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Hindustan Times
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Landmarks of freedom struggle face monumental neglect in Lucknow
The rich history of Lucknow contains a treasure trove of incidents and memories associated with the Independence movement but major sites connected with the freedom struggle in the city present a picture of neglect, so much so that many of them do not even have proper plaques to mark their presence. The Rifa-e-Aam club in Lucknow. (Mushtaq Ali/HT) While some of these structures were razed during colonial rule with only their ruins remaining today, a few were converted into government offices after Independence. Some are protected while the rest are in a pitiful state and continue to face the onslaught of time, waiting for attention from the authorities. The Rifa-e-Aam club in Wazirganj is one such site. One would have to look thrice to find the weathered structure standing tall behind temporary shops run by several carpenters. At the entrance, there are a number of old doors behind shops and there is a pool of stagnant water at the location. The structure, which once witnessed a meeting of Annie Besant's Home Rule League and the first convention of the Progressive Writers' Association chaired by Munshi Premchand, has lost all its doors and windows. Dastango Himanshu Bajpai said, 'The Home Rule League and Progressive Writers' Association both played an important role in the freedom struggle but the Rifa-e-Aam club continues to be in a sorry state. However, there is a misconception among people that the Lucknow Pact was signed at the club. But as per the proceedings of the joint session of Indian National Congress and the Muslim League, it was signed in Qaiserbagh.' The Jhandewala Park in Aminabad was the epicentre of major political activities during the freedom struggle and hosted most of the prominent politicians of that time. Today, it lies in neglect. It would take at least 10 minutes for someone who does not frequently visit Aminabad to figure out where entry gates to the park are. It is encroached on all four sides with garment vendors at its periphery. It is also littered inside. 'It was at Jhandewala Park that Gulab Lodhi, a freedom fighter from Unnao, was shot dead in 1935 for defying the government's order by climbing a tree with a flag. It also witnessed speeches from prominent individuals, including Subhas Chandra Bose,' said former head of the modern history department, Lucknow University, Prof Aroop Chakravarti. The condition of Neil Gate, also known as Sher Darwaza, is no better. The first glance reveals posters of office bearers and runner-ups in the Central Bar Association election. Several vehicles are parked across the gate. A board that has tilted after facing several collisions from vehicles parked everyday around it says 'Centrally Protected Monument' Neil Gate. 'The (Sher) Darwaza or gateway got its name from the statues of a pair of lions installed on top. General Neil, who was leading the colonial forces outside the Residency, was surrounded and killed behind the gateway by the Indian forces led by Mahmood Mirza. With this, Mirza, who was also an officer of the Royal Army of the Nawabs, avenged the death of his son Agha Mirza Kambhalposh, who was hanged by the English forces,' said historian Roshan Taqui. Alambagh Darwaza stood witness to how Indian soldiers prevented the colonial troops from entering the city from November 1857 to March 1858. Today, it is also encroached and vehicles are parked around it. Many buildings in Alambagh were destroyed by the British after the battle, but the Alambagh Darwaza still stands tall. According to historians, it was also called Phansi ka Darwaza for a long time as several rebels were hanged at Alambagh Darwaza. The Qaiserbagh complex (a witness to the siege of 1857) is an example where the structure might be absent but stories of its association with the freedom struggle live on. The Tarowali Kothi was used as the headquarters by Maulvi Ahmmadullah Shah and other leaders of the masses to plan a rebellion against the British rulers. Now, it has no trace of even a plaque outside the building, which is currently the headquarters of State Bank of India in Lucknow. However, the ruins of the Residency, which the Indian forces captured after the Battle of Chinhat during the First War of Independence following an 87-day siege from July to November 1857, have been conserved and restored by the Archeological Survey of India. 'Experts among the Indian forces had dug up several mines from outside the Residency to the buildings inside. Soldiers used these mines to carry out attacks through explosives,' said historian and author Roshan Taqui. Despite attempts to rescue those trapped inside, the siege ended in defeat for the British forces and the death of over 2,000 people, including Henry Lawrence. When one enters the GPO, a cenotaph near the Mahatma Gandhi statue narrates the history of the court proceedings and the death sentence awarded to revolutionary freedom fighters associated with the Kakori Train Action plan. The Rumi Darwaza has also been restored and conserved by ASI. It was at Rumi Darwaza that the British hanged Agha Mirza Kambalposh, the son of Mahmood Mirza, an officer in the Nawab's Royal army, because Kambhalposh and his companions had attacked the force led by Captain Ommanney before the start of the First War of Independence. Musa Bagh, where the Indian forces had put up a brave front but were defeated during the 1857 war, is also undergoing restoration. Begum Hazrat Mahal and her son Birjis Qadar, who was on the throne, left for Nepal. Maulvi Shah killed a couple of British officers and escaped, but was betrayed by the king of Payawan (Shahjahanpur) and beheaded, said historian Roshan Taqui. The Dilkusha garden and Kothi saw a major battle between the Indian and colonial forces in November 