Category Archives: Records, All

World War I weapons on display in centenary year in Allahabad

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

Allahabad :

To mark the centenary year of the World War I, the Allahabad Museum will set up a gallery displaying arms and armours, including light machine guns and pistols, used in both world wars by August end. Renowned poet William Cowper’s quote, “War lays a burden on the reeling state, And peace does nothing to relieve the weight,” will be the theme of the gallery.

Museum director Rajesh Purohit said, “A light machine gun having a number on the outer side as MG 08/15 and manufactured in 1917 was used during the World War I. Another machine gun maxim MG 08/15 manufactured in 1918, pepper box revolver with six barrels and a six cartridge belonging to the 19th Century are prominent displays which were used during the World War-I. Their advanced versions were used in WW II.”

The other weapons to be displayed in the gallery are a muzzle loading, percussion cap firing system pistol and a smooth bore pistol with ram rod having a size 31cm and 1.6 cm belonging to early decades of 19th Century. Apart from the arms used in the two World Wars, the gallery would also exhibit pistols, swords, khukhri, bayonet and chest plates used by freedom fighters. Dumped in museum’s reserve collection along with 3,000 objects and antiquities, these arms and armours were away from public eye till 2011. After four years of classification, cataloguing and preservation, the objects classified under ‘arms and armours’ are ready to be displayed for visitors. These include various types of pistols, rifles and light machine guns. At present the museum has catalogued 211 weapons. However, the rifles that were in vogue during the WW II are yet to be displayed.

Most of these weapons are in good condition and could be used even after 100 years. The museum had roped in Allahabad University’s department of Defence Studies for cataloguing the guns and other arms. “A brigadier was also consulted to ascertain the present condition of the weapon. AU’s RK Tandon and Onkar Wankhede of the museum toiled hard towards restoration and preservation of arms. A total of 211 weapons are in the gallery,” said Purohit.

However, the museum had not documented donors of these weapons. “The museum started functioning with a small collection in 1931. With passage of time, donations started pouring in. We lack accounts of persons who donated various items, including arms and armours to the museum till 1950s,” said Purohit.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Allahabad / by Vinod Khanal, TNN / August 20th, 2015

Harvard book chronicles Maha Kumbh success saga

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Lucknow :

The success of Maha Kumbh 2013 has now been chronicled in form of a book produced by teachers and scholars of Harvard University. Titled ‘Kumbh Mela, Mapping the Ephermal City’, the 447-page book will be formally released by chief minister Akhilesh Yadav in New Delhi on Monday.

A compilation of contributions from acclaimed writers like Dina L Eck, the book praises the chief minister’s efforts to celebrate the mega event as a “Green Kumbh” by banning the use of plastic materials and other pollutants at the Sangam in Allahabad.

Diana L Eck is a scholar of religious studies and a professor of comparative religion and Indian studies at the Harvard. Her earlier books include ‘Banaras, City of Light’. Among other contributors of the book are renowned architect Rahul Mehrotra and a group of Harvard students who camped at the Sangam during Mahakumbh in 2013 on Akhilesh’s invitation.

Published by the South Asia Institute of the Harvard University, the book in a complete narration of various aspects of the event which attracted millions to one single place. Some bound by intrigue, some drawn by interest, some tied to devotion, some in quest of peace, some for research and others by the simple urge of being part of the momentous event that unfolded between January 14 to March 22, says the book

The book, right from its preamble, lists how the spade work on the mega event started, from laying the grid of the sprawling Mela premises, to the logistics and the massive sanitation, sewage disposal and mass vaccination campaigns that were taken care of by the government agencies.

Referring to the Kumbh Mela project undertaken by the South Asia Institute (SAI) of the Harvard University as a “keystone project” the book goes on to discuss in detail the entire multi-year research project findings. During the period of the project, over 50 Harvard professors, students, administrative staff, doctors and researchers made a pilgrimage to the site, with the duration of stay spanning between two days to several weeks.

Meena Sonea Hewett, executive director of the SAI in the preamble states that the book serves as an “example of sophisticated, interdisciplinary researched and produced a set of teaching tools, useful across the disciplines of public health, data science, architecture, urban planning, business, religion and culture.”

