Category Archives: Historical Links / Pre-Independence

Rail expo: Sneak peek into era long gone

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

Allahabad:

A railway exhibition is on in the city to transport people to the era of early trains.
North Central Railway has organised the exhibition which contains rare photos and old models right upto the present times.

As one enters the exhibition, there is an old photograph of Mahatma Gandhi in a railway coach being welcomed by people. The Father of the Nation toured the entire country on the instructions of Gopal Krishna Gokhale. History was created through this journey as he laid the foundation of our freedom struggle.

There are other rare photos of a special train carrying the urn containing his ashes when it halted at Tundla and Kanpur stations.

In another photograph, first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru can be seen laying the foundation of Allahabad junction.

It also has a rare photograph of the old Kanpur station whose foundation was laid in 1928 and the structure was completed in 1929. The cost of the building and other structures came to about Rs 20lakh.

The foundation of Indian Railways in the year 1853 made headlines in British newspapers. The exhibition also showcases some of the important bridges of North Central Railway including the completion of about 150 years of Naini bridge on river Yamuna in Allahabad.

The fastest train, Gatimaan Express, which runs between Hazrat Nizamuddin station ( Delhi) and Agra stations, finds place at the exhibition. Its speed is 160 km/hr which is the highest in Indian railways till now.

The exhibition also attempts a look into the future with Talgo coaches. These coaches run at about 200 km/hr and their trial run is expected to be in June. About nine Talgo coaches are arriving on April 21 by a special ship at Mumbai seaport.

These coaches also consume 30 per cent less electricity.

The exhibition will remain open for general public till Wednesday.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Allahabad / TNN / April 13th, 2016

Agra resident wants to present rare photos of Elizabeth visit to Will-Kat

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Agra:

An Agra resident who has a rare collection of pictures of the visit by Britiain’s Queen Elizabeth II to Taj Mahal in 1961 wants to meet Prince William and Princess Kate and present the collection to them as a gift during their visit on April 16.

Surendra Sharma, 70, president of Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society, in a letter to the British High Commission has sought a two-minute meeting with the royal dignitaries on April 16 to present an album containing pictures of William’s grandmother during her visit.

Sharma informed TOI that the pictures were taken by his uncle Kailash Nath Sharma. “During that time, there were just two photo studios in Agra and one of them was owned by our family. My uncle, who is now no more, had clicked pictures of Queen Elizabeth from close quarters. There were not so many restrictions in place at Taj Mahal back then. Even vehicles were allowed inside the premises of the monument,” he said.

“It will be a historical and emotional moment when the royal couple visit the Taj. William’s will be the third generation to tread the footsteps of their predecessors at the monument, and our intention is to make it more memorable. I hope the British High Commission will pay heed to my request and allow a two-minute meeting,” Sharma said.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, had visited the 17th century marble monument during their six-week long royal visit to India in 1961.

Later Lady Diana, mother of Prince William, visited the Taj Mahal in 1992. It will be the first time after the Diana visit that someone from the British royal family will be visiting the monument of love.

It is also being anticipated that William and his wife would hopefully re-create Diana’s famous photo taken at the monument’s central tank’s bench.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Agra / by Aditya Dev / TNN / April 11th, 2016

Smriti March to remember first war of independence

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Varanasi :

Volunteers of a social organization carried out ‘1857 Smriti March’ in the city on Tuesday to mark the March 29, 1857 when Mangal Pandey, a native of Ballia district and soldier in the 34th Bengal Native Infantry (BNI) regiment of the British East India Company, rebelled at Barrackpore and attacked British officers. It was the first major incident known as sepoy mutiny or the first war of independence.

Displaying the portraits of 1857 war heroes with national flags and raising slogans the volunteers carried out the march from Varunanagaram colony to Cultural Complex, Chowkaghat. Recalling the day as the first war of India’s independence, they remembered Mangal Pandey for the great uprising in the country.

