Dinanagar echoes history, endures change

The secrets, enigmas and history of small towns have always fascinated people. Towns like Dinanagar, with their deep connection to times gone by, can never be wiped off the map. As the saying goes, old towns have a soul and this border town is one such place where, even though the concrete may have faded into oblivion, its essence remains alive.

It is better to see a thing once, rather than hearing about it a thousand times, and the same holds true for Dinanagar. Towns like this often serve as tangible links to history, with their architecture and villages acting as living repositories of past events and emotions.

Dinanagar is an Assembly seat located on the Gurdaspur-Pathankot national highway. Small towns often have an interconnected existence, where people know and care for one another, irrespective of caste and creed. Dinanagar is a stark contrast with the anonymity and fast pace of large adjoining cities like Pathankot and Gurdaspur.

Not long ago, Dinanagar was famous for, not necessarily in chronological order, being the summer capital of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, housing conduit pipe manufacturing units, producing high-quality paddy, known for its fine grains and aromatic properties, and its proximity to the ancient town of Behrampur. The latter was once a bustling trade route to Pakistan and Afghanistan until the barbed wire destroyed its identity.

It is also remembered for the 2015 Pakistan-backed militant attack on its police station; the now-defunct Northern India rubber mill; the International Border it shares with Pakistan; the wildly fluctuating river Ravi which cuts through the rocks not because of its power but because of its persistence; its numerous educational institutes; and and last but not least, is known for the much-discussed Chaudhary family, which has ruled the political firmament for the last more than 40 years.

Jai Muni Chaudhary served four terms as a legislator, while his daughter-in-law, Aruna Chaudhary, is now in her fourth term. People say this family has ensured that the town no longer loses any more of its grandeur and glory. At the same time, it has made certain that it connects to the contemporary world by building bridges, including the railway overbridge and roads. Reason enough why it has been in power for so long.

Aruna Chaudhary also played a pivotal role in getting Dinanagar upgraded to a sub-division. Earlier, in the absence of the sub-division status, people had to trudge all the way to Gurdaspur to get their administrative work done.

Historically, the town served as Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s summer capital, where he held his durbar during the months of May and June. He developed the town into a cantonment, with the available artillery of the time, and built the now-fading Baradari mansion, nestled amid mango groves. Unfortunately, the mansion has fallen on bad days although efforts are being made by heritage experts to revive it. Although its grandeur is lost, the site remains a historical landmark connected to the empire of the Maharaja. Old-timers often call for an inquiry into how, when and why the Maharaja’s rest house was converted into a place of worship.

The little township, from where youngsters migrate to seek greener pastures but never forget their roots, suddenly gained infamy on July 27, 2015. Four Pakistan-trained militants crossed over from the nearby Bamial border in Pathankot district and attacked the local police station. The ambush, which left several injured and dead, caught the police off guard. Reinforcements arrived only after the Army and the police’s SWAT team were called in.

The terrorists entered the complex around 5.30 am and an hour later, on the instructions of then Deputy Commissioner Abhinav Trikha, the Army was stationed outside, ready for action. Senior Army officials later stated they could have neutralised the threat within 30 minutes, but the administration held them back due to a phone call from the police brass, asking that the Army not take the lead. Instead, the SWAT team was to handle the situation. The operation finished five hours after the terrorists had fired their first bullet. The saviour of Dinanagar that day was its destiny and good luck.

People in Dinanagar still recall that day as if it happened yesterday.

The town once had nearly a dozen rice mills. However, over the last three decades, these entities started vanishing slowly, but steadily. This was because the variety of paddy is so good that farmers sold it to millers in other towns where they got better prices and subsequently better profits.

A cluster of seven villages near the Pakistan border lies on the other side of the Ravi river. In 2002, MLA Aruna Chaudhary rode over bureaucratic ineptness and other impediments to convince the PWD to construct a pontoon bridge connecting these villages to Dinanagar. However, during the monsoon season, the authorities remove the bridge and store it along the riverbanks. A proposal to build a permanent 800-metre-long concrete bridge is lying in cold-storage. Although the Army has granted permission, the state government is dithering over acquiring land for the approach roads on both sides of the proposed overbridge.

Recent floods have stolen the ethos of the city. Dinanagar survives in its villages. If they are gone, the town’s ethos and character too will evaporate. The floods came and swept away a majority of the hamlets. Although ministers have visited the area, the villagers still await their promised compensation.

Post-floods, politicians have made the town a tourist destination. They arrive, smile for the cameras and leave. The villagers welcome them warmly but the farewell is not so jovial. This is because these politicians, apart from giving assurances, give nothing else.

Dinanagar is indeed a town where every corner and every street tells a story from ancient times. Here, the past still breathes, not just in architecture or landmarks, but in everyday conversation, where the whispers of history echo through time.

Sher-e-Punjab's summer palace in shambles

Sher-e-Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh's palace in Dinanagar is renovated and given a fresh lease of life every year on his death anniversary, June 27. Officials remember dignitaries on either their birth or death anniversaries and in between they are not remembered at all.

The palace remains neglected for the rest of the year, left to deteriorate due to natural elements.

Inderjeet Singh Harpura, who is trying to revive heritage sites in and around Gurdaspur, says, “He was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire which ruled the North-West Indian sub-continent in the first half of the 19th century. He was just 10 when he fought his first battle alongside his father.”

Every second person in Dinanagar knows a fair bit of historical facts about the Maharaja. However, nobody is interested in keeping his legacy alive by refurbishing his palace.