Bhubaneswar: In a moving tribute to India’s youngest freedom fighter, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday extended his heartfelt salutations on the birth anniversary of Shaheed Baji Rout.
Reflecting on the courage of the child martyr, the Chief Minister posted on X: “On the birth anniversary of the youngest martyr freedom fighter Baji Rout, who at just 12 years of age sacrificed his life for the nation and created history, heartfelt salutations. His indomitable courage, boundless love for the country, and great sacrifice will forever inspire the people of the nation.”
He emphasized that the supreme sacrifice of the 12-year-old hero remains an eternal beacon of inspiration for the entire nation.
Born on October 5, 1926, in Nilakanthapur village of Odisha’s Dhenkanal district, Baji Rout was the youngest son of Hari Rout and Rania Debi. Having lost his father at a very tender age, he was raised by his impoverished mother, who eked out a meager living husking rice for neighbors. Despite these severe hardships, Baji grew up acutely aware of the suffering around him, observing how the local feudatory ruler, King Shankar Pratap Singhdeo, used armed forces to mercilessly exploit the destitute peasantry through oppressive taxation on even basic necessities like salt.
Driven by a desire for justice, young Baji joined the Banar Sena, the youth wing of the Prajamandal movement founded under the leadership of revolutionary Baishnav Charan Pattanayak, popularly known as Veer Baishnav. Alongside other village youths, Baji actively took up responsibilities, acting as a spotter, conveying information on British police movements, and singing patriotic songs that challenged colonial and feudal agents.
The turning point occurred on the pitch-dark night of October 10, 1938. Following a brutal raid on Bhuban village, where British police opened fire on a crowd of protesting villagers, an armed unit of police fled toward the Nilakanthapur Ghat on the Brahmani River. Senior Prajamandal leaders had tasked Baji Rout with keeping watch at the ghat to ensure British forces could not secure passage across the river. When the police confronted the sleeping boy in the middle of the night and demanded his boat at gunpoint, Baji undauntedly refused, declaring that the vessel belonged to the Prajamandal and would never serve the enemies of the people.Infuriated by his defiance, a British policeman struck the young boy on the head with the heavy butt of a rifle, fracturing his skull. Despite being mortally wounded, Baji managed to raise an alarm that alerted nearby villagers and fellow freedom fighters. The police subsequently opened fire on the assembled crowd, killing Baji Rout alongside six other villagers: Hurushi Pradhan, Laxman Mullick, Raghu Nayak, Guri Nayak, Nata Mullick, and Fagu Sahu. Baji Rout breathed his last on the night of October 11, 1938, laying down his life at just 12 years of age.
The news of the young boy’s martyrdom sent shockwaves across the nation. The bodies of the martyrs were brought to Cuttack in a massive procession and cremated at Khan Nagar.
Standing by the glowing funeral pyre at the cremation ground, eminent poet Sachi Routroy began composing his legendary poem ‘Baji Rout’, which was later translated into English by Harindranath Chattopadhyay. The poem galvanised the freedom struggle, helping ignite widespread public outrage against the oppressive princely rulers across India.
“It is not a pyre, O Friends! When the country is in dark despair, it is the light of our liberty. It is our freedom-fire.”
In recent years, Baji Rout’s heroic saga was brought to the screen in the 2018 short film ‘Baji – The Immortal Boat Boy’, directed by Chinmoy Das, keeping the legacy of India’s youngest martyr alive for future generations.
