Digital Libraries
- Academy of the Punjab in North America
- Afghanistan Digital Collections (University of Arizona) at DSpace
- Amir ud-Daula Public Library, Lucknow
- Archaeological Survey of India
- Bibiodiversity Library
- BJP E-Library
- Center for Research Libraries - Digital Delivery System
- Digital Book Index
- Digital Collections, Harvard University
- Digital Library of India (Mirror Site)
- Digital Library of India - Catalogue
- Digital Public Library of America
- Digital South Asia Library
- Directory of Open Access Books
- Dokumen
- eGangotri - A Repository of Indological and Sanskritic Material
- E-PDF
- E-Pustakalaya
- Gallica – The BnF digital library
- Gutenberg
- Ministry of Culture
- Internet Archive
- Internet Library of Early Journals
- JISC Journal Archives
- Kerala State Central Library - Rare Books
- Library Genesis
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Mughal Maps from c.1500 to c.1750
- National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language - Urdu E-Library
- National Digital Library of India (NDLI)
- National Library, Kolkata
- Naval Kishore Press - digital
- Noor Library
- On Read
- Open Access Theses and Dissertations
- Open Edition Books
- Open Library (Internet Archive)
- Oriental Numismatic Society - Newsletter/ Journal
- Osmania University Digital Library
- Pahar - Journals
- PDF Download site
- Panjab Digital Library
- Persian Literature in Translation
- Qatar Digital Library
- Rare Book Society of India
- Shodhganga - A Reservoir of Indian Theses
- ShodhGangotri - Repository of Indian Research in Progress details (Synopses/Research Proposals for PhD programme)
- South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg
- South Asia Open Archives
- Tamil Digital Library
- University of Pennsylvania - Manuscripts of the Muslim World
- West Bengal Secretariat - Digital Library
- World Digital Library
- Z Library
- Zenodo
Curated Collections
- Bharat Ek Khoj: Library of books, audio, video, and other materials from and about India
- Mahavidya - Scholarly Resources for the Study of Hinduism by University of Lethbridge, Canada
- Resources on South Asia curated by Prof. Emerita Frances W. Pritchett, Columbia University
- Islamic Heritage Project, Harvard University
Online Database
- Early Indian periodicals (in English Language)
- Siddham: Online database of South Asian inscriptions
- SAMHiTA - South Asian Manuscript Histories and Textual Archive
- National Mission for Manuscripts
- Pandulipi-Patala - Manuscripts Database by National Mission for Manuscripts
- Islamic Painted Page - a huge free database of Persian, Ottoman, Arab and Mughal paintings, illuminations etc.
- Thesaurus d'Epigraphie (Islamique Thesaurus of Islamic Epigraphy)
- Who Was Who of Indian Studies
- Ideas of India - Database of Early Indian Journals
Online Library Catalogues
- American Numismatic Society Library
- University of Oxford - Bodleian Libraries
- British Library
- University of Cambridge Libraries
- Library of Congress
- World Catalogue
Online Numismatic Resources
- Chiefa Coins - India
- Coin Cabinet, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
- Coins of the Bactrian and Indo-Greek Rulers (BIGR)
- Newman Numismatic Portal's Numismatic Dictionary
- NI Bulletin, 1966-2020
- Seaby's Coin and Medal Bulletin, 1947-88
- Digital Iconographic Atlas of Numismatics in Antiquity (DIANA)
- American Numismatic Society Coin Collection
- Zeno
- Paul Stevens- Coins of India
- Qatar Museum's Online Coin Interface
Online Archival Search Portals
UK
EUROPE
INDIA
- National Archives of India - Abhilekh-Patal
- Indian Memory Project
- National Archives of India - Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Papers
- National Archives of India - Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Papers
- Delhi State Archives - E-Abhilekh Portal
- Nehru Memorial Museum and Library - Jawaharlal Nehru Papers
- Bihar State Archives - Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Documents
- Rajasthan State Archives - Online Search Portal
- U P State Archives - Online Publications
- West Bengal State Archives - Consolidated Indices of the holdings of State Archives (1860-1947)
PERSIAN SOURCES
- Asnad: Digital Persian Archive
- Fihrisht: Union Catalogue of Manuscripts from the Islamicate World
- Noor Microfilm Centre
- Perso-Indica
- Library of Congress
- Lawforms: Digitised Legal Documents from the Indo-Persian World
Indian Scripts
Online Collections
- Constituent Assembly Debates (Proceedings) - 9 Dec 1946 to 24 Jan 1950
- Online Collections of Digitized Islamic Manuscripts
- Islamic Seals - currently offline [updated 30 Sept 2023]
- SP Lohia Digital Collection
- Khalili Collection
Online Dictionary
Steingass - Persian-English
Newspapers Online -
Spectator Archive: From 1828 to 2008, explore the history of The Spectator Magazine*
Media Archives -
Doordarshan Archives
Online Resources -
India
Wikisource - The Free Library – is a Wikimedia Foundation project to create a growing free content library of source texts, as well as translations of source texts in any language.
