Over 100 delegates attend conference on Punjab history

Tribune News Service

Patiala, February 29

Over 100 delegates from Jammu, Kashmir, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and Punjab attended the second day of the 52nd session of the Punjab History Conference organised by the Department of Punjab Historical Studies at the Punjabi University, Patiala.

The theme of the conference was ‘The Indian National Movement with Special Reference to the Jallianwala Bagh’. Four parallel technical sessions (ancient, medieval, modern and Punjabi) took place and large number of papers on Jallianwala Bagh and related issues were presented by acclaimed historians, academicians, researchers and students, which evoked considerable discussion.

Some papers hinted how the Jallianwala Bagh episode ignited later revolutionary movements in India and evoked greater national consciousness.

The deliberation took place around the massive impact of the Jallianwala Bagh incident on the entire nation and the National Movement during the colonial period. There was consensus among the house that this incident was a watershed in the history of Indian Nationalism and prepared the ground for new nationalist leadership.

Bhagat Singh and Udham Singh were the products of this incident, which further created historical landmarks in the freedom struggle of India. Some papers also took into account the prevalent social practices at the time such as female infanticide and the British Policy around it.

Most papers were based on primary and archival sources and made a substantial contribution to the existing knowledge of the subject.