Some events simply take me
back to my research days ... and each time I realize, there is a lot to learn
!!
This week I attended a
reading / discussion session on ‘The Bengali Babu – Culture and Consumption in
Colonial India’ which was part of an ongoing exhibition “The Babu and the
Bazaar - Art from 19th and early 20th century Bengal". The venue of the
exhibition was a legacy of British colonialism in Calcutta (now, Kolkata) – the
Alipore Central Jail.
The Alipore Central Jail,
also known as Presidency Correctional Home, was built in 1906 as a modern
prison at the time, to keep political prisoners by the British Government. It
is no longer in operation as a jail; it has been developed into ‘Independence
Museum’ in 2022 in memory of the martyrs who were imprisoned and executed here.
The Jail Museum is aesthetically pleasing but speaks of the horrors that
unfolded here ...
The Museum commemorates the sacrifices of those freedom fighters who were either executed at the gallows or who perished within the premises of the jail due to torture, suicide or illness.
The cells of the
well-known political prisoners’ like Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Dr. Bidhan
Chandra Roy, Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das, Kazi Nazrul Islam, have life-like statues
in and around their respective cells. The Nehru Cell has a very human touch. When
Jawaharlal Nehru was imprisoned in Alipore Jail in 1934 for his participation
in the Civil Disobedience Movement, a young Indira Gandhi used to visit him for
20-minute meetings twice a month in the courtyard outside the cell. The Nehru
Cell displays the statues of Nehru and his daughter sitting under a tree in the
courtyard where they used to meet. The lesser known revolutionaries, whose
contribution towards India’s freedom fight has been monumental, lived in
cramped barracks in miserable conditions as evident from the “Historic Prison
Ward”. The Police Museum has been
shifted to Alipore Jail Museum from its previous address and displays
revolvers, bombs and other ammunition used by revolutionaries. The famous
trials of revolutionaries – Alipore Conspiracy Case (1908) and Howrah-Shibpur
Conspiracy Case (1910) – are also documented here. These cases involved a large
quantity of bombs and explosives linked to revolutionary activities. An
enlarged replica of the bomb used in the court trial is on display here. The watchtower
is a prominent feature of the Alipore Jail Museum. It is not a true panopticon in the sense meant
by Jeremy Bentham but it served as a key point for surveillance and control in
the jail. The watch tower provides a commanding view of the jail and serves as
a reminder of the oppressive surveillance of the colonial era.
The most overwhelming
moment of my visit was standing in front of the Gallows. There was an
undeniable sense of foreboding … and gratitude for all those who sacrificed
themselves for the freedom we enjoy today. Adjoining the gallows are cells
where prisoners waited before execution and the autopsy room. I did not have
the heart to take photos of these; I paid my respects and walked to the list of
martyrs, the sufferings they endured and the atrocities of the British.
Alipore Jail Museum was a walk down in time for me, which evoked a feeling reverence that would be invariably felt by any Indian. It is not just a museum; it is a memorial.