British East India Company
Families in British India Society (FIBIS) - an encyclopaedia about life in British India
FIBIwiki - FIBIwiki is provided free of charge by FIBIS for the benefit of the Indian history research community. The information provided here provides research guidance and background information on the British era in India.
- Fibis Virtual's library
- Journal of the Families in British India Society
- Indian Civil Service
- Newspapers and Journals Online:
- Alexander's East India and Colonial Magazine
- Allen's Indian Mail
- Asiatic Annual Register
- Asiatic Journal
- Asiatic Review
- Bangalore Spectator
- Bengal Catholic Herald
- Bengal Hurkaru
- Bengal, Past and Present, Journal of the Calcutta Historical Society
- Bombay Gazette
- Bombay Newspapers
- Bombay Quarterly Review
- Calcutta Annual Register
- Calcutta Christian Observer
- Calcutta Gazette
- Calcutta Magazine and Monthly Register
- Calcutta Monthly Journal
- Calcutta Review
- Civil and Military Gazette [Lahore]
- Colonial and Asiatic Review
- Colonial Magazine and Commercial Maritime Journal
- Colonies and India
- Englishman's Overland Mail
- Friend of India and Statesman
- Gazette of India
- Gazettes of India Collection on the Internet Archive (Archive.org)
- Hicky's Bengal Gazette or The Original Calcutta General Advertiser
- Home News for India, China and the Colonies
- Homeward Mail from India, China and the East
- India
- Indian Daily News
- Indian News and Chronicle of Eastern Affairs
- Indian Statesman
- Lloyd’s List
- London and China Express
- London & China Herald
- London and China Telegraph
- Madras Courier
- [Madras] Government Gazette
- Madras Weekly Mail
- Naval & Military Gazette and East India and Colonial Chronicle
- Oriental Magazine, and Calcutta Review
- Oriental Herald and Colonial Review
- Parbury's Oriental Herald and Colonial Intelligencer
- Pioneer Mail and Indian Weekly News
- Quarterly Oriental Magazine, Review and Register
- Report on native papers
- The Times of India
- Thacker's Overland News for India and the Colonies
Other Resources:
- British East India Company: Salaries Paid to 'Clerks', 1760-1820 (EIC)
- East India Company at Home: Useful Websites
- Personal Records and the Index at the British Library (c.1794 - c.1841)
Personal Records and the Index are under reference O/6/1-20 at the O.I.O.Collection at the British Library in London and cover the period c.1794 - c.1841. The series consists of memoranda prepared at East India House, and cover a range of miscellaneous subjects including the services and character of individuals, memorials, complaints, claims, petitions, suggestions on administrative changes and expeditions. Alongside each entry there are the relevant Volume numbers. There are a number of ship's names included.
British Provinces
British colonial authorities ruled India with two administrative systems:
About 60% of territory of the Indian sub-continent were provinces and territories directly under British colonial administration, and 40% of the sub-continent were native Indian ("princely") States under direct treaty relations with British India.
Princely States of India:
The British ruled India with two administrative systems: British Provinces and Indian "princely" states; about 60% of the territory of the Indian sub-continent were provinces and 40% were princely states. Provinces were British territories directly administered by the colonial government of British India. Princely states were states with native rulers which had entered into treaty relations with the British.
A to J
k to Z
Princely States (now in Pakistan)
Map of Indian Princely states (1934-1947)
Online Books/ Book Series
1. BOOK ON INDIA HOUSE - LONDON
2. Cole, Henry Hardy, The Architecture of Ancient Delhi: Especially the buildings around the Kutb Minar, (The Arundel Society, London, 1872)
3. H.M. Elliot and John Dowson, History of India as told by its own Historians, vols. I-VIII (London, 1867-1877)
- Bibliographical index to the historians of Muhammedan India, 1850
- Vol. I, 1867
- Vol. II. 1869
- Vol. III, 1871
- Vol. IV 1872
- Vol. V, 1873
- Vol. VI, 1875
- Vol. VII, 1877
- Vol. VIII, 1877
Note: Please also see a critical commentary on Elliot & Dowson by S.H. Hodivala:
Studies in Indo-Muslim History: A Critical Commentary on Elliot and Dowson's History of India as told by its own Historians & Yule and Burnell's Hobson-Jobson, 2 vols., Edited by Sanjay Garg. Published by Manohar Publishers and Distributors (New Delhi, 2018).
