad reached Kanpur which had become the centre of the Bengali revolutionaries.
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