Category Archives: Historical Links / Pre-Independence

Revitalising city monuments

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

Lucknow:

The city just might have the pride of an underground museum corridor from Darshanbilas to Farhat Baksh via Lal Baradari connecting it to river Gomti.

Teachers at faculty of architecture (affiliated to UPTU) have come up with a proposal to revitalise the Chhatar Manzil complex, a relic of the Nawabi era. The proposed connection of Farhat Bakhsh (earlier part of Chhatar Manzil) can be restored with an underground museum corridor from Lal Baradari and the pavilion bridge can be reconstructed as pedestrian connection across the river. The objective is to revive glory of Chhatar Manzil’s historic manifestation and its connection with the river.

“Chhatar Manzil and Farhat Baksh are isolated monuments on the banks of Gomti. Chhatar Manzil comprises the Lucknow skyline but the royal building does not enjoy the glory it deserves,” said Vandana Sehgal and Ritu Gulati, experts who’ve made the proposal.

As per the proposed design, Farhat Baksh and Bada Chhatarmanzil can be live museums of handicraft and live performance of traditional Lucknowi dance and drama (dastaangoi). The landscaped court of the Bada Chhatarmanzil and the Chhota Chhatarmanzil footprint can be an open sculpture court and area for live fine art demonstration.

The riverside can be developed as a promenade with kiosks for food, drinks and curios, which will also direct movement towards the Gomti, where it will connect the complex to the erstwhile Bridge of Pavilions that needs to be reconstructed to go across the river to the esplanade on the other side, said Vandana. This perspective weaves all the fragmented parts of the complex physically and metaphorically with the river and the city.

During Ghazi-ud-din Haider’s time, the Chhatarmanzil Kalan badaa (next to Farhat Baksh) and the Chhatarmanzil Khurd chhota were connected through a court. The latter was flanked by Darshanbilas and Chaulakhikothi. These two monuments can be connected through a court as a foreground for performances in the backdrop, said Ritu.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / October 01st, 2014

Historian’s guide through the Constantia

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

Lucknow :

The grand construction of General Claude Martin, the Constantia, served as a lodge for Freemasons, a secret society, as many of the English officers including Martin were Freemasons.

Many such lesser known facets pertaining to the life and times of Claude Martin were brought to light by celebrated British historian, Dr Rosie Llewellyn Jones at La Martiniere College on Sunday. The talk was organised by Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural heritage (INTACH), Lucknow Chapter.

After being attacked by the Raja of Banaras invading Lucknow through Farhat Baksh Kothi, General Claude Martin began residing in the Constantia which he built as a fort. Constructed with four spiral columns that go right up to the terrace, cleverly with a lone staircase, Gen Martin made sure the building he liked to show off to his fellow Englishmen was secure with iron doors made from imported English iron. These doors could then be shut once a single man defending the building from the top took position upstairs.

Constantia was safeguarded by cannons on the first floor of the building next to lion statues with lamps within them. “Its construction as a defensive structure to frighten people, basically its attackers, is one of the least known features of the Constantia, which prior to being an educational institution, was a fort,” shared Dr Jones.

INTACH’s convenor Vipul Varshney talked about the axial symmetry and architectural genius of the gigantic structure with pioneering ventilation. Dr Jones also spoke about many paintings of Claude Martin.

Iron girders in the basement of the Constantia go deep down to its foundation. Dr Jones denied presence of any such tunnels opening into the Gomti against a popular myth.

Convernor Vipul Varshney talking about the architectural skyline of Lucknow said, “the heterogeneity of cultural conceptions and artistic styles triumphed to strike a harmony between the many buildings of Lucknow getting along the Nawabi and English architecture successfully in Lucknow’s skyline, and so in that order we decided to educate and inform Lucknowites about one such magnificent structure, the Constantia.”

Gen Martin a self taught man had as many as 5000 books and the presence of certain books on creating electricity have made historians like Dr Jones believe that he might have attempted to create electricity as well in the lower rooms of the Constantia. The result of his trial and error techniques on it though are yet to be studied further.

Heritage conservationist and lawyer by profession, Mohammad Haider stating the building as an unprotected monument applauded the efforts of Principal Carlyle McFarland, the staff and students of the college, ” the unique feature of this building stands in the fact that it has been well maintained within the precincts of its original form and the monument an architectural masterpiece is devoid of any uncalled for scribbling on the walls of the campus unlike the state of most protected monuments in the country.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Yusra Husain, TNN / September 29th, 2014

When Wajid Ali’s mother went to meet the Queen

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

Lucknow :

After Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Lucknow lost his empire, his mother Janab-i’Aliyyah went all the way to England to meet the Queen and seek justice, but she failed in her mission as she got no audience.