4. Fort William India House Correspondence and other contemporary papers relating thereto, 21 vols., (Manager of Publications, Delhi, [1949]-1985).
It is an in-extenso publication and covers the correspondence between the Court of Directors in London and the Fort William Council at Calcutta from 1748 to 1800 and published in 21 volumes. Edited by an eminent historian, each volume contains the text of the correspondence together with a comprehensive introduction, copious notes, select bibliography and an exhaustive index as well as a number of illustrations.
- Vol. I: Public, 1748-1756, Ed. K.K. Datta, (Delhi, 1958)
- Vol. II: Public, 1757-1759, Ed. H.N. Sinha, (Delhi, 1957)
- Vol. III: Public, 1760-1763, Ed. R.R. Sethi, (Delhi, 1968)
- Vol. IV: Public, 1764-1766, Ed. C.S. Srinivasachari, (Delhi 1962)
- Vol. V: Public, 1767-1769, Ed. Narendra Krishna Sinha, (Delhi, 1949)
- Vol. VI: Public, 1770-1772, Ed. Bisheshwar Prasad, (Delhi, 1960)
- Vol. VII: Public, 1773-1776, Ed. R.P. Patwardhan, (Delhi, 1971)
- Vol. VIII, Public, 1777-81, Ed. H.L. Gupta, (Delhi, 1981)
- Vol. IX: 1782-1785, Ed. B.A. Saletore, (Delhi, 1959)
- Vol. X: Public, 1786-1788, Ed. Raghubir Sinh, (Delhi, 1959)
- Vol. XI: Public, 1789-1792, Ed. I.B. Banerjee, (Delhi, 1974)
- Vol. XII: Public, 1793-1795, Ed. A. Tripathi, (Delhi, 1978)
- Vol. XIII: Public, 1796-1800, Eds. P.C. Gupta, (Delhi, 1959)
- Vol. XIV: Secret & Select Committee, 1752-81, Ed. Amba Prasad, (Delhi, 1985)
- Vol. XV: Foreign & Secret Letters, 1782-86, Eds. C.H. Philips and Dr. B.B. Mishra, (Delhi, 1963)
- Vol. XVI: Foreign Secret & Political, 1787-91, Ed. S.H. Askari, (Delhi, 1976)
- Vol. XVII: Foreign Political & Secret, 1792-1795, Ed. Y.J. Taraporewalla, (Delhi, 1955)
- Vol. XVIII: Foreign Political & Secret, 1798-1800, Ed. Rev. Fr. H. Heras, (Delhi, 1974)
- Vol. XIX: Military, 1787-1791, Ed. Bisheshwar Prasad, (Delhi, 1975)
- Vol. XX: Military, 1792-96, Ed. A.C. Banerjee, (Delhi, 1969)
- Vol. XXI: Military, 1797-1800, Ed. S.R. Kohli, (Delhi, 1969)
5. Atkinson, Edwin T, Statistical, Descriptive and Historical Account of the Northwestern Provinces of India, (Allahabad, 1874-1886).
- Vol. I. Bundelkhand. 1874
- Vol. II. Meerut division - Part I. 1875-76
- Vol. III. Meerut division - Part II. 1875-76
- Vol. IV. Agra division : Part I. 1876
- Vol. V. Rohilkhand division. Pt. 1. 1879
- Vol. VI. Cawnpore/ F.N. Wright. Gorakhpur/ E.B. Alexander. Basti / H.C. Conybeare. 1881
- Vol. VII. Farukhabad and Agra/ chiefly comp. by H.C. Conybeare and ed. by E.T. Atkinson and F.H. Fisher. 1884
- Vol. VIII. 1884:
- Pt. I. Muttra/ H.C. Conybeare, F.A. Fisher and J.P. Hewett.
- Pt. II. Allahabad/ comp. by C.D. Steel, and ed. by F.H. Fisher and J.P. Hewett.