According to records, at Barrackpore on the afternoon of March 29, 1857 Mangal Pandey attacked British officers of BNI. At that time the company had introduced new rifles, which used animal fat for greasing the cartridges. Mangal Panday refused to use the greased cartridges and broke into open mutiny and urged his fellow soldiers comrades to join him. Surrounded by guards and European officers, he tried to commit suicide by shooting himself and was seriously wounded. He was court-martialled, and hanged at Barrackpore on April 8, 1857. Indian Posts & Telegraphs Department issued commemorative stamp on him in 1984.

Later, Ballia became popular as ‘Bagi Ballia’ when it declared itself independent in 1942. To mark the occasion every year on August 19, people assemble at the gate of district jail and carry out a procession across the town. The procession culminates at Bapu Bhawan, Town Hall where a public meeting is held.

Known for rebellious nature, people of Ballia took active part in Quit India movement of August 9,1942. According to district records, during this period local natives and students took out processions, attacked the Bilthara Road Railway Station, Rasra treasury and Bairia police station.

Chittu Pandey headed the national government declared and established on August 19, 1942 for a few days before it was suppressed by the British. The parallel government succeeded in getting the Collector to hand over power and release all the arrested Congress leaders.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Varanasi / by Binay Singh / TNN / March 29th, 2016

A queen’s story

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A still from Gallantly Fought the Queen Photo: Special Arrangement
A still from Gallantly Fought the Queen Photo: Special Arrangement

This weekend watch the life of Rani Laxmi Bai unfold on stage

“Some historians say Rani Laxmi Bai was 33-years-old. Others say she was 22 and of course, that sounds more gallant,” says V. Balakrishnan, founder and artistic director of Theatre Nisha.

His play, Gallantly Fought the Queen, which premieres in the city this weekend, chronicles her story, which is one of a young widow and a regent queen who rises to command many men in battle.

She was one of the leading warriors of the First War of Indian Independence in 1857, and also, a celebrated character in history.

Inspired by Mahasweta Devi’s book, The Queen of Jhansi and D.V. Tamhankar’s The Ranee of Jhansi, the play endeavours to stick to facts and historical references. “We start the play with the Doctrine of Lapse being imposed on her kingdom.

There’s a very famous line in history, where she is supposed to have said, ‘Meri Jhansi nahi dungi’ (I will not part with my Jhansi). For a woman of her stature, who had never been bold, to have said something like that, sets the tone for the next two years of her life.”

With music by Srivaralaxmi ‘Maya’ and percussion by Vishwa Bharath, the play is juxtaposed with Subhadra Kumari Chauhan’s famous poem Jhansi Ki Rani. “This play has all elements of theatre: storytelling, live singing, dancing and martial arts. All that should be part of an actor’s repertoire, Meera Sitaraman will be exhibiting on stage.”

The play, which is largely in English, interspersed with a little Hindi, will be staged at Alliance Francaise on March 26 and 27 (3 p.m. and 7 p.m.). Tickets are priced at Rs. 200 (Rs. 100 for schools) and available on eventjini.com. For details, call 96771 72897.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Raveena Joseph / Chenai – March 24th, 2016

Nizamabad black clay pottery joins league of GI tagged products

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

Varanasi :

The famed black clay pottery of Nizamabad in Azamgarh district joined the league of Geographical Indication (GI) tagged products. Now, this region leads with six GI products in UP having a total of 21 GI certified products. Earlier, five products including famous Banaras Brocade and Saree, Handmade carpet of Bhadohi, Banaras Gulabi Meenakari Craft, Varanasi wooden lacquer ware and toys, and Mirzapuri handmade dari have already received the GI tag that conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness.

