Great Freedom Fighter from Punjab.

Sohan Lal Pathak

Sohan Lal was born on 7th January 1883 in the house of Pt. Chanda Ram, a poor Brahmin of Patti, District Amritsar. Being a brilliant student, he won scholarships and prizes a number of times while he was at the local school. But he discontinued his studies after he passed the Middle examination and secured employment in the Irrigation Department. After a short time he left this service and joined the Normal Training School, Lahore. On the completing of the course he took up the work of a schoolteacher.During his stay at Lahore, he developed strong leanings towards the national movement. The revolutionary uprising of 1905-07 created a deep impact of his mind. He resigned his job as protest against the Headmaster's ordering him to break off his contacts with Lala Lajpat Rai and other national leaders. Thereafter, be became joint Editor of the Urdu journal Bande Matram working under Lajpat Rai. Simultaneously, he joined the classes, which Lala Hardyal had started at Lahore to impregnate the youth of India with the fire of revolution.Sohan Lal shifted the field of his activities to Burma. Immediately, a search was started for the arrest of this dangerous revolutionary. It was not so easy to lay hands upon him, as he knew the local language and moved freely in the country in the dress of the native people. At last the Government succeeded in arresting him in August 1915 at Memyo (Burma). He was detained in the fort of Mandlay during his trial. The court declared him guilty and sentenced to death. He died on the gallows on 10th February 1916. Another great freedom fighter who died with him on the gallows was Harnam Singh Sahari