- Pt. III. Fatepur/ J.P. Hewett.
- A Supplement to the Fatehpur Gazetteer. By F. S. Grouse. [Being a supplement to the Gazetteer part of vol. 8 pt. 3. of the "Statistical, descriptive and historical account of the North-Western Provinces of India.
- Vol. IX. 1883:
- [Vol. X-XII] The Himálayan districts of the North-western Provinces of India/ E.T. Atkinson. 1882-86
- Vol. XIII. 1883-84:
- Vol. XIV. 1883-84:
6. Atkinson, Edwin T. Statistical descriptive and historical account of the Eta district. 1876 Read online
7. Phillimore, Col. R.H..Historical Records of the Survey of India, 5 vols., 1945-1968
- Vol. 1, New Delhi, 1945
- Vol. 2, New Delhi, 1950
- Vol. 3, New Delhi, 1954
- Vol. 4, New Delhi, 1958
- Vol. 5, New Delhi, 1968
8. Aitchison, Charles Umpherston (C.U.) A Collection Of Treaties, Engagements And Sanads Relating To India And Neighbouring Countries, 11 vols., 1892; revised edn. 1909 (Revised and continued up to the 1st June 1906); rep. 1929.
- Vol. 1, Calcutta, 1909 - THE TREATIES, &c., RELATING TO THE UNITED PROVINCSS, OUDH, BENGAL AND THE CENTRAL PROVINCES
- Vol. 2, Calcutta, 1909 - THE TREATIES, &c., RELATING TO BURMA, NEPAL EASTERN BENGAL AND ASSAM, BHUTAN SIKKIM, TIBET, SIAM AND THE EASTERN ARCHIPELAGO
- Vol. 3, Calcutta, 1909 - THE TREATIES, &c., RELATING TO THE STATES IN RAJPUTANA
- Vol. 4, Calcutta, 1909 - THE TREATIES, &c., RELATING TO THE CENTRAL INDIA AGENCY. PART I—CENTRAL INDIA AND THE MEDIATIZED CHIEFS
- Vol. 5, Calcutta, 1909 - THE TREATIES, &c., RELATING TO THE CENTRAL INDIA AGENCY. PART II— BUNDELLKHAND AND BAGHELKHAND
- Vol. 6, Calcutta, 1909 - THE TREATIES, &c., RElATING TO THE BOMBAY PRESiDENCY. PART I—THE PESHWA, KATHIAWAR AGENCY. PALANPUR AGENCY, MAHI KANTHA AGENCY, AND THE REWA KANTHA AGENCY
- Vol. 7, Calcutta, 1909 - THE TREATIES, &c., RELATING TO THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY. PART II—KUTCH AGENCY, CAMBAY, SURAT AGENCY, JAUHAR, JANJIRA, SATARA JAGIRDARS, KOLHAPUR AND SOUTHERN MARATNA COUNTRY AGENCY, SAWANTWARI SAVANUR NASIK AGENCY, SIND AND LAPSED STATES
- Vol. 8, Calcutta, 1909 - THE TREATIES, &c., RELATING TO BARODA AND THE PUNJAB
- Vol. 9, Calcutta, 1909 - THE TREATIES, &c., RELATING TO HYDERABAD, MYSORE AND COORG
- Vol. 10, Calcutta, 1909 - THE TREATIES &c., RELATING TO MADRAS AND CEYLON
- Vol. 11, Calcutta, 1909 - THE TREATIES, &c., RELATING TO THE NORTH-WEST FRONTIER PROVINCE, BALUCHISTAN, JAMMU AND KASHMIR, EASTERN TURKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN
9. Calendar of Persian Correspondence: being letters, referring mainly to affairs in Bengal, which passed between some of the Company's servants and Indian rulers and notables, 11 vols., (Calcutta, 1911 +)
- Vol. I. 1759-1767
- Vol. II. 1767-9
- Vol. III. 1770-2
- Vol. IV. 1772-5
- Vol. V. 1776-80
- Vol. VI. 1781-5
- Vol. VII. 1785-7
- Vol. VIII. 1788-89
- Vol.IX. 1790-1
- Vol. X. 1792-93
- Vol. XI. 1794-5
10. Epigraphia Indica - was the official publication of Archaeological Survey of India from 1892 to 1977. The first volume was edited by James Burgess in the year 1892. Between 1892 and 1920 it was published as a quarterly supplement to The Indian Antiquary. One part is brought out in each quarter year and eight parts make one volume of this periodical; so that one volume is released once in two years. 43 volumes of this journal have been published so far.
