The institution of an annual award in the memory of Principal Chhabil Das at Punjabi University, Patiala, has once again brought the spotlight on one of the two men credited with bringing “Bhagat Singh from anarchism to socialism”, along with Sohan Singh Josh.Punjabi University has instituted the Principal Chhabil Das Yadgari Award for its young researchers. It will be given every year on the birth anniversary of Shaheed Bhagat Singh. The award owes itself to the efforts of Prof Chaman Lal. He is being supported by Chhabil Das’ granddaughter Saba Dewan, a noted filmmaker. The Rs 5,000 award will be given to any young researcher of Punjabi University for writing, presenting, or publishing any book/research paper on the contribution of Bhagat Singh, his revolutionary associates or any aspect of the freedom struggle of India in Punjabi.About the educationistChhabil Das was an educationist and socialist revolutionary, famously known as Bhagat Singh’s teacher. He was born in Bannu district of the North West Frontier Province in 1900 and moved to Lahore where he studied MA in English at Dyal Singh College, Lahore. He later jumped into full-time revolutionary activities, joining the Hindustan Revolutionary Association in 1924, which later became the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association.He realised early on that peasants did not read books, and began publishing pamphlets to spread socialist ideas. Along with BPL Bedi and Prof Brijnarain, who taught economics, he would visit peasants in villages, explaining to them ideas like socialism and self-rule.Bhagat Singh’s teacher, comradeAs a teacher at Lahore’s National College, of which he became principal at a very young age in 1922, Chhabil Das’ students included Bhagat Singh, Bhagwati Charan Vohra, Sukhdev, Yashpal and Ramchander. Barely a few years elder to these revolutionaries, he recalled in his book, ‘Bharat Mata ka Darshan’, how they would walk by the Ravi in the evenings.In the biography of her parents, Chhabil Das and Sita Devi, Manorama Dewan recalls how when Chhabil Das was to get married, Bhagat Singh protested that it would prevent him from carrying out revolutionary work. Citing examples of the wives of world leaders, Chhabil Das patiently argued that having a wife who shared his political and cultural interests would enable him to achieve much more. Bhagat Singh gave in, saying that he couldn’t defeat him in argument.Why he mattersHarish Jain, publisher and author of several books on Bhagat Singh, says it is not just his impact on the young revolutionary Bhagat Singh that makes Chhabil Das an important figure in the Indian freedom movement. “His lasting contribution was that he was a socialist who influenced Punjab’s political scene with his writings.”In an interview with poet Amarjit Chandan in 1978, Chhabil Das shared how his generation, inspired by the Irish and Russian revolutions, was trying to find the right path for themselves. Inspired by Lenin’s call for organising farmers and workers, they began working among farmers in Punjab. Taking a cue from the French Revolution that not many people can buy or read big books, he began publishing pamphlets between 1924 and 1929.Some of these were ‘Hum Swaraj Kyun Chahte Hain’, ‘Naujawanon Se Do-Do Baatein’, ‘Duniya Ka Sabse Bada Paap’, ‘Nayi Taleem’, ‘Hamari Sabse Badi Zaroorat’, and ‘Hindustan Mein Communism Ke Prachaar Ke Raaste Mein Rukawatein’.A teacher of English, he was fluent in Urdu (was editor of Lala Lajpat Rai’s Urdu daily ‘Vande Mataram’), but insisted on speaking in Punjabi. Following his speech at Lahore’s Mochi Gate in 1930, he was arrested and jailed. He was released 10 months later, following the Gandhi-Irwin Pact.He migrated to Jalandhar following Partition. His wife Sita Devi was a labour leader and remained a Rajya Sabha MP.