The contributors to the book also call the Kumbh much beyond the media spectacle and details the “sheer human achievement of creating the temporary and yet complex infrastructure of the 24-square-mile Kumbh city, compared to almost 2/3rd of Manhattan. Calling the entire process of making this city with an expiry date as “astonishing”, the team of the SAI also details how this city comes up for 45 days and takes in millions of faithfuls.

In the section on ‘Metrics’, the writers detail how the mela area stretches to 23.5 square km and extends to another 15 km stretch due to the receding river that leaves behind additional flood plains. “The sense of elastic accommodation within the temporary settlement is outstanding and unique” the book observes.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / by Subhash Mishra, TNN / August 17th, 2015

Police bravehearts to get gallantry award from Prez

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Lucknow :

Fifteen years after one of the fiercest gunbattles between the police and Naxalites in the state left 15 ultras dead, six police personnel of the ambush party will be awarded President’s Police Medal for Gallantry on Saturday. While the senior-most officer leading the team has retired from services, one of the junior-most members has passed away and will be awarded posthumously.

In all, 15 police personnel, including 7 IPS officers, involved in five different operations between 2001 and 2011 have been shortlisted for the gallantry award for their valour during police operations.

The encounter with the Naxalites took place on March 9, 2001 in Bhawanipur village of Mirzapur following a specific tip-off that more than a dozen people armed with latest rifles and ammunition had gathered in the village. About a dozen police teams zeroed in on the village and after evacuating the civilians, raided the hideouts of the Naxalites. As many as 15 Naxalites were killed and police recovered a total of 13 rifles, guns and pistols apart from a satchel of cartridges and countrymade rocket bombs from their possession.

The special task force (STF) of the Uttar Pradesh Police (UPP) bagged a total of five gallantry medals for operations in Lucknow and Noida. The Lucknow operation relates to an encounter in 2006 in which listed gangster Sachin Pahari, who was carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head, along with his aide Vikas Kannaujiya were killed in Triveninagar area of the state capital. Police recovered two handguns from the ambush site after the encounter.

In the Noida encounter, the STF shot dead Ashutosh Rai and Ajay Singh in an ambush near the expressway in Noida in 2010. Each of the two gangsters was carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head. Police recovered a 9mm carbine and two pistols from the two gangsters.

Other incidents in which gallantry awards have been announced include the arrest of six criminals in Kavinagar area of Ghaziabad and an encounter in Varanasi in which listed historysheeter Satyendra Tewari, who was carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head, was gunned down. Tewari was reportedly wanted in more than 20 criminal cases including those of murder, kidnapping for ransom and extortion.

Apart from the gallantry awards, four police personnel will be awarded medals for distinguished services and 70 for meritorious services. As many as 25 other senior police officers and jawans will be presented with Commendation Discs as well.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / August 15th, 2015

Agra’s crucial role in freedom movement not documented: Historians

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Agra:

As the political capital, first of the Mughals and later the British, Agra was always a key centre of political action. The city played a crucial role in the freedom struggle but poor documentation of records has failed to highlight the contribution of the freedom fighters, say local historians.

Syed Ikhtiyar Jafri, director of the Mirza Ghalib Research Academy, who recently released a paper on the contribution of Urdu journalists, said “for whatever reasons the authentic history of Agra`s contribution to the freedom movement, to arts and literature, suffers from poor documentation of records, and therefore the contribution under-valued.”

Hardly any documented history book on the `Braj region` is available that could provide a true picture though fragmented pieces, mostly in newspapers are there for study. “Interestingly, Agra was a major centre of Hindi and Urdu journalism, and we have a long line of fighters with the pen,” says Prof Amit Mukherjea, head of the history department at St John`s College.

The first call for freedom in 1857, ignited by the visits of Nana Sahab, Azimullah Khan, Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah and dozens of other revolutionaries to the city, drew passionate support from the local youth who targeted government installations. Thousands of Hindus and Muslims, particularly in the rural hinterland, rose in revolt which forced the colonial rulers to declare Martial Law in the area.