Black pottery of Nazamabad, one of the oldest industries, contributes substantially to the economic life of the people. The potters make tea-pots, sugar-bowls and other decorative articles. The earthen wares and statues of Gods and Goddesses particularly of Ganesh, Laxmi, Shiva, Durga and Saraswati are also made. The distinctive colours can be credited to the process in which the articles are fired in enclosed kiln with rice husks. The smoke generated in the process imparts the black colour. Designs are etched on the dry surface, which is then filled with silver paint that is made from zinc and mercury. To lend a glossy look to the products, some vessels are coated with lacquer when they are hot.

The Yuva Jagriti Pottery Shilp Samiti, Hussainabad, Nizamabad in association with Varanasi based Human Welfare Association and support with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Lucknow had applied for GI certification in October 2013.

Sohit Kumar Prajapati, a state awardee of the craft, said that over 300 years ago during the reign of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, some clay potters from Kutch (Gujarat) had migrated to Azamgarh and settled at Nizamabad to earn living. Here, they had created a brand known as black clay pottery, which is unique and only of its kind in the world. Sohit, his mother Seema Devi, wife Sarita Prajapati, father Ramjatin Prajapati and brother Mahendra Prajapati are also state awardees. His late uncle and aunt Rajendra Prasad Prajapati and Kalpa Devi were also honoured with national level award for furthering this unique craft.

Sohit had also displayed his craft at the 55th General Assembly of International Bureau of World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva, Switzerland held in October last year. “With this recognition the potters engaged in this industry will get more benefit for their works,” said Sohit. The HWA president Rajni Kant said that about 400 families are engaged in black clay pottery in Nizamabad. Though 90% products are exported, the financial condition of these people remains pathetic, as they get orders through middleman due to lack of marketing skill.

East UP: A Hub of GI products:

(I) Banaras Brocade and Saree: Banaras Brocade and Sarees that covers Varanasi, Mirzapur, Chandauli, Bhadohi, Jaunpur and Azamgarh districts got the GI tag in 2009.

(II) Handmade carpet of Bhadohi: Handmade carpet of Bhadohi covered the area on nine districts including Bhadohi, Mirzapur, Varanasi, Ghazipur, Sonebhadra, Kaushambi, Allahabad, Jaunpur and Chandauli got the tag in 2010.

(III) Banaras Gulabi Meenakari Craft: Got GI tag in 2014-15. Presently about 100 artists only in the city are engaged in this traditional craft of gulabi meenakari. About 50-60% products are exported to Europe, America and Gulf countries via Jaipur, Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi.

(IV) Varanasi wooden lacquer ware and toys: Got GI tag in 2014-15. The craft of wooden toys is also an old tradition of the city, and about 1000 families are engaged in this work.

(V) Mirzapuri handmade dari: Got GI tag in 2014-15. The area of Mirzapur handmade dari covers nine districts including Varanasi, Mirzapur, Bhadohi, Sonbhadra, Chandauli, Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Allahabad and Kaushambi. About 50,000 artisans are involved in this work, and about 60-70% of the product was exported to different countries. The tradition of handmade dari made of cotton and wool has been continuing since Mughal era.

(VI) Nizamabad Black Pottery: Got GI in 2015. About 400 families are engaged in black clay pottery in Nizamabad. The craft has been continuing since Mughal era.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Varanasi / Binay Singh, TNN / January 29th, 2016

Monuments in Kanpur get a face lift to boost tourism

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The KEM Hall, Phool Bagh Gora Cemetry and the ghats of Bithoor are being restored by the ASI.

Compared to Lucknow and Varanasi, tourist footfall in Kanpur is considerably low. Taking cognizance of it, the Kanpur district administration has begun sprucing up the monuments in the city to attract tourists to Kanpur. The administration has involved the Archaeological Survey of India in restoring landmark monuments in the city such as the King Edward Memorial Hall and the Gora Cemetery. Restoration work has also been going on at some of the ghats in Bithoor for the past four months.

