Jallianwala Bagh restoration reverses years of neglect, laid bare in before-after pictures

About 102 years ago, when India was still bound by the shackles of British rule, a large but peaceful crowd had gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh in the holy city of Amritsar in Punjab, to protest against the incident of firing on people and the related arrests of prominent pro-Indian Independence leaders who had voiced their opinion on the Rowlatt Act. The Britishers, who had banned 'unlawful gathering', on getting the information of people gathering at the Bagh, on the orders of General Dyer, reached the spot and fired indiscriminately. People rushed to escape the bullets but the Dyer-deployed troops had their guns aimed towards the exit, and within 10-15 minutes and over 1650 rounds of merciless, heartless firing, over 500 people were left dead. 

Jallianwala Bagh Memorial-Then & Now 

In 1950, around 31 years after the gruesome incident and just a few years after India won her freedom, a memorial was set up by the Indian government at the Jallianwala Bagh to prevent the stories of the hundreds of lives lost from ever fading away. However, with the passing years, because of the lack of attention of the administration, and the unruly behaviour of the visitors, the memorial became a shadow of its former self by 2019. Not only had the attractions like the light and sound show seized to go on, but also the basic structure of the buildings had become a potent threat for the visitors. 

Seeing the poor state, in the 100th year of the Jallianwala Bagh incident in 2019, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central government sanctioned approximately Rs 20 crore for revamping the historical venue. Within two years, in 2021, PM Modi unveiled the renovated complex of Jallianwala Bagh Smarak and dedicated it to the Nation. PM Modi said the renovated Jallianwala Bagh Smarak “would display the horrific massacre of April 1919 and instill a spirit of gratitude and reverence towards the martyrs”.

As part of the renovation, the entry and exit points have been repositioned and gated with shiny bars in place of the previous, rusted bars. The narrow lane through which General Dyer led the troops in the area has been painted and embossed with sculptures depicting history. The BJP, hailing the revamping of the lane, said "Earlier, people walked this narrow lane without knowing its history, now they will walk with history". 

The museum has been modified to include many more artifacts from the freedom struggle, and the walls of the museum which earlier had paint peeling off, have been beautified with collage artworks all over, related to history. Besides the old musuem, four new galleries have been erected by the adaptive reuse of underutilized buildings to showcase the historical value of events that took place in Punjab during the period- specifically the freedom movement. To add to the beauty and the brightness, laser lights have been installed inside the four walls of the structures. 

Not just that, the light and sound show has been resumed, and at a larger level. "It would display the horrific massacre of April 1919, and instill a spirit of gratitude and reverence towards the martyrs," PM Modi said speaking about the show, which will take place every day for the visitors and that too free of cost. In the final years of the original memorial, the sound & light spectacle had become more akin to a show running in the background, occasionally audible depending on where one was placed at Jallianwala Bagh. 

Besides, the landscaping has also been paid a lot of attention to. The malfunctioning fountains have been replaced with newer installations in a small waterbody. The dead plants bordering the little lake have been replaced with lush green plants, and the grass has been plowed to accentuate the beauty of the Central pathway. 

Jallianwala Bagh revamp an eyesore for opposition?

The Opposition that was a few years back blaming the government for 'abandoning' the Jallianwala Bagh, has now turned to call the PM Modi-led administration's revamp of the memorial an 'insult to martyrs'. Taking to his official Twitter handle, leader of key Opposition-the Congress Rahul Gandhi wrote in Hindi which roughly translates to, "I am the son of a martyr — I will not tolerate the insult of martyrs at any cost…We are against this indecent cruelty.”

As many on social media have pointed out, the renovation not only revamps portions of the Jallianwala Bagh that had gone into disrepair, but also does its bit to place the tragic, historic event that had taken place there into a more carefully crafted context for future generations. While earlier the story of the Jallianwala Bagh had been told in plaques, now they are depicted in murals and statues, bringing into sharper relief why it was such a defining moment in the tumultuous history of pre-Independence India.