Mr Hashmi spoke at length on issues like the revamp of Jallianwala Bagh, the redevelopment of Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, the proposed renovation of Sabarmati Aashram, the role of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in such projects, and the ongoing controversy over glorification of Mughals.
The recent revamp of the Jallianwala Bagh, where more than 1,000 people died 102 years ago, creating one of the darkest chapters of Indian history — has created a massive public outcry. The major part of the criticism is focused at the transformation of the unadorned passage into the hi-tech galleries. The passage, through which General Dyer had led his men and ordered them to open fire on the thousands of men and women holding a peaceful protest on the day of Baisakhi, has now been completely altered.
Historians, politicians and intellectuals have slammed the Modi government for destroying the last traces of the history at the Jallianwala Bagh complex. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, in two tweets (one each in Hindi and English), lashed out at âthose who didnât struggle for freedomâ and said that he, as âthe son of a martyrâ, âwill not tolerate this insult⌠at any costâ. Historian S Irfan Habib called the revamp a “corporatisation of monuments” and said the government was “meddling with the flavours of the period these memorials represent”.
Those who didnât struggle for freedom canât understand those who did.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 31, 2021
In the wake of this controversy, HW News talked to historian and writer Sohail Hashmi, who also conducts heritage walks to the monuments of historical importance in the national capital. Mr Hashmi spoke at length on issues like the revamp of Jallianwala Bagh, the redevelopment of Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, the proposed renovation of Sabarmati Aashram, the role of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in such projects, and the ongoing controversy over glorification of Mughals.
Jallianwala Bagh Controversy
Talking about the recent refurbishment of the Jallianwala Bagh, Mr Hashmi first highlighted the importance of such monuments. The purpose of preserving such places is to remind the future generations of the tragedies that took place over there and to convey a message that “this should never be repeated”, Mr Hashmi stressed.
“General Dyer entered from the passage at the Jallianwala Bagh which has been revamped now. Thousands of people, including women and children, were subjected to gunfire from hundreds of machine guns and they crawled for their life through this passage. This is not a picnic spot. Now they (government) have put murals of smiling people on the walls of the same passage through which those people crawled. How insensitive is this?” Mr Hashmi questioned.
“There is Archaeological Survey of India, trained in preserving structures in the shape in which they were found. They have the expertise. They have done it to so many structures. Now will they (government) build a wall in front of Taj (Mahal)? What are these people (government) up to? Do they have any idea what they are doing? ” he asked.
Sabarmati Ashram & Chandni Chowk
When questioned about the proposed renovation of the Sabarmati Ashram and whether he is concerned about it after seeing the revamp of the Jallianwala Bagh, Mr Hashmi said: “Absolutely! This was the place where Gandhi ji lived. You have to preserve it in the condition in which Gandhi ji lived. People from all over the world come to this place to see how this one man lived, who dressed in a Dhoti, traveled the world and mobilized millions, while leading such a simple life. The Sabarmati Ashram is an example on how to lead a simple life without polluting your surrounding, how to live your life without encroaching and destroying your environment, how to build with material which is nature-friendly. Do you (government) want to destroy all that and bring in malls and boutiques?”
The historian, who says he is concerned for the heritage of “my city Delhi”, explained his reservations on the recent redevelopment of the Chandni Chowk area in the national capital. Echoing the sentiment of those who demanded the Chandni Chowk redevelopment to be undone, Mr Hashmi said: “Sandstone has never been used as paving stone in Delhi, as well as in other historical sites I have visited including the palaces in Rajasthan. Sandstone is a sedimentary stone, it’s a soft stone. You don’t use soft stones on your pavements. Even inside Red Fort, they are laying sandstone. Shahjahanabad road, including other important streets of Delhi are now being filled with sandstone. This is because they (government) don’t know anything. They don’t consult anyone.”
“They have placed these horrible bollards all over Chandni Chowk. The place which had walking channel, which used to have water stream, now they have put granite slabs there. There is no granite in Delhi. The nearest place from Delhi where you get granite is Ken river in Madhya Pradesh. Granite has never been used in Delhi,” Mr Hashmi stressed.
When asked what care should the government be taking while renovating and revamping such sites, Mr Hashmi again highlighted the role of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). He said: “The ASI has trained conservators. People who have trained from educational institutions of archaeology. They know in which period what material was used. So when you restore an old structure, that is how you do it, with the old material and old techniques. But unfortunately, they (government) do not seem to have involved the ASI.”
Mughals
Mughals and Mughal history have been big contentious issues in the last few years. People, on the either spectrum of ideology, have strong opinions about the issue. When questioned if glorification of the Mughals is right and whether such glorification alters the right history, Mr Hashmi came down heavily on the current regime saying “they don’t have any idea of the history of this country” and blamed the right wing for not knowing the actual history.
“They keep talking about the Mughals. Before the Mughals, there were the Lodhis. Before the Lodhis, there were the Tughlaks. Before the Tughlaks, there were the Khiljis. Before the Khiljis, there were the slave dynasty. They (right wing) keep talking about Mughals, because they want to target the Muslims. They don’t event know about all these rulers before Mughals. From the end of twelfth century, people who were Muslims have ruled from Delhi. However, throughout this period, majority of the administrators were Hindus. Aurangzeb had the largest number of Hindu mansabdars than any king prior to him. But they (right wing) they don’t have any idea how people of this country lived.”
“From the time of Akbar till the time of Shahajahan, India was the biggest power in the world. A simple Google-check will show you India’s GDP in the 17th century. India’s contribution to the world GDP during the rule of Shahajahan was 25%. These are facts. If you say these facts, how is this glorification?” Mr Hashmi asked.
Explaining how the term “Mughal atrocities” is used to peddle a narrative, Mr Hashmi said: “Back then, there was no idea of the nation state. The nation state is an idea of the 19th century. There were no nations before that. There were empires and the rulers of the empires wanted to expand them. When the Mahmud of Ghazni destroyed the Somnath Temple, at the same time, there was a king from the south who was heading towards north. He was also looting and destroying. But he happens to be Hindu, so they (right wing) don’t talk about him.”
Mr Hashmi, drawing a comparison between the Mughal rule and British rule, said: “These people (right wing) do not talk about the loot by the British. They were the actual people who looted the country. In Shahjahan’s time, India’s contribution to the world GDP rose to 25%. When the British left, India’s contribution to the world GDP was 3%. This is where the loot happened. The Mughals were not taking anything out of here. Those who took were the British. But these people (right wing) were sucking up to the British back then, including their hero VD Savarkar.”
While concluding, Mr Hashmi also targeted the Congress party for compromising with the Nehruvian ideology. Holding Congress responsible for the rise of the right wing in the country, Mr Hashmi said: “All these fellows who did the so called ‘opening up’ of the economy- Narsimha Rao, Pranab Mukherjee, Montek Singh Ahluwalia. It was this gang which created the environment for the Hindutva ideology to grow. Because they withdrew from everything that Nehru had done.”
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