Gandhi’s connection with city runs deeper than structural remnants

aMarking the 155th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, several social and political organisations paid rich tributes to the Father of the Nation today. Though the city has many structural memorials and landmarks that remind us of Gandhi and his principles, his connection with the city runs deeper.

Mahatma Gandhi’s connection with Amritsar has often been cited as one of the defining moments for the Indian Nationalist Movement in the aftermath of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. According to historians, Mahatma Gandhi visited Amritsar twice — once in 1917 and later in 1919 — after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre when the Hunter Commission was constituted to hold an inquiry into incident. During his visit to Amritsar, Gandhi had paid obeisance at the Golden Temple and later, moved to Lahore.

It was in 1919, when he interacted with villagers of Punjab, the people who made him see the extent of atrocities being inflicted upon Indians by the British. In 1919, when Gandhi called for Satyagrah against the Rowlatt Act, nationalist leaders, including Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr Satyapal, gave a call to shut down the city and join the movement from Amritsar.

This later resulted in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre ordered by General Dyer, triggering a national backlash and giving impetus to the call for independence. Today, there are several structures in the city that remind us of connection with Gandhi. The Hall Gate that was named after British Deputy Commissioner HC Hall at the time was popularly called Gandhi Gate. The tradition continues till date. Another structural legacy of Gandhi is the statue that was erected inside the Company Bagh. It is probably the oldest statues in the city.

Situated in the historical Ram Bagh, popularly known as Company Bagh, it was unveiled by former Vice-President of India Dr S Radhakrishnan on Gandhi’s birth anniversary on October 2, 1960. It shows Gandhi in a walking posture with his stick in hand and wearing spectacles that have now become a symbol of Gandhian principles. The statue is protected by a glass cover to prevent any damage. Not many know that one of the residential avenues in the Islamabad area, 12 Makaan Mohalla, is named after Gandhi. The Gandhi Ground, also known as Guru Nanak Dev Stadium, too, is named after him. The Swaraj Ashram in Chatiwind was established in his memory in 1918.

A photograph of Gandhi at the Jallianwala Bagh museum has seen many prominent visitors, including state heads and leaders, who pay tributes to Mahatma.