1857 where Indian forces lost because they were heavily outnumbered, according to Subhash Kushwaha, a historian and author. Only a few towers and external walls of the Kothi were left after the battle. They are currently in a satisfactory state. Charbagh, a witness to the arrival of several freedom fighters, continues to stand tall though a board about Gandhi and Nehru's meeting is not very visible due to encroachment. Experts suggest there should be bigger boards, which can grab the attention of passers by narrating stories related to various incidents associated with freedom struggle. In the 20th century, Charbagh became a staging ground for the nationalistic forces, said Devesh Pandey, LU research scholar who has researched the role of Charbagh in the freedom struggle, 'Two prominent leaders of the Indian national movement, Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, first met at the Charbagh station in December 1916, when they came to attend the Congress session in Lucknow. When Lokmanya Tilak arrived by a special train to participate in this session, massive crowds swelled at the station to get his glimpse,' Pandey said. It was at the Lucknow station that freedom fighter Ramprasad Bismil saw how the iron boxes containing government funds were taken out unchained, he said. This gave him the confidence to carry out the Kakori Train Action to fund revolutionary activities. 'During the protests against the Simon Commission in 1928, Charbagh had become an important congregation ground for the protestors. In these protests, Dalit members of the Adi Hindu Samaj also raised their voice for securing their community's legitimate demands. The high point was reached during the Quit India Movement of 1942 which generated intense political activity in Lucknow,' Pandey added. Similarly, the Farangi Mahal lacks any cenotaph or plaque at the main entrance about its contribution to the freedom struggle. 'The main figure of the institute, Maulana Abdul Bari, collected grants from Muslims from across the country for the independence struggle and even invited Gandhi quite a few times. The visits of Gandhi to Farangi Mahal helped ease the Hindi-Muslim riots at that time and played a role in decreasing animosity between communities. Other prominent figures, including Jawaharlal Nehru, Sarojini Naidu and Abdul Kalam Azad, also visited it at various times. I have asked the Islamic Centre of India to add a cenotaph related to the contribution of Farangi Mahal outside the main gate,' said Imam Eidgah Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali.
NDTV
a day ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Lucknow Pact Of 1916: When Gandhi Met Nehru, Tilak Agreed With Jinnah
In the winter of 1916, Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru met for the first time at Lucknow's Charbagh railway station. The two leaders were in the city for the 31st session of the Indian National Congress. It concluded with the historic Lucknow Pact. Mr Gandhi was then on the fringes of Indian politics, and Mr Nehru was a restless young leader, impatient for change. The Congress session they attended together was a turning point for the national movement. The Political Winds Before Lucknow During the First World War, Britain sought Indian support, hinting at reforms. In 1914, Bal Gangadhar Tilak returned from six years in Mandalay prison, determined that Hindu-Muslim unity was key to Swaraj. Mohammed Ali Jinnah, in both the Congress and the Muslim League, was hailed as the "ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity." Their partnership would forge the historic Lucknow Pact. The Lucknow Pact Of 1916 On December 26, 1916, the Congress and the Muslim League held their sessions simultaneously in Lucknow. Mr Jinnah presided over the League, Ambika Charan Mazumdar over the Congress, with Annie Besant's Home Rule League also in session. The pact granted Muslims separate electorates, over-represented in Hindu-majority provinces and under-represented in Muslim-majority ones. It also ensured that no legislation affecting a particular community could pass if three-fourths of that community's representatives opposed it. Its core achievement was uniting Congress and the Muslim League, and giving minorities a real stake in governance. Tilak's Tilak On The Lucknow Pact Mr Tilak championed the pact in the Congress despite resistance from leaders like Madan Mohan Malaviya, BS Moonje, and Tej Bahadur Sapru. At the Home Rule League session, he said, "There is a feeling among the Hindus that too much has been given to the Muslims. As a Hindu, I have no objection to making this concession... We cannot rise from our present intolerable condition without the aid of the Muslims." Mr Tilak reasoned that the "triangular" struggle between Hindus, Muslims, and the British had to become a "two-way" fight between Indians and colonial power. Mr Tilak's newspaper 'Kesari' hailed the pact as "worthy of being written with golden letters," declaring that "Caste and creed distinctions, differences of opinion, personal jealousies... were finally drowned in the waters of Gomati." Why The Pact Failed The Lucknow Pact's promise faded quickly. The 1919 Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms ignored its demands, and Mr Tilak's death in 1920 removed a key champion. Mr Gandhi's rise brought mass, non-violent movements, which Mr Jinnah opposed, especially the Mahatma's support for the Khilafat Movement. Their differences led Mr Jinnah to leave the Congress the same year. Although Mr Gandhi valued Hindu-Muslim unity, he never based his politics on separate electorates. In 1932, he fasted in Yerwada Jail against the Communal Award, which granted separate electorates to the Depressed Classes, fearing it would divide society. Mr Jinnah saw separate electorates as temporary, but without Congress-League cooperation, the pact ultimately became a historical footnote.
