H.S.R.A

Sachindra Nath Sanyal (b. 1893 Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh - d. 7 Feb 1942, Gorakhpur Jail, Uttar Pradesh) an Indian revolutionary and a founding member of Hindustan Republican Association (HRA, which after 1928 became the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association or HSRA) that was created to carry out revolutionary activities against the British Empire in India. He was the inspiration for revolutionaries like Chandrashekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh.

Sanyal was extensively involved in the plans for the Ghadar conspiracy, and went underground after it was exposed in February, 1915.

He was sentenced in Kakori train robbery and was tried and sentenced to life for the same.He was sent to the dreaded Cellular Jail in the Andamans and in jail he wote the famous book "Bandi Jeevan" (A Life of Captivity). This book would become the bible for a generation of revolutionaries fighting British rule.

After his arrest, his legacy was would slowly split into two streams - those believed in Communist/Marxist ideals and those who continued in the traditional Hindu mould. Bhagat Singh, who belonged to the former group, discusses Sanyal's firm religious beliefs in his famous tract "Why I am an Atheist".