EPICENTRE OF FREEDOM STRUGGLE HAS NO MEMORIAL TO RELIVE MEMORIES
BAREILLY: Equidistant from Delhi and Lucknow, the two big power centres of the country, Bareilly remained the epicentre of freedom struggle during the pre-Independence era. However, the district has no memorial where people can pay respect to the freedom-fighters who laid their lives for the country. Though there is a memorial at the Commissioner’s compound but that too is only partially accessible for the public. “Bareilly was one of the most important centres where the uprising of 1857 started. Revolutionaries like Khan Bahadur Khan took up arms against the British with an aim to overthrow them,” said historian Sudhir Vidyarthi. “The freedom-fighters set afire the offices and institutions of the British during the uprising and sided with Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal emperor,” he added. The people from the region also responded to the call for complete independence given by Mahatma Gandhi and took the national struggle forward. A Badaun-based historian Nafiz Khan said: “A couplet by Bahadur Shah Zafar suits well to the condition of Bareilly. ‘Ya mujhe afsar-eshahana banaya hota, ya mira taaj gadayana banaya hota’, which roughly translates to either you should have made me the leader of kings or have instead given me a crown fit for beggars.” “Like Bahadur Shah Zafar, who was a king but could not exercise any of his powers, Bareilly has a rich heritage of freedom struggle but does not have anything to prove it,” he said. Local leaders and administrative officials have tried to change the situation but all their efforts have only materialised into an open gallery at Gandhi Garden. The circular gallery has a Tricolour atop a 86-ft staff. The locals use the park for walks but the gallery and the flag hardly provide them a sense of historical importance of the district. “We come to the park for a walk and to get a sense of pride for our country after watching the Tricolur,” said Devendra Singh, a visitor. Asked as to how he would like to celebrate the Independence Day, he replied, “It’s a holiday and I will relax at home. Or maybe I will bring my children to the park in the evening. I don’t know, have not planned anything.” Bareilly falls in Rohilkhand region named after Rohilla warriors who migrated from Afghanistan and chose the area between Terai forest and Gangetic plains to live. Their decedents carried forward the legacy and when the time came, they revolted against the British to protect their motherland.