A Tribute To Harkishan Singh Surjeet

I read the following interview in the FrontLine and its highly patriotic....
To be noted is that HSS is only 16 years old when this incident occurred.

Q) When did you first go to the jail, and why?
HSS :- I first went to the jail in 1932 because i brought down the British flag and hoisted the tricolour. At the time i had just completed my written test for the matriculation examintaion and only the science practicals were left. Plans were afoot to observe the first anniversary of Bhagat Singh's martrydom. The governor was to visit Hoshiarpur on that day which was 40 kilometeres from Jallandar. The District Congress Committee had announced that they would oist the tricolour in place of the Union Jack at the district court on that occassion. The Collector with the aim to foil any such bid, deployed the army and made an announcement that anybody indulging in such an action would be shot at.
I went to Hoshiarpur. On reaching the Congress Committee office i found to my dismay that because of the deployment of the army the programme had been dropped. I enquired from the office secretary why such a decision had been taken. He asked me if i had no knowledge of the Collector's announcement.
I retorded, saying "A mere threat of shooting has made you give up. This is an insult to the nation."
He challenged me and said: "If you are so brave, you do it."
The scheduled time had already lapsed. But i took a flag and mounted it on a small stick from the office and proceeded towards the court which was then a symbol of the imperialistic rule in the district. The army personnel had become complacent by this time as the scheduled time had passed. I climbed the stairs, brought down the Union Jack and hoisted the tricolour. Two shots were fired but neither hit me.
The Deputy Commissioner, a Maharashtrian, came out. In those days very few Deputy Commissioners used to be Indians. Seeing me, a young boy, he ordered for the firing to be stopped. Then i began abusing the British. When they came to know that i did not possess any weapons, some army men climbed the stairs and caught hold of me. I was sent to the sub-jail and put in a dirty cell.
The trial took place the next day itself. When the magistrate asked for my name, i told him my name was London Tore Singh ("One who breaks London").
He failed to extract my actual name. I accepted what i had done and praised Bhagat Singh. I was sentenced to one years rigorous imprissonment.
I asked the court "Only one year?"
Then the magistrate increased it to four years.
I asked again "Only four years?".
The magistrate replied that under the particular section, he could not give me a longer sentence.

Excerpt is taken from Memoirs: 25 Communist Freedom Fighters, a People's Democracy.
(I guess its a must read for one and all)