The rebels against the imperialists were more active in the rural areas than in the city till Tantya Tope shifted base to Agra and the mohallas around Agra College and Gokulpura became the hotbeds of unrest. The heroes of the 1857 revolt, Thakur Heera Singh, Thakur Govind Singh, Chand Baba and Thakur Prithvi Singh continued to lead the mutineers with rare valour.

With the introduction of the railway and opening of the Tundla station in 1862, the city became the transit point of revolutionaries from the East. In 1857 the family of Jawaharlal Nehru migrated and settled in Agra following disturbances in Delhi. Motilal Nehru was born in Maithan mohalla in 1861.

The visits of Tilak, Lajpat Rai and the late Mahatma Gandhi in 1920 and 1929 galvanised the youth and the city came into prominent focus.

Revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Raj Guru and Sukhdev stayed here for days in the Noori Darwaza area, making bombs. A series of bomb blasts and conspiracies like the Hardy Bomb case, explosions in Sheetla Gali, Moti Katra, Barah Bhai ki Gali and other parts sent shock waves in British cantonments.

On the vanguard of revolutionary activities were journalists like Pandit Sri Ram Sharma, Mahendra Jain, Devendra Sharma, Goverdhan Das, Ganpati Kela and Hari Shankar Sharma, in addition to scores of poets and litterateurs.

Ram Chandra Bismil from Mainpuri had fired the imagination of youth with his revolutionary writings. Bismil`s “Shaheedon ki chitaon par lagenge har varash mele, watan par marne walon ka yahi namo nishan hoga,” rings an echo to this day.

Hindi daily Sainik of Sri Krishna Dutt Paliwal was the first to launch a frontal attack on the British colonists. Some of the best editors of the time including Ageya served as editors of this daily. The success of Sainik gave impetus to a long line of periodicals including Hanumant Singh Raghvanshi`s Swadesh Vandhav, Laxman Singh`s Praja Hiteshi, Taja Tar, Ujala, Citizen, Punch and dozens of others.

Women played a crucial role leading protest marches and participating in dharnas. Saroj Gaurihar, Parbati Devi, Bhagwati Devi Paliwal, Sukh Devi, Damyanti Devi Chaturvedi, Satyawati, Angoori Devi Jain, Shiva Dixit, Chandra Kanta Mishra, Vidhyawati Rathod and Heera Bahen Hemraj Betai of the INA were some of the leading figures of that era.

“So many others were there and there was absolutely no gender bias or differences,” says Saroj Gaurihar recalling her activities during those years, adding that “the boycott movement against foreign goods was recognized as the most successful by Motilal Nehru in Agra” in a speech.

Two stalwarts of the freedom movement, Thakur Ram Singh, the hero of Kala Pani, and Prof Siddheswar Nath Srivastav, died recently.

Officially, Agra witnessed 110 violent incidents that resulted in the death of British officials or destruction of property. The famous Hardy Bomb case, Postal Robbery case, Chamraua and Jaunia bomb cases at railway stations are still talked about.

Contrary to popular belief, the city played a very crucial and notable part in the hundred years preceding independence in 1947, but much of the record and documentation work has been lost.

“With more than 400 leaders arrested for varying terms in jail at different times, Agra`s contribution needs to be re-assessed and recognised,” says veteran media activist and former president of the press club Rajeev Saxena.

With railway connectivity to all parts, and situated on the borders of the Deccan plateau, the Thar desert and the Doaab region, Agra was naturally the key hub of revolutionary activities, says senior citizen Surendra Sharma.

IANS

source: http://www.zeenews.india.com / Z News / Home> News> India News> States News> Uttar Pradesh / Friday – August 14th, 2015

Panchala Museum plans gallery for freedom fighters

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Bareilly :

With the 69th Independence Day less than a week away, authorities at Panchala Museum are planning to set up a gallery dedicated to the lives of freedom fighters from the Rohilkhand region.

Officials have started collecting pictures, letters and other memorabilia belonging to those who were a part of the freedom struggle.