Vols. I to XXXVI are available online.
- Vol. I (1882), ed., Jas Burgess (reprint 1983)
- Vol. II (1894), ed., Jas Burgess (reprint 1983)
- Vol. III (1894-95), ed., Jas Burgess (reprint 1979)
- Vol. IV (1896-97), ed., E. Hultzsch (reprint 1979)
- Vol. V (1898-99), ed., E. Hultzsch (reprint 1984)
- Vol. VI (1900-01), ed., E. Hultzsch (reprint 1981)
- Vol. VII (1902-03), ed., E. Hultzsch (reprint 1981)
- Vol. VIII (1905-06), ed., E. Hultzsch (reprint 1981)
- Vol. IX (1907-08), ed., E. Hultzsch (reprint 1981)
- Vol. X (1909-10), ed., Sten Konow (reprint 1984)
- Vol. XI (1911-12), ed., Sten Konow (reprint 1981)
- Vol. XII (1913-14), ed., Sten Konow (reprint 1982)
- Vol. XIII (1915-16), ed., Sten Konow (reprint 1982)
- Vol. XIV (1917-18), ed., F.W. Thomas (reprint 1982)
- Vol. XV (1919-20), ed., F.W. Thomas (reprint 1982)
- Vol. XVI (1921-22), ed., F.W. Thomas (reprint 1983)
- Vol. XVII (1923-24), ed., Rao Bahadur H. Krishna Sastri (reprint 1983)
- Vol. XVIII, (1925-26), ed., Rao Bahadur H. Krishna Sastri (reprint 1983)
- Vol. XIX, (1927-28), ed., Rao Bahadur H. Krishna Sastri (reprint 1983)
- Vol. XX, (1929-30), ed., Hirananda Sastri (reprint 1983)
- Vol. XXI, (1931-32), ed., Hirananda Sastri (reprint 1984)
- Vol. XXII, (1933-34), ed., N.P. Chakravarti (reprint 1984)
- Vol. XXIII, (1935-36), ed., N.P. Chakravarti (reprint 1984)
- Vol. XXIV, (1937-38), ed., N.P. Chakravarti (reprint 1984)
- Vol. XXV, (1939-40), ed., N.P. Chakravarti (reprint 1985)
- Vol. XXVI, (1941-42), ed., N.P. Chakravarti (reprint 1985)
- Vol. XXVII, (1947-48), ed., B.Ch. Chhabra and N. Lakshaminarayan Rao (reprint 1985)
- Vol. XXVIII, (1949-50), ed., B.Ch. Chhabra and D.C. Sircar (reprint 1985)
- Vol. XXIX, (1951-52), ed., B.Ch. Chhabra (reprint 1987)
- Vol. XXX, (1953-54), ed., N. Lakshminarayan Rao and D.C. Sircar (reprint 1987)
- Vol. XXXI, (1955-56), ed., D.C. Sircar (reprint 1987)
- Vol. XXXII, (1957-58), ed., D.C. Sircar and B. Ch. Chhabra (reprint 1987)
- Vol. XXXIII, (1959-60), ed., D.C. Sircar (reprint 1987)
- Vol. XXXIV, (1960-61), ed., D.C. Sircar (reprint 1987)
- Vol. XXXV, (1963-64), ed., D.C. Sircar and G.S. Gai (1966)
- Vol. XXXVI, (1965-66), ed., D.C. Sircar, H. K. Narasimhaswami, and G.S. Gai (1970)
- Vol. XXXVII, (1967-68), ed., G.S. Gai
- Vol. XXXVIII, (1969-70), ed., G.S. Gai
- Vol. XXXIX, (1971-73), ed., P. R. Srinivasan
- Vol. XL, (1973-74), ed., K. G. Krishnan
- Vol. XLI, (1975-76), ed., K.V. Ramesh (reprint 1989)
- Vol. XLII, (1977-78), ed., K.V. Ramesh (reprint 1992)
- Vol. XLIII, (2011-12), ed., K.V. Ramesh
- Appendix to Epigraphia Indica Vol. XIX to XXIII ed. D.R. Bhandarkar
- Article Index-Epigraphia Indica Vol. I – XXXIV (1888-1962), ed. D.C. Sircar
Arabic and Persian Supplement
The ASI also published an Arabic and Persian supplement from 1907 to 1977. While the first volume in 1907 was edited by E. Denison Ross of Calcutta Madrassa and the second and third volumes by Josef Horovitz, subsequent volumes have been edited by Ghulam Yazdani (1913–40), Maulvi M. Ashraf Hussain (1949–53) and Z. A. Desai (1953–77). Since 1946, the volumes have been edited by an Assistant Superintendent for Arabic and Persian Inscriptions, a special post created by the Government of India for the purpose.
