Many interesting, historic and unknown stories about the Viceregal lodge of DU were shared through a light and sound show at Jawahar Vatika Rose Garden. S Mallik reports
If buildings could speak, they would tell us stories of the past, important happenings and historic events that have shaped the country. There are many buildings that have been a witness to India’s freedom struggle but one among them, the Viceregal lodge Estate, which presently houses the office of the vice chancellor of Delhi University, has not only been the witness to the British rule but have also been an integral part of the National Movement.
The glorious journey of the estate, which was initially a hunting lodge and a circuit house of the British in 1933, to becoming a part of the university, was illustrated through a sound and light show at the estate’s Jawahar Vatika Rose Garden. The show highlighted the lesser-known history about the building.
Through history books we have learnt that the last viceroy of India, lord Mountbatten married lady Edwina. However, not many would know that he proposed to her in room number 13 of the Viceroy lodge, which now serves as the registrar’s office, during a royal regal ball. Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru were frequent visitors to the place. The majestic ballroom of the lodge, which saw several parties during the reign of lord Irwin, now serves as the university’s convocation hall. It was also the place where the Gandhi Irwin Pact was signed on March 5, 1931.
The thought of putting up such a show came to the vice chancellor of the university when the DU History Project began two years ago. The project was an attempt to organise an archive on nationalism and introduce students to it. Amrit Kaur Basra, deputy dean and coordinator of the project, said, “All the records that we found were surprisingly connected to DU and the Viceregal lodge estate and the area surrounding it. It was a collaborative effort of the history department, music department and all the professionals who agreed to help us put the show together.”
The show was supplemented with pictures depicting the journey of the lodge and its surrounding areas till the present day. They were all sourced from the university archives. It was accompanied by music which clearly distinguished the royal British activities and the proceedings of the Indian leaders. While Indian patriotic music like Vande Mataram and Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna made for the background score for the hanging of Bhagat Singh and Sepoy Mutiny, Johann Strauss II’s The Blue Danube, symphonies from Beethoven and Western compositions denoted the British affairs.
Suchitra Gupta, deputy dean of culture and youth affairs, said, “We got in touch with music producer Veenu Pasricha and he came up with the appropriate sound. We then sourced the records from the university’s music department. We also contacted professional people to do the voiceovers for Gandhi, lady Edwina, Irwin, British royalties and common people so that the narration sounded authentic.”
“We never knew the importance of the place till now. We did have an idea that a part of the campus was somehow associated with the freedom struggle and the revolt of 1857 but we did not realise that the building is a legend in itself,” said Manushree, a final year English honours student from Zakir Husain College. Even students from the history department rued at their lack of knowledge. “It is amazing to know that Bhagat Singh and two of his comrades were held captive in a dungeon inside the lodge. Plus, the room in which the university’s academic council conducts its meetings is where the legislative Assembly was held,” said Sangarsh Sounem Sapathy, first year student of Ramjas College.