“We wanted to promote Kanpur as a tourist destination, and so we took this decision to restore these monuments and places like Bithoor, which have so much historical relevance,” says Avinash Singh, ADM, Kanpur. “More tourists coming to the city will not only put the city on the tourism map, but also give a boost to the hotel and handicraft business in the city. The city administration, KDA and ASI have collaborated and have begun the restoration of historical places like the KEM Hall, Phool Bagh and the ghats in Bithoor. We have completed the first phase of restoration at Patthar Ghat in Bithoor. In the next phase we also plan to restore other ghats. The Kanpur Development Authority is reconstructing the famous Japanese Garden where the department also plans to start a light and sound show soon,” he adds further.

KB Saini, supervisor of the Archaeological Survey Of India who is helping restore the KEM Hall says, “Work is on at full swing at the KEM Hall. Since the hall is under the Kanpur Development Authority, they asked us to restore the building which used to be a recreation centre for the British businessmen and officials before independence. The building was in a dilapidated condition when we started the work but now we have restored almost the entire building and the final work is on.”

Another place which is being spruced up in the city is Phool Bagh, which used to be a lush garden during the British. But after independence the garden suffered great neglect. But now once again the authorities are trying their best to restore the former glory of the garden. Manoj Mishra, executive engineer KDA informs, “We wanted to make our city more beautiful and both the KEM Hall and Phool Bagh are landmarks of the city.”

The Gora Cemetery in Civil Lines has its own history. The cemetery has graves of British officers which had till now, were in a bad condition. The cemetery is also being given a makeover. Giving more information about this is Manoj Kumar Verma, the senior conservation assistant of ASI. “We have specially called masons from Panna and Jalaun, who are experts in restoration work, to work on these graves. The cemetery has almost 800 graves and till now nearly 70% of these have been restored. We have used the same building material and styling that was originally used while making the graves,” says Verma.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Kanpur / by Sumit Jha, TNN / January 11th, 2016

Jhansi honours its Rani’s descendents

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Jhansi :

Mixed emotions gripped 70-year-old Arun Krishna Rao ‘Jhansi Wale’, the great grandson of Damodar Rao, the foster son of Rani Laxmibai, when he stepped into Jhansi Fort. He was here with his son for a felicitation ceremony on the inaugural function of Jhansi Jan Mahotsav on Sunday.

After Laxmibai’s death in 1858 in the battle against the British forces and the subsequent surrender of her foster son Damodar Rao two years later, her descendants were gradually forgotten. Damodar’s family too chose to lead a life in isolation and had hardly enough money to make ends meet. Arun, a retired junior engineer from Madhya Pradesh Electricity Board, did not wish to divulge details of what travails the family went through.

“My father Krishna Rao and grandfather Laxman Rao worked as freelance typists in front of the courthouse in Indore. After the death of Rani Laxmibai, everyone thought that her son Damodar Rao too had died and no one spoke of him. However, he was brought to Indore and settled there by the British government. He was given a monthly pension of Rs 200 by them.”

A photographer by passion, Damodar could not do much professionally. His son Laxman became a typist but the income was hardly anything. After Damodar’s death, his pension was halved and later on, stopped.

As the fifth generation of Rani Laxmibai, Arun says, “My ancestors fought for the sovereignty of this country and if given a chance, I too am ready for the same. I do not expect anything from anyone for myself.”

When asked whether he had any hope or expectation that the government would recognize them as part of a royal family, he said, “How does it matter what I think? It has got no value and no one is going to hear you, especially when you are poor. My ancestors and I are more worried to feed their families. In such circumstances, how can we fight for our rights?

The entire Rao family lived in isolation till 2007 till local journalist and historian Mohan Nepali located them in Indore and felicitated them at a private function in Jhansi.

“It is really very sad that today the descendants of the great warrior, who is still worshiped no less than a God, are leading such a life and there is no one to take note of them,” said Nepali, adding that the government should recognise them.

