Champaran movement of 1917, which made Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi a Mahatma, will be the theme of the Bihar’s tableau to be showcased on the Rajpath in New Delhi on Republic Day.
A 9-foot tall statue of young Gandhi of 39 years, wearing Gujarati dress with a turban, is seen standing on the indigo plants in Champaran and a song sung by famous singer Sharda Sinha is played in the background.
This is after a gap of two years that Bihar is participating with its tableau in the national capital. “The theme of Gandhi’s Champaran Satyagraha will be eye catching and historic,” said a senior Government official. Bihar hopes to bag prize for this unique tableau as it coincides with the Gandhi’s Champaran visit centenary next year.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who had just returned from South Africa after scripting successful agitation there against whites, had arrived Patna on April 10, 1917 on way to Champaran to see the woeful condition of the indigo planters and the tyranny of British rulers. He reached Champaran on April 15 and three days got the externment order which was withdrawn on April 21. Historian DG Tendulkar writes: The tale of woes of Indian ryots, forced to plant indigo by the British planters, forms one of the blackest in the annals of colonial exploitation. Not a single chest of Indigo reached England without being stained with human blood.”
The Champaran Satyagraha was the turning point in the movement against British rule and fight for freedom. Gandhi spent a good part of 1917-18 leading the famous non-cooperation movement.
The tableau is under construction in Delhi as per the specification provided by State Information and Public Relations department (I&PRD). The nodal officer of tableau preparation Shailendra Kumar said Bihar has selected an important event of the modern history as well as the freedom struggle.
Gandhi Sangrahalaya secretary Razi Ahmad said he had also strongly recommended to showcase Satyagraha to coincide with the coming centenary of Gandhi’s Champaran foray. He recalled that in 1997 on the 50 years of India’s freedom and 125th birth anniversary of Gandhi, a tableau had been presented on Republic day in New Delhi by the Defence Ministry.
I&PRD secretary Pratyaya Amrit said the Bihar government came up with the idea of focusing the indigo plantation and the Gandhi’s movement in favour of the Champaran farmers and the idea was approved by the Defence Ministry. “We are confident that this tableau will be a cynosure at the Republic Day parade as it will remind the people about the golden chapter of freedom struggle,” he said.