Abhay Singh, a professor at MJP and the project coordinator, said, “We are requesting families of these bravehearts to provide photographs and texts related to their lives. We are working on a strategy to gather as many belongings of the freedom fighters as we can and we also plan to appeal to the public through newspapers in this connection.”

“Residents aren’t aware of the kind sacrifices freedom fighters from this region made. With the gallery we plan to highlight their glories in our museum. For instance, FR Rahman alias Chunna Miyan who was known as Gandhi of Bareilly worked for creating communal harmony in the city,” Singh added.

However, setting up of the gallery is subject to the availability of required material.

Shyam Bihari Lal, head of the department of ancient history and culture, said, “The gallery will be set up in the museum only after we receive enough material to put things up on display.”

Many people from the Rohilkhand region, including Bareilly, Shahjahanpur, Pilibhit, Rampur, Badaun, Moradabad, Bijnor and Sambhal played an active role in the freedom struggle.

Bareilly was the headquarter of the Rohilkhand region during the revolt of 1857. In fact, on May 31 that year, freedom fighters killed several British officials including the principal of Bareilly College.

The museum is located on the MJP Rohilkhand University campus. Till now, it was only accessible to varsity students but it will be opened to public from this month.

“There will be no entry fee for outsiders but there will be timings for public visits,” said Singh. He added the final touches are being given to the renovation and beautification work at the museum.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India/ News Home> City> Bareilly / by Priyangi Agarwal, TNN / August 10th, 2015

Award-winning teachers get invite from PM on Teachers’ Day

Education, Records, All

Allahabad :

Award-winning teachers will be in for a special treat this Teachers’ Day (September 5) as they have been invited to have an interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on the September 4. The teachers, who have either been felicitated with National Award or the national incentive award by Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), would be invited by the government to interact with the PM.

A notice, mentioning an invite from the government, has been sent to the principals of all the KVS’ of the country by their respective regional office (RO). The Varanasi RO has sent the letter to all the principals of the KVS” in Allahabad for the information of the awarded teachers.

The letter, by KVS’ headquarter, dated August 11 and singed by assistant commissioner KVS’, D K Dwivedi, mentions that all the teachers who have been given the national award in the last five years and principals or teachers who have won KVS’ national incentive award during the last three years (2012-14) would be invited on September 4 to interact with the PM. The letter instructs the principal to furnish the information in a prescribed format.

The invite for interacting with the PM bears special significance for the city as there are two teachers and a principal who have been awarded with national incentive award in the last three years. Principal, KV New Cantt, Shalini Dikshit, was selected for the coveted national incentive award last year.

Remarkably, Dikshit’s name features along with three other principals of the country among 1,100 odd KVS’ in 29 regions. Likewise, Pallavi Sharma, principal KV number 3, Jhansi, who was awarded the national award in the year 2014 by President Pranab Mukerjee, would also be among the invitees.

“The award in itself was an honour and recognition of our work and now an invitation to interact with the PM gives us an added sense of responsibility that our efforts are not only being recognized but the PM too wants to share his idea of grooming the next generation of the country”, said Shalini Dikshit, principal KV New Cantt.

Along with Dikshit, two primary teachers, Purnima Pandey of KV Manauri and Archana Jaiswal of KV IIIT-A Jhalwa were also awarded with national incentive award. In all, there are around a dozen teachers who have been selected for the national incentive award and will be going to New Delhi to interact with the PM.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Allahabad / by Rajeev Mani, TNN / August 13th, 2015

At Aligarh village, shrine to British soldiers killed in 1857

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Shairpur (Aligarh):

In a strange twist of fate, nine British soldiers who died fighting rebels in the 1857 freedom struggle near this village are now worshipped by the descendants of the villagers. The locals, who believe the souls of the nine soldiers protect them from evil spirits, have turned the memorial plaque into a shrine with lit candles, incense sticks and red sacred thread.

Nearly 121 km from Agra, in the Gangiri block of Aligarh district on its border with Kasganj, the memorial plaque at Shairpur village commemorates British cavalrymen from two highly decorated regiments — the 6th Dragoon Guards, also known as the Carabiniers, and the 9th Queen’s Royal Lancers, who for their participation in the events of 1857 came to be called the Delhi Spearmen.