Arun’s son, the sixth generation of Rani Laxmibai, is 37-year-old Yogesh Arun Rao ‘Jhansi Wale’ (as they love to call themselves). A software engineer in Nagpur, Yogesh said, “It is a matter of pride for me that I belong to the family of the great Rani who had shaken the entire British and the world still remembers her valour.” However, he also has a grudge that maximum people tend to disbelieve his claim after seeing their moderate living conditions which are quite unlike a royal family’s.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / by Arindam Ghosh, TNN / December 28th, 2015

5 Agra monuments in India’s top 10 frequented by foreigners

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

Agra:

Just the city of Agra and its close neighbour Fatehpur Sikri have five of the top 10 monuments in the country that are most visited by foreign tourists.

Replying to a query in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, Union culture minister Mahesh Sharma said Taj Mahal alone has 23% share of foreign tourists travelling to India. Agra Fort got 12% in 2014. He added that foreign exchange earnings through tourism in India during 2012, 2013 and 2014 stood at Rs 94,487 crore, Rs 1,07,671 crore and Rs 1,23,320 crore respectively.

The minister dismissed claims that the tourism industry had witnessed a decline compared to the last few years. “On the contrary”, he said, “foreign tourists’ arrival growth rate in India has more than doubled between 2012 (4.3%) and 2014 (10.2%). In 2013, it was a mere 5.9%.

In terms of exact numbers, a total of 6.58 million tourists visited India in 2012, which increased to 6.97 million in 2013 and 7.68 million in 2014.

Citing Archaeological Survey of India’s data on foreign tourist arrival at centrally-protected monuments in 2014, Sharma said Taj Mahal with 6.4 lakh visitors, Agra Fort with 3.43 lakh and Qutub Minar with 2.76 lakh were the top three tourist destinations in the country.

The other three monuments of Agra which featured in the top 10 list are Fatehpur Sikri (5th position), Akbar’s tomb (8th) and Itimad-ud daula (10th).

To another query on carbon pollution around the Taj Mahal, the minister said that the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) Authority has banned entry of Euro-I model, petrol/diesel-operated auto loader vehicles from July 31 to reduce vehicular pollution in the vicinity of the Taj. He added that TTZ Authority has also decided to convert petrol/diesel-operated commercial vehicles to CNG. So far, 34,302 vehicles have been converted to CNG in Agra, he said.

However, though the Taj Mahal still remains at the top of the most-visited monuments in the country, there has been a constant fall in the number of foreign visitors to the 17th century monument in the last three years. There were 7.9 lakh visitors from abroad to the Taj in 2012. But the number came down to 7.4 lakh in 2013, further dipping to 6.4 lakh in 2014.

Prior to 2012, the average foreign tourist footfall at the world heritage building had been increasing at a rate of 10-15% per annum. In 2010, 6.1 lakh foreigners had visited the Taj. The number went up to 6.7 lakh in 2011 and further to 7.9 lakh in 2012.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Agra / Aditya Dev, TNN / December 02nd, 2015

British ‘de-developed’ India, says Darwin descendant

Education, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, World Opinion

Lucknow :

The British did not develop, rather “de-developed” India, said Felix Padel Darwin, a descendent of evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin. “India was developed long before and British conquered it because they were developed militarily,” said Darwin, an adjunct professor in Jawarlal Nehru University’s School of Social Sciences, visiting the city for a national seminar on ‘Social ecology and environmental movements in India’ at Lucknow University.

“India was far more developed than Britain in terms of multi-cultural ethos and in its manufacturing skills. After the British rule, the quality of manufacturing in many things like cloth declined radically and went in the ‘de-developing’ mode,” he said.

Tribal communities (adivasis) whose lands are taken over or invaded by a mining company or for a dam, undergo a precisely similar process, said the social scientist, adding that it’s a long process of developing a symbiosis as their natural environment is cut off and their quality of life drops drastically. Their indigenous process of development is disrupted and destroyed effectively, he elaborated.

