Hemu Kalani

Hemandas Kalani (, 23 March 1923 – 21 January 1943) was an Indian revolutionary and anti-colonial figure during the Indian independence movement. He was a leader of Swaraj Sena, a student organisation which was affiliated with All India Students Federation (AISF). He was one of the youngest revolutionaries to be martyred for the nation's freedom struggle, being executed by the British colonial authorities when he was only 19, two months before his 20th birthday.

Early life Hemu Kalani was born in a Sindhi family (His birthday coincides with the day Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev & Rajguru were hanged). He was son of Pesumal Kalani and Jethi Bai. As a child and young man he campaigned with his friends for boycotts of foreign goods and tried to persuade people to use Swadeshi goods. He was drawn to revolutionary activities and started participating in acts of protests with the aim of driving out the British from the Indian subcontinent.

Freedom struggle

Hemu Kalani joined Mahatma Gandhi's Quit India movement when it was started in 1942. Support for the movement in Sindh was such that the British colonial authorities had to send military detachments after him consisting of European battalions. Hemu Kalani found out that a train of these troops and their supplies would be passing through his local town at the midnight of 22 October and decided to derail it by removing the fishplates from the railway track. This despite the fact that neither he nor his colleagues had the necessary tools and so had to use a rope as a means to loosen the fixings. Chembur, a suburb of Mumbai with a large Sindhi population, has Hemu Kalani Marg named after the famous freedom fighter. In Ulhasnagar Statue of Shaheed Hemu Kalani has been erected at the crossing of the road (chowk). Jodhpur city (Rajasthan) has named a road intersection after Hemu Kalani and placed his statue at the center of the intersection. Ajmer city (Rajasthan) has erected Statue of Shaheed Hemu Kalani at the Diggi Bazar Chowk. Ajmer city (Rajasthan) has a locality in Lakhan Kothri called Hemu Kalani Mohalla. Delhi city (Lajpat Nagar), located a senior secondary school named Shaheed Hemu Kalani Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya. Delhi city (Pitampura), Veer Hemu Marg and a street named "shaheed hemu kalani marg" In old Rajendra Nagar, Karol Bag, New Delhi. Kanpur city, has a park named Hemu Kalani park located in the Sindhi Colony area named after Shaheed Hemu Kalani. Kota city, has a community hall Hemu Kalani Samudayik Bhawan located in the Sahjidera area named after Shaheed Hemu Kalani. Dhule city in Maharashtra has Shaheed Hemu Kalani Road. Amalner city in Maharashtra has Shaheed Hemu Kalani Road. Pimpri-Chinchwad city in Maharashtra has a children's park named Hemu Kalani Garden and society named Hemu Kalani Housing Society located in Pimpri. Bhilwara city in Rajasthan has a Road Square in Sindhu Nagar named as Hemu Kalani Chowk. Bilaspur city in Chhattisgarh has a locality named after him called Hemu Nagar. thumb Neemuch city in Madhya Pradesh has a Road Square named Hemu Kalani Chowk with an erected Statue of Shaheed Hemu Kalani. Bikaner city (Rajasthan) has named a road intersection after Hemu Kalani and placed his statue at the center of the intersection. A poem " Hemu Kalani" was written on 25 January 1943 by Indra Bahadur Khare, just 4 days after Hemu's hanging, and it is published in 2017 after a span of 74 years. The Raipur city of Chhattisgarh has a square in the main street called Hemu Kalani Chowk. Shaheed Hemu Kalani education society is run in Sant Hirdaram Nagar Bhopal. Raipur city of Chhattisgarh has a Community Hall near Lakhe Nagar Area called Amar Shaheed Hemu Kalani Bhawan. Korba city of Chhattisgarh has a Big community hall near the Rani Road area called Amar Shaheed Hemu Kalani Dharamshala. Bhavnagar city in Gujarat has a Road Square at Gopal Park in Sindhunagar has erected Statue of Amar Shaheed Hemu Kalani at the crossing of the road (chowk) named as Hemu Kalani Circle on 21 January 2020. Chittorgarh, Rajasthan has an intersection named after Shaheed Hemu Kalani Chauraha which was previously known as Pratap Nagar Chauraha. Jalgaon, Maharashtra has a garden, Park Named "Hemu Kalani Bagicha" behind Sindhi Colony, Kanwar Nagar, Near Joshi Colony, Jalgaon-425001. Belagavi, Hemi Kalani chowk near Daak bungalow, a circle named after him. Ujjain, M.P. Statue of Hemu Kalani erected at Park Named "Choithram Gidwani Udyan", Situated at Sindhi Colony, Sanwer Road, Freeganj, UJJAIN (M.P.)-456001. Khairthal, Rajasthan has an intersection named after Shaheed Hemu Kalani Chauraha. Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh has Hemu Kalani Road. Tilda Newra, Chhattisgarh has Hemu Kalani Chowk. Durg, Chhattisgarh has Hemu Kalani Statue.

Pakistan Hemu Kalani Park, Sukkur, Pakistan – However was later renamed to Qasim Park. Hemu Kalani has been unfortunately largely forgotten in Pakistan, being entirely absent from history books, except from the Sindh Province in Pakistan where he was born and raised in.