100 years of Jallianwala Bagh Massacre

On 13 April 2019, exactly 100 years back India suffered a heart wrenching encounter in one of its major state, Punjab. It was the well known Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in which hundreds of people were killed. There were thousands and lakhs of people all around the Nation were in deep torment. But what did happen? That such an exorbitant bloody event took place? Why Brigadier General Reginald Edward Harry Dyer ordered to fire upon the peaceful procession of unarmed Indians. Many among them had come to enjoy the Baisakhi fair?

On this distressful day of 100^th anniversary, artists of Natyansh Society of Dramatic and Performing Arts presented an improvisational act named ‘Dastan-e-Jallianwala Bagh’ at Natyansh’s workplace, Sadri Haveli. The act aimed at acknowledges of audience, who would know the consequences that led to the massacre.

Play began with dyer’s trial by Hunter committee who questioned him about the massacre where he simply states that what he did was ‘Merciful though Horrible’. The play then takes us little back in time before the incident, when some people of Amritsar planned a strike against Rowlatt Act under the leadership of Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr. Satyapal. They both got arrested and were sent to Dharmshala (a place in Himachal Pradesh) on 10^th April 1919. The news of their arrest evoked the people of Amritsar. They went to meet the then Lieutenant Governor General of Punjab Sir Michael Francis O’Dwyer, who refused to meet people.  Angry mob started attacking government building, banks, and railway stations, etc. killing some British people and even assaulting British females one of whom was Marcella Sherwood. To take situation under control O’Dwyer called Brigadier General Reginald Edward Harry Dyer from Jhalandhar. Dyer arrived in Amritsar on 11 April and implemented Martial Law in Amritsar on 12 April and restricted meeting more than 3 persons in a single place.  Baisakhi is a sacred festival of Sikhs and every year a Baisakhi fair was being organised in Jallianwala Bagh. Unaware of Martial law many people from various places of Punjab visited to this fair. Also thousands of Hindus and Muslims gathered to discuss on demolishing Rowlett act and freeing their leaders Satyapal & Kitchlew from Britishers. When Dyer came to know about the gathering, he went to fair and started firing on people without prior warning.

Play started developing the point of climax when the massacre was enacted and it ended with bodies of innocent people lying everywhere. The artists’ faces turned from sudden shock and terror to nothingness. At last, one after the other questions was raised by the artists leaving the audience in an inevitable cycle of thoughts rooting from “Have we in true sense been able to achieve freedom?”

Rang Samwad, an interaction with audience was organised after the play in which they expressed concern over the current situation in the country and said that aware youth can lead our country on right path, so they must come forward for discharging responsibilities.

Isha Jain, Mayank Jain, Harsh Pandey, Rekha Sisodia, Irshit Sharma, Mahesh Joshi, Raghav Gurjargaur, Kumud Dwivedi, Jatin Bharwani and Disha enacted various characters in play. Back stage support was provided by Abdul Mubin Khan, Ashfaq Noor Khan, Mohammed Rizwan, Amit Shrimali, Akanksha Dwivedi and Yogeeta Sisodia.

Performance Date: April 13, 2019 | Time: 6:30 pm | Venue: Sadri Haveli

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