Darwin is fascinated with the indigenous culture of the tribal communities. “They are egalitarian, have excellent environmental knowledge. Tribal societies are far more developed than the mainstream industrial society, especially if we look at living sustainably,” he said.

Terming the mainstream industrial society as uncivilised and primitive, the London-born sociologist-activist said adivasis have a strong sense of law which the entire country must learn from. Their legal process reconciles with contestants rather than one party right proving the other wrong. “Traditionally, both parties were usually fined, and the fines paid funded a feast of reconciliation. What can be more civilised than that,” said Darwin, and adds, there are thousands of thousands court cases pending.

The scenario is no different in developed countries like America. Darwin said, in India, corruption is very easily visible. “The corruption starts from my own country Britain. The top accountancy firms don’t even see the proper documents. They just see the mark of British approval. It is meaningless but is completely forced,” says Darwin

Human right is the index of development of the country. But today, thousands of police officers are raping with complete impunity. “In Shivaji’s regime, the person committing rape was immediately executed. I am not saying that capital punishment is right or wrong but it surely created a fear among others,” said Darwin.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / by Isha Jain, TNN / October 14th, 2015

In Lucknow to trace their roots, love for India

Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

Lucknow :

He is not an Indian but a part of India always lived inside Noel Gunther. In fact, the desire to see ‘Charbagh’ grew with this Briton in mid 50s. On Saturday, his dream came true and the ‘happiness of its achievement’ rolled down his eyes as tears.

Overwhelmed with joy, Noel said, “I could feel the warmth of my grandfather’s love in the air.” Noel represents a group of some 1.2 million non-Indians surely in love with India brought together by London based ‘Families in British India Society (FIBIS) a not for profit organization started in 1998. Accompanied by 15 others, Noel reached India to trace his roots in September.

“Charbagh was the workplace of my grand-father Robert Upshon who worked as electrician in Indian Railways and stayed in Lucknow in the 1920s – the formative years of Charbagh Railway Station,” he said.

Trustee of FIBIS, Elaine MacGregor who headed the group said, “Ancestors of all FIBIS members have a common heritage emanating from India. Their forefathers have worked or lived in cities of Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Kanpur, and Meerut among others in years between 1600 and 1947 AD.”

So far, the group has covered Delhi, Meerut, Amritsar, Dharmshala and Shimla. After Lucknow, they would travel to Kanpur, Bithoor, Agra and Jaipur before leaving in the coming week. “While other places are important, Lucknow stands out because a large chunk of people who visited India are connected to it,” Elaine told TOI.

“Lucknow’s importance may be gauged from the fact that one-third of all queries received by FIBIS are related to it,” she added. In Lucknow, the group would pay a visit to La Martiniere and Residency on Sunday morning besides having a brief walk in Hazratganj.

Like Noel, other members in the group are also very sure of their Indian connection. Some of them have done individual researches to establish their links. Noel for instance had Baptism record of his aunt who was born in Lucknow.

Others relied on FIBIS which ‘joins the dots’ for British in love with India with the help of references. “We have a name data base of 1.28 million members extracted from hundreds of documents including East India Company Parish Registers, Newspapers, Directory of British residents in India, old books, photographs and diaries,” said Elaine.

Besides reclaiming one’s history and origin and answering ‘who do you think you are?’ the journey is a nostalgic experience to most. Twenty year old Mark, youngest member in the group says that decided to explore a country they are so passionate about while Penny from Brisbane wanted to see her alma mater – the La Martiniere Girls College once again.

A secondary aim is to document condition of British cemeteries in India. Valmay, who is compiling the report said, “Many cemeteries are overgrown and missing. But there are some positive stories as well as in case of Shimla where a local pastor has volunteered to save cemetery.”

Two other groups starting from Bengaluru and Kolkata would come in the subsequent weeks.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / by Shailve Sharda, TNN / October 11th, 2015