Khudiram Bose was one of the youngest revolutionaries in India’s fight for freedom. The young man was executed on August 11, 1908, for assassinating British judge, Douglas Kingsford at the age of 18.

Khudiram was born on December 3, 1889, in West Bengal’s Midnapore district. The young boy had lost his parents at a very early age. He was raised by his eldest sister. Following the traditional customs prevalent in the Bengali culture, the newborn child was symbolically sold to his eldest sister in return for three handfuls of food grains locally known as Khud, in a bid to save him from dying very young. This is how he got the name Khudiram.

The young man was greatly influenced by the public lectures of Sri Aurobindo and Sister Nivedita in the early 1900s, which made him have a revolutionary spirit.

Bose used to participate in several protests. At 15, he volunteered for Anushilan Samiti and was arrested for distributing anti-British pamphlets, which eventually had him bump into Barindra Kumar Ghosh.

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The Ministry of Culture took to Twitter to remember the young revolutionary and wrote, “Our tributes to one of the youngest and fearless leaders of the Indian Independence Movement Khudiram Bose on his Death Anniversary.”

It added, “He was sentenced to death at a mere age of 18 years for his role in the Muzaffarpur Conspiracy Case where he along with Prafulla Chaki, attempted to assassinate a British Judge by throwing bombs on the carriage to protest against the British Rule.”

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The Indian National Congress also paid a tribute to Khudiram Bose and tweeted, We pay our heartfelt tribute to revolutionary freedom fighter Khudiram Bose on his death anniversary. He sacrificed his life for the country at the young age of 18 while fighting for freedom, inspiring millions of young people to join the struggle for freedom against the British.”

Khudiram Bose is remembered for his patriotism and the how he breathed his last with a smile on his face. Although some freedom fighters like Gandhi allegedly opposed his methods, many admired him for his courage and love for the country.