History lovers in Lucknow will now have access to new insights into the life and times of the last Nawab of Oudh along with rare pictures and never-heard before information. Regarded by the East India Company as a debauched ruler who spent his time with ‘fiddlers, eunuchs and women’ instead of looking after the kingdom, Wajid Ali Shah has become the centrepiece of yet another historical book.

Written by British historian Rosie Llewellyn Jones, ‘The Last King in India’ talks, besides his mother’s failed overseas mission, about Begum Hazrat Mahal’s revolt in 1857.

Though most artifacts of historical importance were lost forever after the downfall, with painstaking efforts, they have re-surfaced to narrate the story of an era in which the Nawab created exquisite poetry, theatrical pieces, music and dance. In the well researched book, he comes across as a compassionate person towards his subjects. The magnificent Qaiserbagh built by him came to be known as one of the most elaborate palace complexes ever created.

Given how little was known about the last Nawab of Awadh, the historian and author researched about Wajid Ali Shah from the original documents in Indian and British archives and through meetings with his descendants.

Several paintings and photographs have also been found. In one of the photographs Wajid Ali Shah is seen sitting with one of his 350 wives and a child on a couch. Although, almost every palace and structure along the banks of Hooghly river was either destroyed or auctioned by the British after his death in 1887, in order to eliminate any chances of a rebellion, his pictures still hang on the wall in Matiya Burj.

It is said that he had actually created a miniature Lucknow in Matiya Burj and transported its multi-faceted culture there.

At the release of her latest book, Jones said “I have always been a fan of Wajid Ali Shah. He was misunderstood by the British as he never wanted bloodshed in his kingdom and continued not to bow against them, much to their dismay. His love for poetry, art and dance is admirable and he was one of the greatest patrons of the cultural landscape.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Shefali Mehrotra, TNN / September 28th, 2014

Sarnath awaits World Heritage site status

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

Varanasi :

The Buddhist marvel in Sarnath, where Buddha preached his first sermons, is yet to be declared World Heritage. Sarnath and Kushinagar in UP are the main Buddhist destinations, but unfortunately, none of them finds a place in the UNESCO World Heritage List, while the Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodhgaya in neighbouring Bihar and Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi in MP are in the UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

However, the ancient Buddhist site of Sarnath had been included in the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage in 1998 in cultural category. In the tentative list, it was submitted that the monuments in Sarnath are divided into two groups- Chaukhandi Stupa under Group ‘A’ and all other monuments at the sites like Stupas, monasteries, and temples under Group ‘B’.

Chaukhandi Stupa is a lofty brick structure crowned with an octagonal tower. The octagonal tower is a Mughal monument built by Goverdhan, the son of Raja Todarmal in 1588 AD to commemorate the visit of Humayun to this place.

The second group, which contains remains of several stupas, monasteries and Ashoka column are built in brick and stone and datable from the 3rd century BC to 12th century AD, forms the major and important segment of the site. The Ashoka column, Dharamrajika stupa, Dhameka stupa, the remains of the temple and a series of monasteries and stupas are the most important remains of the site.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Varanasi / TNN / September 20th, 2014

Tunday Kebabs in Rs 50 crore law suit over trade infringement

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel

The world famous ‘Tunday Kebab’ of Lucknow has been caught in Rs 50 crore lawsuit over trade infringement.

Mohammad Muslim, who runs the ‘Lucknow Wale Tunday Kebabi’ chain of restaurants in Lucknow and beyond and is maternal grandson of the legendary one armed chef, late Haji Murad Ali ‘Tunday’, has sued the food chain’s current owner Mohammad Usman for trade infringement staking claim over the popular brand.

The Civil Judge (Senior Division) Ashok Kumar has asked Usman who runs restaurants in the name of ‘Tunday Kababi’ to come with his reply into the matter. The next hearing is on September 27.

Muslim has alleged that Usman has created the controversy over the inheritance of the chain of restaurants famous for melt-in-the-mouth Kebabs and other non-vegetarian delicacies. He said being the relative of the late Haji Murad Ali Tunday, he had every right to be part of the business.

TundayLUCKNOW22sept2014

“I am the real kin of Haji Murad Ali. We are running Lucknow Wale Tundey in Lucknow and outside for quite some time now,” Muslim said.

Contradicting Muslim’s claim, Usman said that the former was not directly related to Lucknow Wale Tunday. He said he came from Saudi Arabia and fraudulently used the brand name of Tunday Kebabs in Lucknow with his partner.

“He has no blood relation with use. I will fight it in court,” he added.

