Andrei Sakharov was a distinguished Soviet era scientist who is usually considered ‘The Father of the Soviet nuclear weapons programme.’ Although he started his career as a scientist in the Soviet defence establishment, he later campaigned for human rights and disarmament.
He has inspired me with his courage and vision. For decades, the Soviet KGB and its psychiatrists tried to intimidate him by categorizing him as a mental patient. He was removed from his official posts and sent to internal exile in the city of Gorky. Together with his wife Yelena Bonner, he continued his crusade for greater human rights for his people.
He and Bonner went on repeated hunger strikes. When both of them jointly went on a hunger strike and were kept in different places, the KGB tried to break their spirit by telling both that the other person had broken his fast.
His love for his family members was shown when he announced a fast unto death to get an exit visa for his stepdaughter Liza Alexiya.
The history of the struggle for free speech waged by Soviet dissidents is a glorious chapter in world history, and Sakharov was one of its chief protagonists. His entire life is a shining example of how, even if for a long time, autocratic regimes may hold sway, in the end, freedom and justice win.
Sakharov passed away more than 35 years ago, but his ideas inspire free living people even today and will continue to inspire us for centuries.
His final moment of glory came when he died and was given a state funeral, which was attended personally by the then Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev.
Ashwini Gupta
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