Chandra Shekhar Azad was born  on  23rd July, 1906 in Bhavra, a village formerly in Alirajpur State, now a part of Jhabua district in Madhya Pradesh. He was the son  of  Jagrani Devi  and  Pandit  Sita  Ram  Tiwari.

He received his early schooling in Bhavra. It is known that when he was about 14 years old he   reached   Varanasi where he entered a Sanskrit  school. The young Chandra Shekhar was fascinated by  the  non-coperation movement under Mahatma Gandhi's leadership (1920-21). Soon he was drawn into it, resulting in his arrest and trial. He was defiant in court, declaring  his  name  to  be  'Azad',  his  father's name to be 'Swatantra' and his residence to be 'Prison'. The magistrate was provoked to sentence  him  to fifteen lashes. The  courage  and fortitude of Chandra Shekhar were appreciated and the name of 'Azad' was to last a life-time. Chandra  Shekhar  came  into  contact  with Manmath  Nath  Gupta  and  through him he joined the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army.  Known  as  'Quick  Silver'  among  his associates,  he  took  an  active  part  in  every

armed action of the party under the leadership of Ram Prasad Bismil. He was involved in the Kakori Conspiracy (1926) the attempt to blow up  the  Viceroy's  train  (1926),  the  Assembly bomb incident (1929), the Delhi conspiracy, the shooting  of  the  Assistant  Superintendent   of Police, J.P. Saunders at Lahore (1928) and the 2nd Lahore conspiracy. He was betrayed by an associate  on  Feb.  27,  1931.  Azad  was  surrounded  in  the Alfred  Park,  Allahabad,  by  a police party. In the shootout Azad was severely injured. Left with only one bullet, he chose to end  his  life  at  his  own  hands  rather  than surrender  to the  police,  living  up to his ideal that he lived free and died free. He had justified his  name  "Azad"

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India