The film is about a spoiled rich kid, Ajay (Rajkumar Gupta), who is a problem child and is sent away to a boarding school by uncle, (fathers older brother). The boarding school is run by Shekhar (Abhi Bhattacharya). Shekhar tries to instill good values in the students using unorthodox teaching methods. He gains the students' trust and educates them about the heritage of their country and encourages them to become model citizens.

At the boarding school, Ajay continues his ways and gets into trouble all the time, including with Shekhar. Meanwhile, Ajay meets and befriends a crippled boy named Shakti (Rattan Kumar) whose character is the opposite of Ajay's. Shakti tries very hard to help Ajay change his ways, but Ajay's stubborn nature gets in the way.

Finally one day, Ajay attempts to leave the hostel and Shakti finds out. Shakti tries to go after him and stop him but his handicap slows him down and his earnestness to get Ajay back causes him to lose track of the heavy traffic on the road. That is when Shakti is run over in a horrific accident. This was the triggering moment in Ajay, realizing that it was because of his stubbornness, Shakti died. This moves him to change and become a better person. He goes on to excel in academics and sports.

Meanwhile, Shekhar's method of teaching wins approval by the education board in the end. He decides to leave the boarding school to spread his message elsewhere through his unorthodox but successful ways.

• Abhi Bhattacharya as Shekhar
• Pranoti Ghosh
• Bipin Gupta
• Mumtaz Begum
• Rajkumar Gupta as Ajay
• Ratan Kumar as Shakti
• Chandan Kumar
• Dilip
• Raja
• Mohan
• Ghanshyam
• Navneet
• Girish
• Padmakar (as Padmaker)
• Nanda

This movie is known for its classic patriotic songs, written by one of the greatest Indian poets and lyricists of all time, Kavi Pradeep, and set to music by Hemant Kumar.

01. "Aao Bachhon Tumhen Dikhaaye" - Pradeep

02. "Chalo Chalen Ma" - Asha Bhosle

03. "De Di Hamein Aazadi" - Asha Bhosle

04. "Hum Laaye Hain Toofan Se Kashti Nikaal Ke" - Mohammed Rafi

05. "Chalo Chale Maa Sapano Ke Ganv Me" (Sad) - Asha Bhosle

• Filmfare Award for Best Movie
• National Film Awards
  • 1954 - National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi - Certificate of Merit

The Pakistani film Bedari had an identical plot and the songs, with replacement of some words, and music were taken directly from Jagriti. Ratan Kumar (Syed Nazir Ali), who had moved to Pakistan with his family, acted in Bedari also.^[5] When 'Bedari' was released in Pakistan in 1956, it too made fabulous business in the first few weeks of exhibition. However, it dawned upon the Pakistani cinemagoers that they were watching a plagiarized film. There was a mass uproar that caused public demonstrations against exhibition of the plagiarized film. The Censor Board of Pakistan immediately put a ban on this film.^[6]