Well, a new look for Jallianwala Bagh

GS Paul in Amritsar 

In her seminal work for the Auschwitz Foundation International Quarterly on the Nazi concentration camp as a site of ‘dark tourism’ and the problems associated with such generalisation, Sarah Hodgkinson of the University of Leicester in England made a pertinent observation: “Reaching an optimum balance between preservation and reconstruction, and between promoting an accessible history without oversimplification, is difficult and contentious.”

The term ‘dark tourism’ — “the act of travel to sites associated with death, suffering and the seemingly macabre”, be it Auschwitz or Jallianwala Bagh, in the Indian context — has a problem, she says, as it does not factor in the multi-faceted motivation of the visitor and believes the tourist to be superficial and insensitive to the subject matter.

Jallianwala Bagh is being spruced up in this centenary year of the massacre, and four months down the line, it would “don a new look”. But does a historical site such as this need a new look? With claims that the historic composition would be kept intact, the work of restoration and allied services, estimated to cost Rs 19.36 crore, is being carried out under the supervision of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), through the Union government-oriented National Buildings Construction Corporation Limited. 

However, experts feel intensive “makeover” would tarnish the significance of the site and turn it into a “recreation garden”. The authorities, on the other hand, say they won’t be tampering with the original structure.

In the offing

Under the project, the narrow passage through which Colonel Reginald Dyer entered the Jallianwala Bagh along with his troops is being revamped. A peaceful congregation had assembled here on April 13, 1919, when Dyer gave the firing orders. The walls on either side of this passage are being renovated to have imagery of people on one side and Dyer and his troops on the other. Hitherto, the passage has been the only entrance to the Bagh. However, once the restoration is complete, entry from this point would be restricted. Construction of a new entrance, termed Gate No 1, is already underway. A new exit point, Gate No 2, is also coming up.

Originally, there was a single entry and exit point. On that ill-fated day, as there was no other exit point, people ran to the walls to escape the attack and some jumped into the khoo (well) located in the Bagh. Around 120 bodies were recovered from this spot which came to be known as the ‘Martyrs’ Well’.

Tampering with history?

A wire mesh structure with six small windows covered the well before it was recently brought down to make way for a new structure. Earlier, there was a proposal of erecting a dome-shaped see-through glass structure around it. However, the ASI is now building a concrete structure with safety grill for providing a clear view inside the khoo.

Experts say the British wanted to wipe out any traces of the massacre and a memorial could not be built until India finally attained freedom. However, the structure around the well had come up in the 1930s, says historian Prof Harish Sharma. “Bringing down the original structure is destroying the sanctity of the place and disregarding the martyrs’ sacrifice. How will the children who recognise the well by its original structure in the textbooks be able to recognise the new design? An exit gate is okay, but don’t tamper with history in the name of modernisation,” he says.

An ASI official concerned does not agree. Preferring anonymity, he says that the structure around the Martyrs’ Well was built in the mid-1960s when it was under possession of the CPWD. The current conservation is being carried out as per ASI norms, he emphasises.

He says the part of the structure made from Badshahi bricks (thin, red clay bricks) is being preserved as it is and only the ones added later would be renovated to suit the Bagh’s ambience. “There is no evidence to confirm that it was built in the 1930s. Till recently, there was a borewell plant behind it that the CPWD had built to draw water. However, as it was obstructing the approach to the well, it was removed and redesigned in round shape for a better view and easier approach. All the other structures, including the walls with bullet marks, are being kept intact and preserved using latest technique. Non-maintenance has caused much damage in all these years,” the official says.

Sprucing it up, bit by bit

The memorial was inaugurated by the country’s first President, Dr Rajendra Prasad, on April 13, 1961. Also present on the occasion was Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Ever since, renovation and upgrade has been a constant process. 

In 1972, the Martyrs’ Gallery was set up under the guidance of MS Randhawa. At that time, the late Jaswant Singh’s now celebrated painting of the massacre and portraits of political leaders of those times were displayed. This was followed by the setting up of the Amar Jyoti in the martyrs’memory. It was first lit by the then Union minister Ram Naik in 2000.

Several other changes were introduced later. The entry was redone with small bricks. In 2010, a light-and-sound show was introduced by the then Defence Minister AK Antony. The 52-minute show with a voiceover by actor Amitabh Bachchan was a major attraction with visitors until 2014 when it developed a technical snag. Now, a new light-and-sound system, estimated to cost Rs 3 crore, has been planned. It would present a multilingual historical narrative of the massacre during the evening hours.

In addition, the 50-seat auditorium on the first floor is being revamped with a 3-D projection system to showcase a documentary film at different time slots. Four museum galleries are also on the cards. A ‘white lilies’ pond’ would be developed on the water body around the main memorial, which stands in the middle of the Bagh. Besides, public conveniences such as drinking water, sheds and washrooms are being revamped.

Last year, the then Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had inaugurated the statue of Shaheed Udham Singh at the main entrance. To avenge the shootout, Udham Singh had killed Michael O’Dwyer, who was Punjab’s Lieutenant Governor when the massacre took place, in London in 1940.

Emotional connect missing

Prof Balwinder Singh, conservation spatial planner and former head of Guru Ram Dass School of Planning at Guru Nanak Dev University, says the emotions that overwhelm one at this Bagh are missing from the renovation plan. “It has been transformed as if it were a recreational garden where visitors could have a picnic. Visitors rarely feel the pain of the tragedy. I fear that this mechanical planning lacks historic component and emotions,” says Professor Balwinder, who feels involving local experts with roots in the city would have done justice to the project. “But the trustees preferred to engage experts who can only create concrete structures,” he rues.

Rajya Sabha member Shwait Malik, who is also a member of the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Trust, dismisses concerns of altering historic structures in the Bagh. “The work is being done under the strict vigil of the ASI. The Martyrs’ Well will remain intact. However, it was time to change the outer structure and that’s exactly why it is being redesigned. It will now offer a better view inside the well and also prevent visitors from throwing coins and other plastic waste into it. Our aim is to keep it open to people after sunset too. That’s why special arrangements and services are being introduced. The new exit point has been planned from the point of view of disaster management as well,” he says.

A people’s memorial 

• The Jallianwala Bagh land, spread over 6.5 acre, was originally owned by Sardar Himmat Singh Jallianwale, a noble in Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s court, who belonged to Jalla village in what is now Fatehgarh Sahib district.
• Nationalist leader Madan Mohan Malviya had procured it for Rs 5.5 lakh from funds raised through public donations in 1923. A committee was formed under his tutelage to build a memorial, but went in vain for want of political will.
• The memorial was inaugurated by Dr Rajendra Prasad, the then President, on April 13, 1961.