Dr. Amin
Every year on June 23, India remembers a great son of the Nation, Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee. This day is called Balidan Diwas, which means “Day of Sacrifice.” It is a day to honour a man who gave his life for the unity of India.
Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee was born on July 6, 1901, in Calcutta (now Kolkata), Bengal. He came from a very respected family. His father, Sir Ashutosh Mookerjee, was a famous judge and the Vice Chancellor of Calcutta University. Shyama Prasad followed in his father’s footsteps and became a great scholar, lawyer, and political leader.
He was very intelligent from a young age. He studied law in England and later became the Vice Chancellor of Calcutta University at just 33 years of age. He was one of the youngest people to hold such a high position.
Dr. Mookerjee was not just a man of books. He deeply loved his country and its people. He wanted India to be one, strong, and united. This love for the nation made him enter politics.
He served as a minister in the government after India became independent in 1947. He worked under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru as the Minister of Industry and Supply. But he disagreed with Nehru on many important matters, especially on how the country should be run and how Hindus living in Pakistan were being treated. So, he left the Cabinet in 1950.
In 1951, he founded a new political party called the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, which later became the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), one of India’s biggest political parties today.
Now, to understand why Balidan Diwas is connected to Jammu & Kashmir, we need to understand the situation at that time.
When India became independent, the state of Jammu & Kashmir joined India. But the government of India gave Jammu & Kashmir a special status under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution. This article gave Jammu & Kashmir its own separate laws and rules. People from other parts of India could not buy land there. They needed a special permit just to enter the state.
This was a big problem. Jammu & Kashmir was a part of India, but it was being treated like a separate country in many ways. There was even a rule called “Permit System” which meant that any Indian citizen who wanted to go to Jammu & Kashmir had to take permission from the government first.
Dr. Mookerjee strongly believed that this was wrong. He said, “Ek desh mein do Nishan, do Pradhan, do Vidhan nahi chalenge, nahi chalenge” which means, “In one nation, two flags, two prime ministers, two constitutions, will not be allowed.” He felt that every part of India must be treated the same. No state should have a separate flag or separate rules that divide it from the rest of the country.
Dr. Mookerjee decided to protest against the Permit System. He said that as an Indian citizen, he had every right to enter any part of India freely, including Jammu & Kashmir. He did not need anyone’s permission to visit his own country.
In May 1953, he set off on a journey to Jammu & Kashmir. He knew that this journey was risky. The government had warned him. But he did not stop. He believed that some causes are bigger than personal safety.
On May 11, 1953, when he crossed into Jammu & Kashmir, he was arrested. The government of Jammu & Kashmir, led by Sheikh Abdullah at the time, put him in detention. He was not sent to a proper jail. He was kept in a small house in Srinagar, under strict guard.
Dr. Mookerjee was kept as a prisoner even though he had committed no crime. He had only tried to enter his own country as a free citizen. Many people in India were shocked and angry. They demanded his release. But the government did not listen.
While in detention, Dr. Mookerjee’s health started to become very bad. He wrote letters saying that he was unwell and needed proper medical attention. But his requests were ignored for a long time. He complained of chest pain and other problems.
On June 23, 1953, the shocking news came, Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee had died in detention. He was only 52 years old.
The official reason given was that he had a heart attack. But many people did not believe this. His mother, Yogamaya Devi, was heartbroken and angry. She said that her son had been killed. She demanded a proper investigation into his death.
To this day, many people believe that the full truth of his death has never been told. There was no independent inquiry. No clear answers were given to the nation. His death remains one of the most debated and controversial events in India’s political history.
“Balidan” is a Hindi word that means “sacrifice” or “to give up one’s life for a cause.” Balidan Diwas is observed on June 23 every year to mark the day Dr. Mookerjee died, the day India lost a brave and fearless leader.
He gave up his life not for his own benefit, but for the unity of India. He wanted every Indian to feel that the entire country, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, belongs to them equally. He stood against rules that divided Indian citizens within their own country.
His sacrifice is remembered because he did not have to do what he did. He was a respected leader, a former minister, an educated man with a comfortable life. He could have stayed quiet. But he chose to fight, knowing the danger involved.
This is why people call him a martyr — a person who dies for a great cause.
The sacrifice of Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee was not forgotten. His ideas and his work continued to inspire millions of people.
The political party he founded, the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, grew into the BJP, which today leads the government of India. His dream of a fully united India, where Kashmir is treated the same as every other state, remained alive in the hearts of many Indians.
On August 5, 2019, the Government of India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, took a historic step. Article 370 was removed. The special status of Jammu & Kashmir was taken away. The state became a Union Territory directly under the Central Government. Many people saw this as the fulfilment of Dr. Mookerjee’s dream, the dream for which he had given his life more than six decades ago.
Every year on June 23, Balidan Diwas is observed across India, especially by the BJP and its supporters.
People gather at the statues and memorials of Dr. Mookerjee and offer flowers. Special programmes are held where speakers talk about his life, his courage, and his love for the nation. Schools, colleges, and social organisations hold events to remember him. His photographs are garlanded with respect.
The BJP observes this day with great respect and commitment. Party workers and leaders visit his birthplace in Kolkata and other cities to pay tribute.
The life and death of Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee teach us many things.
First, that love for one’s country is more important than personal comfort or safety. He had everything — education, position, respect. But he walked into danger because he believed in something bigger than himself.
Second, that one person’s courage can light a fire in the hearts of millions. Even after his death, his words and ideas continued to inspire a movement that lasted decades.
Third, that the unity of a Nation must never be taken for granted. People have fought and died to keep India together. We must value and protect that unity.
Balidan Diwas is not just a political event. It is a day of reflection. It is a day to ask ourselves, are we doing enough for our country? Are we valuing the sacrifices made by those who came before us?
Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee walked into a land where he was not “officially” welcome, his own country and paid with his life. He did it so that future generations of Indians would not face such humiliation in their own homeland.
On this Balidan Diwas, let us bow our heads in respect to this great leader. Let us remember his words, his courage, and his dream. And let us carry forward his message, that India is one, and every Indian belongs equally to every corner of this great land.