Epigraphia Indica Arabic and Persian Supplement:
1907-12, ed., E. Denison Ross (1987)
1913-20, ed., G. Yazdani (1987)
1921-30, ed., G. Yazdani (1987)
1931-36, ed., G. Yazdani (1987)
1937-50, ed., G. Yazdani (1987)
1951-54, ed., Z.A. Desai (1987)
1955-58, ed., Z.A. Desai (1987)
1959-61, ed., Z.A. Desai (1987)
1962-63, ed., Z.A. Desai (1987)
1964-65, ed., Z.A. Desai (1987)
1966-67, ed., Z.A. Desai (1987)
1968-69, ed., Z.A. Desai (1987)
1970-71, ed., Z.A. Desai (1987)
1976, ed., N.M. Ganam (2003)
1977, ed, N.M. Ganam (2000)
2011, ed. G.S. Khwaja (2011)
11. Indian Archaeology Review: 1953-54 to 2013-2014
12. Ancient India, vol. 1 (1946) to 17 (1961)
13. Ancient Pakistan, vol. 1 (1964) to 34 (2023)
14. The Oxford History of India by Vincent A. Smith (The Clarendon Press, New York, 1923)
15. East India Company: Online books
Online Monsoon Registers (Documentos remetidos da India ou livros das monções) :10 Vols., Published by the Academy of Science in Lisbon between 1880 and 1893.
Directories online
A useful resource for Army Lists, Bengal Almanac, Bengal Directory, East-India Register & Directory, India List and India Office List, Thacker's Indian Directory, The Times of India Directory, Street's Indian and Colonial Mercantile Directory, Who's Who In India, Burma and Ceylon etc.
Online Journals
- Bengal Past and Present, 1907-55
- Journal of the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society - The complete collection of all the issues
- Social Scientist - Monthly journal of the Indian School of Social Sciences, New Delhi, 1972-2001
Documents
Mughal Documents:
- Bhagat Singh's Last Letter addressed to his brother, Kultar Singh. Lahore Jail, 3 March 1931.

Transliteration
Azizam Kultar!
Aaj tumhari aankhon mein aansu dekh kar bohat ranj hua, aaj tumhari baat mein bohat dard tha, tumharay aansu mujhse bardasht nahi hote. Barkhurdar! himmat se taleem hasil karte jana aur sehat ka khayal rakhna, hosla rakhna, Aur kya kahoon. [Shalur ?] tujhe kya kahun, suno:
Usy ye fikr hai hardam, naya tarz-i jafa kya hai,
Hamain ye shauq ke dekhein, sitam ki inteha kya hai.
Dehr se kyun khafa rahein, charkh ka kyun gila karein,
Tumhara jahan adu sahi, aao muqabla karein.
Koi dam ka mehmaan hun ae ahl-i mehfil,
Chirag-i sehar hun bhujha chahata hun.
Mere hawa mein rahegi khayal ki bijli,
Ye musht-i khak hai fani, rahe rahe na rahe.
Achha Rukhsat !
Khush raho Ehl-e-watan hum safar karty hain,
Hoslay se rehna,
Namaste. Tumhara Bhai
Bhagat Singh
Translation
My Dear Kultar
I was pained to see tears in your eyes today; today your talk was very painful; I cannot bear your tears; courageously you must continue your studies and also take care of your health; keep courage; what else should I say. [Shalur?] what should I say to you, listen:
He always ponders,
About newer modes of oppression;
I am desirous to see,
What is the height of torment.
Why should we be unhappy with the world,
Why should we complain of fate,
Let the whole world be an enemy,
Come let us confront it.
O fellow beings, I am here just for a little while more,
I am a morning lamp, just about to get extinguished.
In my breeze, there will always be the lightening of my thoughts,
This handful of dust is perishable, whether it live or lives not.
OK Adieu!
Be happy, O countrymen, for now I am leaving.
Live with courage.
Your brother,
Bhagat Singh
[Courtesy: https://ipost.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/331352_314465788572918_1554628245_o.jpg?w=800. Posted on 29 February 2016]