Engraved on the plaque are their names — Captain George Wardlaw, Lieutenant John Hudson, Lieutenant Sydney Vyse, Privates Joseph Barrett, Robert Chapman, Walter Cossar and Allen Eastwood of the Carabiniers, and Privates John Dyson and Henry Frampton of the Delhi Spearmen.

Surrounded by rice fields, tall shrubs and several trees including a peepal, the ramshackle memorial silently narrates the story of a bloody battle fought here on December 14, 1857.

The structure for the nine soldiers, known locally as ‘Kalajar’ since the war was fought near the Kaali river, has shrunk to its current size of 20 sq ft after villagers took up the surrounding land for cultivation.

However, what remains is of occult significance for locals. “On every holy occasion, local villagers, particularly women, worship this stone plaque. They tie sacraments at the peepal tree behind it, light earthen lamps and incense sticks and offer flowers to the dead soldiers’ souls,” said Jai Vir Singh, headmaster of the primary school at the village, just 30m from the grave. “It is certainly ironic that the descendants of the rebels who fought and killed these men offer them prayers today,” Singh added.

Others assign specific powers to the dead men. “We offer prayers here as we believe the souls of these men protect our village from evil spirits. Every year, the families of these soldiers also visit our village from Britain to pay homage to their ancestors who were buried here,” said Pushpender, a local villager.

BD Rana, son of the former local MLA Netram Singh, believes that the place is of historical importance and the government should take steps to conserve it. “During the Raj, this entire area was part of the Gungeree cantonment. Some five kilometres away, there is another tombstone protected by the ASI, but not much information is available on it,” Rana said.

Experts, however, play down the historical significance of the site. “As the tombstone indicates, there must be a graveyard of British soldiers in the area, but that doesn’t mean it is of historical significance. Scores of Britishers were killed by Indians and their bodies were buried at several places during the events of 1857,” remarked MK Pundhir, medieval archaeologist from the Centre of Advance Studies in History, Aligarh Muslim University.

“Worship of the tomb is a mere superstition. Since there is a peepal tree behind it, villagers over the years must have started worshipping the tombstone as well,” he added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Agra / by Arvind Chawhan, TNN / August 09th, 2015

CM Office directs to craft plaque

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With an aim to add sheen to its Heritage zone scheme the Uttar Pradesh Government is all set to put up plaques on the buildings of Lucknow where once historical personalities lived in bygone era.

The Chief Minister’s office has asked the Tourism Department to prepare a plaque that could match the flavour and history of Awadh and identify the houses once inhabited by historical personality – may be artist literature or even freedom fighter..

“This is a small gesture that will help people to identify the buildings where say once Premchand lived or where Mir Taqi Mir wrote his gazals. People might have passed through these buildings without knowing the historical importance of those structures,” a senior official in CM’s office told The Pioneer here recently.

The idea to have plaque at important buildings has been borrowed from London’s Blue Plaque. This plaues, which are in blue in colour, are put up on the buildings where famous people had lived and worked. It celebrates the architecture of London’s streets and the diversity and achievements of its past residents. London’s blue plaques scheme, founded in 1866, is believed to be the oldest of its kind in the world.

The official said that the scheme is aimed at to celebrate the link between people and buildings. “The buildings carrying plaques will invoke interest of the people about the person and the building where he lived. This will not only add to the historical importance of the city but also help the Tourism department to give added tinge to its Heritage zone scheme,” the officer said.

The Chief Minister’s office has asked the Tourism Department to prepare a detail proposal including the design of the proposed plaque. It has been asked to rope in historians like Yogesh Pravin to identify the buildings of city where the celebrities of olden era once lived.

There are over 50 litterateurs, artists, freedom fighters and people associated with films were either born or worked in Lucknow. From Mir Taqi Mir to Begum Akhtar, from Prem Chand to Sri Lal Shukla and from Pahari Sanyal to K.P. Saxena all have their share of association with Lucknow. Then there are people like Amrit Nagar, Kaifi Azmi, Bhagwati Charan Verma, Mirza Hadi Ruswa, Josh Malihabadi, Jan Nisar Akhtar and this list is endless. This scheme only aims at identifying the buildings where they lived.

