“I am very glad to know that you are celebrating the “Bhagat Singh Day”. That martyrdom was a turning point in our struggle for liberation of the country…Further our own strength lies in the knowledge of the system we live in. Hope you will contribute your might to fight the system and create a classless society. Wish you all success. Inqlaab Zindabad [Long Live the Revolution].”
IWA, 1980, 1.3.98
Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh is iconic within the Indian Workers Association (GB), with his image, political ideology and legacy of activism acting as an inspiration for the work of the organisation, and perhaps IWA can be described as part of this revolutionary legacy. The IWA(GB) have positioned themselves as an organisation dedicated to continuing the legacy of Shaheed Bhagat Singh and comrades, such as Kishori Lal, and also an avenue to celebrate their life and work and spread the ideologies and philosophies around their members (and potentially wider) in Britain.
Archival material
Letter to Harsev Bains from Pandit Kishori Lal, detailing how pleased he is at the Indian Youth Association in Britain celebrating Bhagat Singh Memorial Day. (1980, IWA 1.3.98).
Poster advertising a condolence meeting organised by the IWA in memory of Bhagat Singh Bilga, a founding member of the Ghadar Movement. (2009, IWA 4.4.21).