Mint
a day ago
- Politics
- Mint
Independence Day 2025: 20 inspiring quotes from India's freedom movement to set every Indian heart on fire
India will celebrate its 79th Independence Day on August 15, 2025. Here are 20 inspiring quotes by prominent Indian leaders and freedom fighters: "We want complete Swaraj, not merely a change of masters." - Jawaharlal Nehru, during the Lahore Session of the Indian National Congress (INC) on December 31, 1929 "The British will have to give us freedom, or we will take it." - Bal Gangadhar Tilak, during a Home Rule League rally in Poona (now Pune) on April 28, 1916 "The only way to meet the British is with the sword.' - Subhas Chandra Bose, during a speech in Singapore on July 5, 1943, after taking charge of the Indian National Army. "If we have to fight, we must fight clean; if we have to sacrifice, we must do so with a pure heart." - Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, during the Quit India Movement in Ahmedabad on August 9, 1942. "It is easy to kill individuals, but you cannot kill the ideas. Great empires crumbled while the ideas survived." - Bhagat Singh, writing from prison in 1930–31 "Better remain silent, better not even think, if you are not prepared to act." - Annie Besant, during the Home Rule League movement, 1916–17. "The shots that hit me are the last nails to the coffin of British rule in India." - Lala Lajpat Rai, after being injured in a lathi charge during protests against the Simon Commission, 1928. "The power of the people is stronger than the people in power." - B.R. Ambedkar, speech to the Depressed Classes Conference in Nagpur in July 1942 "We will face the enemy's bullets. We have lived free, and we will remain free." - Chandrashekhar Azad, pledge before his final encounter with British forces, 1931. "India will not be free until the last untouchable is free." - B.R. Ambedkar, during a speech at the Depressed Classes Conference in Yeola, Maharashtra, on October 13, 1935 "A country's greatness depends not on the size of its army, but on the love its people have for it." - Sarojini Naidu, likely during 1910-1930 'Better is a thousand times to die at the hands of the oppressor than to live a moment under his rule.' - Alluri Sitarama Raju, leading the Rampa Rebellion (1922–1924) "Inquilab Zindabad" (Long live the revolution) - Coined by Maulana Hasrat Mohani in 1921, popularised by Bhagat Singh during the independence movement. 'Let India awake to the light of freedom.' - Mahadev Govind Ranade, urging social and political awakening in the late 19th century 'The British may rule our bodies, but they cannot rule our souls.' - Aurobindo Ghose, written in an editorial in Bande Mataram on May 15, 1908 'India's freedom will be incomplete without the emancipation of her women.' - Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, during a speech at the All-India Women's Conference in Delhi on December 29, 1939 "Freedom is the birthright of every nation, and India will claim it through sacrifice.' - Bipin Chandra Pal, during a public meeting in Calcutta (now Kolkata) on August 7, 1907 "The chains of India are the chains of humanity.' - Rabindranath Tagore, from the essay, 'Nationalism in India (1917) 'Do or Die.' - Mahatma Gandhi, during the Quit India Movement 1942 "Revolution is an inalienable right of mankind. Freedom is an imperishable birthright of all." - Bhagat Singh, articulating his political philosophy in 1929–30