“The buildings tell a lot about the character of the person who lived or worked there. Some of them may be dilapidated but they are rich in history,” he said. “The Plaque will not offer any kind of special protection to buildings, but will raise awareness of their historical significance. This in turn can assist in their preservation,” he said.

source: http://www.dailypioneer.com / The Pioneer / Home> State edition> Lucknow / by Biswajeet Banerjee, Lucknow / Saturday – July 25th, 2015

Kashinath Singh chosen for Bharat Bharti

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Lucknow :

Noted Hindi litterateur Kashinath Singh has been chosen for the state’s highest literary award, Bharat Bharti. The award, given by UP Hindi Sansthan, carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh. The award list for 2014 was announced on Monday.

Singh (78) has penned many novels and short stories. His most famous novel is ‘Kashi ka Assi’, which captures the vibrant hues of Banaras. The novel has been adopted for the upcoming movie ‘Mohalla Assi’.

The litterateur is known to have candid political opinions and opposed Modi’s arrival in Varanasi for Lok Sabha elections, saying he would use the holy city for Hindutva agenda. Singh had said that such agenda would pose threat to Varanasi’s composite culture.

Besides Singh, 100 other writers have been selected in various categories on the basis of their work which was evaluated and examined by a committee set up by Hindi Sansthaan.

Some prominent awardees include Mridula Garg (Lohia Sahitya), Vinod Kumar Shukla (Hindi Gaurav), Krishna Bihari Mishra (Mahatama Gandhi Sahitya Samman), Abhiraj Rajendra Mishra (Deendayal Upadhaya Sahitya Samman), Ramkrishna Rajput and (Avantibai Sahitya Samman). These awardees will get a cash prize of Rs 4 lakh each.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / August 04th, 2015

Wall of fame for UP’s brave women at GPO

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Lucknow :

On the 69th Independence Day, Lucknow division of the department of Posts will commemorate contribution of women freedom fighters of Uttar Pradesh through a display of postage stamps. UP’s first philatelic museum at the General Post Office is coming up with a separate Lucknow gallery titled ‘Shaan-e-Awadh Lucknow’, where a wall would be dedicated totally to these brave women.

The centrally air-conditioned gallery exhibiting some rare stamps issued on Lucknow city in different frames will be open for public from August 15 and include postage stamps featuring Vijay Lakshmi Pandit, Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, Jhalkaribai, Begum Hazrat Mahal, Rani Laxmibai, etc.

“The idea behind this initiative is to not only showcase the rich culture, heritage, cuisine of the state but also to commemorate journey of UP’s women freedom fighters,” said Vivek Kumar Daksh, Director of postal headquarters (UP). “We are also planning to release a coffee book table of the collection on the day of inauguration which will include details of achievements of women who are role models,” he added.

Besides these stamps on women freedom fighters, special covers of Munshi Naval Kishore, Asrar ul Haq Majaz, Kathak maestro Pandit Lacchu Maharaj, stamps of academic institutions like Colvin Taluqdars, Isabella Thoburn College, La Martiniere, KGMC, Loreto Convent, 200 years of Hazratganj, Vidhan Sabha and other historical monuments will also be on display.

The philately museum will display around 140 postage stamps issued on UP, while 22 of these would be exclusively on Lucknow. Each frame will have stamps put up chronologically according to the date of issue.

Along with sorting out the rarest and most valuable stamps, postal department officials are also busy giving the gallery a unique heritage design. Wntrance of the gallery will be a replica of Rumi gate, while ceilings will bear images of rare and oldest stamps of Lucknow using acrylic paints.

“The idea is to show the rich culture and heritage of Lucknow so the gallery would display souvenirs for visitors which would define the historical relevance of postal services in India and its strong connect with Lucknow city,” said R K Prasad, chief post master, Lucknow GPO.

In addition to the collections available with philatelic bureaus across the state, the postal department will also invite Lucknow’s philatelists to donate their collection to the museum.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home News> City> Lucknow / by Uzma Talha, TNN / August 02nd, 2015