A walk along Bhopal's freedom trail

Did you know that Gandhi once delivered a speech at Benazir Ground, or that the postmen at the Jumerati Post Office doubled up as secret agents during the Independence struggle?
As we celebrate India's freedom today, here's a look at Bhopal's ties to the historical moment when India broke free from the British rule. The city - and its people - had a vital role to play in the Indian struggle for freedom, and this Independence Day, we take you through some of the spots in Bhopal that were witness to these protests, gatherings, and undercover movements.

This is one of the six houses owned by freedom fighter Ratan Kumar. In the year 1929, a newspaper named Nayi Raah was printed from this house, that carried all the information about the various happenings across the country. Apart from the role of a publishing house, this house was a focal point for meetings and various cultural activities. Dr Alok Gupta.

The park in front of the Sultania hospital in Jehangirabad was a popular spot that saw many a public gatherings - be it celebrations or protests. Due to the royal rule, there weren't many visible freedom movements in Bhopal, however that doesn't mean the city didn't see its share of them.
“Be it the Quit India movement or the Khilafat movement - this park saw many meetings and protests, such as those of the Praja Mandal led by Shakir Ali Khan. The park also saw a protest against the British rule, by 500 people, led by Shankar Dayal Sharma, who was later arrested by the police personnel of Nawab Hamidullah Khan,” archivist Mirza Mumtaz Baig tells us.

In 1929, Mahatma Gandhi visited the City of Lakes for the first time. He stayed at the Rahat Manzil - that was once a VIP guest house. On Sept 10, he hosted a public meeting at the Benazir ground, which was filled with his supporters. Gandhi was accompanied by journalist Makhanlal Chaturvedi (the Makhanlal Chaturvedi University of Journalism is named after him). On the day of his return, he was felicitated by the Gujarati Community at the Modh Garden in the Budhwara area of the old city, and he was deeply touched by this gesture, since the community had earlier boycotted him for travelling abroad.
“During his nine-month-long Harijan Yatra in 1933, he had visited the Bhopal railway station too, and a lot of people came forward to show their support for the cause,” says historian Rizwan Uddin Ansari.

The post offices during the colonial rule had dual responsibilities - one was to manage the postal service, and secondly, to aid the freedom movement. The country's postmen didn't just post letters, but also delivered secret massages.
“Bhopal became a part of India in the year 1949, after the Vilinikaran Andolan, but before that, it was still under the rule the nawabs. On the eve of India's independence, local freedom fighters like Akshay Kumar and Ramcharan Rai, along with the post office in-charge, hoisted flag the national of the country at the post office, but it was soon brought down by the soldiers of the nawabs, who had stated that no flag other than the royal's should be hoisted in the city,” says Dr Gupta.

This ground has been forever known as the Iqbal Maidan - named after the legendary Urdu poet Alhama Iqbal, who had visited the city four times. However, it was once known as the Khirniwala Maidan, as it had two trees of Khirni on its ground. And it has an important role to play during the time of the British rule.
“Public meetings were regularly held at the maidan, where people mostly talked about the vitality of the problems of Indians which were ignored by the British officials. The moderates only wanted the removal of the injustice done to the people of the country, and additionally wanted reforms in the economic, constitutional and administrative spheres,” says Baig.

The student participation in the movement was equally strong in the country, and "the roots for student's politics in the city were first laid at the Hamdia college, one of the earliest educational institutes in the city. The then-student president Zuhoor Hashmi led a lot of protests and activities in Bhopal. Here, students actively discussed and expressed their opinion on the current issues of the country. Many were killed in police firing, some were imprisoned, and the rest faced physical harassment at the time as well,” says Historian Rizwan Uddin Ansari.