Complex displays massacre of April 1919 in Amritsar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday “virtually” inaugurated the renovated Jallianwala Bagh “Smarak” complex displaying massacre of April 1919 in Amritsar saying the country is making all efforts to preserve the heritage of freedom fighters.
The PM saluted the brave land of Punjab and the soil of Jallianwala Bagh. “Those innocent boys and girls, those sisters, those brothers, whose dreams are still visible in the bullet marks on the walls of Jallianwala Bagh. That Shaheedi well, where the love of countless mothers and sisters was snatched away, their lives were snatched away. We are remembering them all today,” he said.
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, who also virtually attended the function, said, “Jallianwala Bagh Memorial must serve as a reminder for future generations about the right of the people to peaceful democratic protest.”
The Chief Minister also requested the Prime Minister to bring back the personal effects like the pistol and diary of Shaheed Udham Singh, who avenged the injustice of this massacre, from the United Kingdom to India.
He said Jallianwala Bagh is a place that gave courage to an innumerable number of revolutionaries like Sardar Udham Singh and Bhagat Singh to sacrifice their lives for the freedom of the nation.
While paying tributes to the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh, Modi referred to the partition and its disastrous consequences that affected Punjab immensely.
“Whatever happened during and after the partition can be seen in every corner of the country and especially in Punjab. We have marked August 14 as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, to remember the pain and sufferings faced by the people of India back then,” he said.
He said it is not right for any country to ignore such horrors of its past.
Remembering the role of India’s tribal community in the freedom struggle, Modi said they played a major role in the freedom struggle but their sacrifices didn’t find mention in history books to the extent they deserve.
“Work is in progress on museums to showcase the struggle of Aadiwasi freedom fighters in 9 States of the country,” he added.
He also said India’s first interactive gallery is being constructed in Allahabad. It will be dedicated to Chandra Shekhar Azad.
“There would rarely be any village in Punjab that lacks the saga of bravery and gallantry. Following the path shown by Gurus, the sons, and daughters of Punjab stand like a rock in the path of those who look at Mother India with crooked eyes” said the Prime Minister.
In his address, the Prime Minister invoked the teaching of Sikh Gurus saying ‘sukh doosron ki seva main hi aata hain “ and said India has brought ‘saropas’ from Afghanistan and referred to airlifting of Indians under operation ‘Devi Shakti ‘. He said in crisis every Indian anywhere in the world will be helped and recalled the tagline ‘India-first’.
Four museum galleries have been created in Jallianwala which showcase the historical value of events that unfolded in Punjab during that period via a fusion of audio-visual technology, including projection mapping and 3D representation, as well as art and sculptural installations.
The “Shaheedi” well has been repaired and restored with a redefined superstructure. At the heart of the Bagh, the flame monument has been repaired and restored, the water body rejuvenated as a lily pond, and the pathways made broader for better navigability