Enrolls at National College in Lahore

In the wake of Mahatma Gandhi's abrupt withdrawal of the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1922, thousands of young Indian students who had abandoned colonial educational institutions found themselves at a critical political and academic crossroads. Unwilling to return to British-controlled schools, prominent nationalist leaders including Lala Lajpat Rai, Bhai Parmanand, and local freedom fighters established alternative national institutions. Among the most influential was the National College in Lahore, founded in 1921 under the auspices of the Punjab Qaumi Vidyapith to provide higher education rooted in anti-imperialist consciousness, self-reliance, and patriotic duty.

In early 1923, sixteen-year-old Bhagat Singh enrolled at National College in Lahore to pursue his Bachelor of Arts degree. The institution quickly became a vibrant intellectual crucible where progressive faculty members and student activists openly discussed liberation movements worldwide. Guided by inspiring professors such as Jai Chand Vidyalankar and K.D. Malaviya, Bhagat Singh spent countless hours in the college library, reading voraciously about the French Revolution, the Italian Risorgimento, European anarchist movements, and the Russian Bolshevik Revolution. During this period, he formed close relationships with fellow students like Sukhdev Thapar, Bhagwati Charan Vohra, and Yashpal.

In addition to his formal academic studies, Bhagat Singh actively participated in dramatic societies, debates, and political research on campus. In late 1923, he won first prize in a prestigious essay competition organized by the Punjab Hindi Sahitya Sammelan for his scholarly treatise titled 'Punjab Ki Bhasha Aur Lipi Ki Samasya' (The Problem of Punjab's Language and Script). The rich intellectual environment of National College transformed Bhagat Singh from an ardent youthful patriot into a sophisticated socialist theorist. The revolutionary friendships and political networks established at the college directly laid the foundation for the creation of the Naujawan Bharat Sabha in 1926 and the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association.