Bhagat Singh (1907-31) was a revolutionary figure in the Indian independence struggle. After completing his graduation, he worked as a writer and editor for Punjabi and Urdu newspapers, where he passionately advocated Marxist theories. Famous for popularizing the slogan 'Inquilab Zindabad' or 'Long live the revolution!', Singh was eventually sentenced to death for the murder of a British officer.

S Irfan Habib is a historian of science and of political history based in Delhi. Besides a large number of papers, he has also co-edited and authored with Dhruv Raina several books including Situating the History of Science: Dialogues with Joseph Needham and Social History of Science in Colonial India. His book To Make the Deaf Hear: Ideology and Programme of Bhagat Singh and his Comrades, has been translated into several Indian languages like Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Punjabi and Bengali. He recently put together a volume on Indian Nationalism: The Essential Writings and another one called Inquilab: Bhagat Singh on Religion and Revolution. His recent book is Maulana Azad-A Life. Besides being a Fulbright scholar, he has been a visiting professor at several universities like Humboldt University, Berlin, University of Cambridge, University of Kolkatta, State University of New York, Maison des Sciences de l'Homme, Paris, MIT, Cambridge Mass and others.