What started with a small shop in the old Lucknow city, Tunday is now a huge business empire with outlets in several parts of the city and outside.

source: http://www.news18.com / News18 / Home> English> News> Uttar Pradesh / by Gulam Jeelani / Monday – September 22nd, 2014

Academy to revive rare books

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All

Allahabad :

As part of its initiative to revive its lost glory, Hindustani Academy has started publishing rare out of print Hindi and Urdu literary books of the pre-Independence era. The first in the series is a book on legendry king Raja Bhoj.

Raja Bhoj’s ‘Coronation millennium year’ was celebrated in 2011 in Madhya Pradesh for one year. A book, ‘Raja Bhoj’ written by Ramagya Dwivedi ‘Sameer’ was published once in 1932. It was selected to be published.

The publication of two other rare books of the third decade of last century, ‘Awadh Kosh’ (1934) and ‘Prayag Pradeep’ (1937) have also started rolling and are expected to hit book shelves.

Prayag Pradeep was stated to be an exhaustive description of the socio-political history of Allahabad, documented by Shaligram Srivastava in 1937.

Sunil Jogi, chairman of the academy said the books would provide a good reading material for the readers as well as research scholars.

“The ‘Awadh Kosh’ published once in 1934 and written by Ramagya Dwivedi ‘Sameer’ is another book worth reading and incorporates the socio-geographic status of regions coming under the then Awadh, the districts of Faizabad, Lucknow, Pratapgarh, Allahabad, Shravasti, Sultanpur, Unnao and Kanpur,” Jogi added.

It may be mentioned here that Hindustani Academy, established in January 1927, publishes, promotes books in Hindi and Urdu. Till 80s, the academy used to buzz with literary discussions with stalwarts like Mahadevi Verma, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Jagdish Gupta and others regularly participating in debate. The Academy also holds seminars, talks and lectures for the promotion of the two languages.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Allahabad / by Vinod Khanal, TNN / September 18th, 2014

Museum makes rare objects, artifacts available in printed images

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence

Allahabad Museum has opened up its treasure trove of artifacts and rare objects for its visitors by making them available in printed images of the objects at Rs three to five. The decision was taken to attract the gen-next along with foreign and domestic tourists. At present, museum sells prototypes of the objects in its possession.

State governor, Ram Naik, also chairman of the museum, would start the scheme during a function at its auditorium on September 17. He would also release brochures and books related to the museum and its artifacts. Images of the rare objects available only with the museum are expected to help the students and researchers for history project work.

“The aim is not to increase the revenue of the museum but to arouse interest among youngsters about the museum objects. The images are available in glossy images and paintings in galleries so the price has been kept minimal,” said Rajesh Purohit. The museum would ensure that prototypes too remain within the low price range, he added.

Meanwhile, to make seminars, organised in the museum, more attractive, the museum officials have decided to put on display all the items related to the seminar in the galleries for visitors. As part of the initiative, in the upcoming seminar ‘Shiva in India’, the interiors of the museum would be decked up with various idols of Lord Shiva belonging to a different period.

“The move has been made to give a practical experience of the discussions in the seminar. The famous Lord Shiva idols and statues, belonging to different century, would be put on display in central hall for the seminar,” said Purohit.

The museum houses objects of historical and archaeological importance ranging from 100-years-old to 2000-years-old. Prominent among them are the terracotta objects excavated from nearby district of Kaushambi, Chandrasekhar Azad’s pistol and Nehru-Gandhi belongings among others.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Allahabad / Vinod Khanal, TNN / September 13th, 2014

61 Mughal-era silver coins found in Kanpur

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All
Representational Image RNA Research & Archives
Representational Image RNA Research & Archives

A total of sixty-one Mughal-era silver coins with Arabic inscriptions imprinted on them have been found from an earthen pot near the bank of river Ganga in Cantonment area in Kanpur.

The coins were found last evening when a few kids had gone to the river Ganga’s wharf in Cantonment area to take bath where they found an earthen pot filled with shining coins in it, police said.

Ram Kishan Das, a priest at the wharf, after knowing the incident, informed police and Army officials which then took the relics under its authority and has informed Archaeological Survey of India about the coins, Major CP Bhadola said.

ASI has conducted a search at the site and sent a preliminary report to their Lucknow office, an official said.

“The coins have some inscriptions on it in Arabic script, we are guessing that these might belong to the Mughal era,” ASI officer Manoj Verma said.

source: http://www.dnaindia.com / DNA / Home> News> India / Place: Kanpur, Agency: PTI / Saturday – September 13th, 2014

Royal Style

Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All

AkbarLUCKNOW11sept2014

Centuries before Peter Stillman the elder, the eccentric/insane professor in the first part of Paul Auster’s The New York Trilogy, had conducted a ghastly linguistic experiment on his son by locking him up in a dark, empty room from birth to find out his ‘natural’ language, a famous Indian emperor had supervised a similar research in real life. In the outskirts of Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar kept a ‘dumb house’, where babies were reared by dumb wet nurses: the emperor wanted to ascertain what language they would speak once they grew up under these laboratory conditions. Disappointingly, the experiment failed, and the children were found to have acquired no god-given or natural language when they were visited a few years later.

