Today marks the birth anniversary of two legendary freedom fighters of India- Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Chandra Shekhar Azad.
Associated with a string of revolutionary incidents to target the colonial British regime, Azad had vowed never to be captured by police and remain "azad" (free).
After being surrounded by police following an encounter, he shot himself and died at an young age of 24 years in 1931.
Born in 1856, Tilak was a pioneering leader of the Indian freedom movement and his concept of "swaraj" (self-rule) caught people's imagination.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid rich tributes to noted freedom fighters Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Chandra Shekhar Azad on their birth anniversary on Friday and recalled their contributions to the country.
The PM tweeted, "I bow to the great Lokmanya Tilak on his Jayanti. His thoughts and principles are more relevant than ever before in the present circumstances, when 130 crore Indians have decided to build an Aatmanirbhar Bharat that is economically prosperous and socially progressive."
Fondly remembering the revolutionary freedom fighter Azad, PM Modi wrote, "During the prime of his youth he immersed himself in freeing India from the clutches of imperialism. He was also a futuristic thinker, and dreamt of a strong and just India," he said.
Several Indians took to social media to pay tributes to the freedom fighters.
Have a look.