This incident may suggest that Akbar was a cruel man but the moral judgment would overlook his keen scientific temperament — this disposition had also led him to order the mating of a goat and a deer. The same urge to look beyond the given and to find out what happens when boundaries are crossed must have inspired him to create Din-i-Ilahi, the syncretic religion that still speaks volumes for that progressive man who could think of a faith combining elements from several existing religions in the 16th century. Akbar’s character, as analysed by Lucy Peck in FATEHPUR SIKRI: REVISITING AKBAR’S MASTERPIECE (Roli, Rs 795), is as intriguing as this palace complex built by the emperor over years and then, suddenly abandoned. Peck revisits the old mystery surrounding Akbar’s unexpected moving of court from Fatehpur Sikri, and although she doesn’t join the dots, the solution seems to lurk somewhere in the emperor’s character rather than in material causes, like the alleged shortage of water there.

Peck’s Akbar is an artist, with all the attendant symptoms and characteristics of artisthood. He seems perfectly capabale of believing six contradictory things before breakfast. However, that may well be because the Akbar about whom we read now is a construct of texts by three different people with different agendas — Abul Fazl, who is all-praise for the emperor; Badauni, who, displeased by Akbar’s religious tolerance and out of favour in the court as a result, is embittered; and the Jesuit priest, Monserrate, whose account is seemingly unbiased because it is by an outsider. Sifting through their stories, Peck presents a flamboyant Akbar whose interests range from block-printing, carpet-weaving, taming elephants, flying pigeons to settling his subjects’ disputes hands-on, debating tirelessly on religious issues, sometimes throughout the night. He is possibly an epileptic — given his frequent trances — a dyslexic and an opium eater, subject to bingeing bouts. He spends nights meditating alone on a rock, seeking answers to life’s questions. Add to this driven, excessive nature the emperor’s prerogative, and one can begin to fathom why, for instance, he ordered the dumb house experiment or built a place like Fatehpur Sikri, with its eccentric blend of varied styles, its mix of austerity and extravagance. As Peck writes of the buildings of Fatehpur: “[They] reveal themselves to be remarkably disparate. One can well imagine Akbar hearing about or seeing an unusual building and saying, ‘I’ll have one of those.’”

Top right is an illustration of the diverse designs that come together in Fatehpur Sikri. The grapevines look European while the pattern on the right panel resembles the stringed decorations that Hindus hang from the top of door frames on festive occasions. Left shows Akbar in the Ibadat Khana, where he held the discussions with people of other faiths that eventually resulted in Din-i-Ilahi. Bottom left is the tank on the banks of which Akbar’s courtiers had met on the emperor’s birthday in 1582 to celebrate the occasion with games of chaupar, chess and cards. Akbar had looked on with mixed feelings at such frivolities until disaster struck: a side of the tank collapsed and the water swept downhill, washing away settlements. The breathtaking ceiling of the Royal Baths is on bottom right.

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, Calcutta / Front Page> Opinion> Story / by Anusua Mukherjee / Friday – September 05th, 2014

LMGC moves alumnae to restore Khursheed Manzil

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All

Lucknow :

After financial assistance from Ministry of Culture towards conservation of the magnificent Khursheed Manzil, the La Martiniere Girls’ College looks up to its alumni to contribute towards converting the historical structure into a museum. The conservation work began in mid-June.

In the general body meeting of the La Martiniere Girls’ Alumni Association held recently, the school management had asked alumni to contribute towards renovation of Khursheed Manzil.

Principal Farida Abraham said “a museum is being prepared to preserve all old records and documents so that students present and past can relate more closely with the college’s glorious past.” Public will get a closer look at the antique remnants of this 200-year-old landmark, she added.

The grand museum will spread across three rooms comprising staff dining hall, drawing room and verandah, and would be adjacent to the principal’s office. The museum will exhibit the treasure trove of the historic college.

In an attempt to restore the pristine glory, the college had approached Union ministry of culture with a proposal. In May, the ministry sanctioned Rs 48 lakh. The total project outlay is around Rs 3 crore.

Conservation architect Ashish Srivastava said “the building was in a shambles. During excavation work, the college found pottery, good collection of books and paintings, picture plates dating back to pre-Independence years and other documents like shield, comments by old Martinians, etc.”

The college also plans to set the clock back. A drawbridge that led to the building in the past will be put in place so that visitors get a feel of the 18th century castle. This structure was witness to some stubborn fighting during the first War of Independence in 1857.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Isha Jain, TNN / September 09th, 2014