British & their ‘Pervasive Racism’ - A Historical Omissions of WW I, by the British. 

Images - Courtesy Wiki Commons.

Just two days ago - Thursday, 22nd April, a Report of the ‘Special Committee to Review Historical Inequalities in Commonwealth’,  submitted by the  Common Wealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) has been made public. The report unambiguously provides an account of the admission of the British to their atrocious practice of ‘pervasive racism’, against Indian and other coloured soldiers, particularly, during the the First World War (WWI ). This report provides a clinching evidence of racial discrimination practised by the British against their subjects including Indians, who were fighting shoulder to shoulder on their side in the World War that was thrust on us. This disgusting act of the British is very well known to Indians as an absolute truth, which unfortunately has not been very well documented. It is perhaps this pervasive racism coupled with the Britishers disdain for coloured Indians that led to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre which was perpetrated by the British Brigadier General, Reginald Dyer, on that fateful day - 19th April, 1919. The report has brought to focus a hard reality, which the Indians were experiencing all through the colonial rule. The report has therefore compelled the British government  and CWGC to render their apology to the Indians, Africans and Egyptians, their subjects who were at the receiving end of their racism. The report says that the  Indians, Africans and Egyptians soldiers who died fighting for the British Empire during World War I ( WWI) were not appropriately honoured, due to ‘pervasive racism‘. 

This Report, produced by the CWGC ,has found that ‘1,16,000 and potentially as many as 3,50,000 of those who died while serving the forces,  of the then British Empire during World War I, have remained ‘unmemorialised’. The report further adds that nearly 45,000 to 54,000 individuals - including Indians, were deliberately ‘commemorated differently’ from their European combatants. This act of the discrimination of the soldiers who died in service of the British Empire,  based on their colour was in direct contravention of the core principle of equality of treatment in death. Therefore, the CWGC, on Thursday 22nd April 2021, ‘apologised unreservedly’ for treating Black and Indian war dead differently. UK Defence  Secretary,  Ben Wallace,  made a formal apology on behalf of the Government of UK  by stating ‘while we can’t change the past, we can make amends and take action’. The report also makes more shocking revelations that 38,696 Indian soldiers who died during the war and whose memorials have been prepared in UK do not even make a mention of the soldiers on their memorials. Instead, Indian soldiers who died  fighting the British war, thrust on them by the colonial rulers, have been commemorated without any of their names on the memorials, except a numerical number on memorials. The names of these soldiers  have been separately inserted in the registers. Such was the ill treatment that the Britishers perpetrated on Indians during their colonial rule. This report is symptomatic of the ‘pervasive racism’ behaviour, which the British rulers practiced against Indians all through their rule, which unfortunately as been brushed under the carpet by most historians. Yet, there were an estimated over 1.2 million Indian soldiers who took part in World War I with a hope that their support to the British during their hour crisis will be rewarded by the British post the war with some kind of an independence, which was not to be. There were even more soldiers who took part in the Second World War (WWII) to fight for the British cause. 

Speaking of the Indian soldiers participation in the WWI and how they have been racially discriminated, I am reminded of one of deadliest War that was fought during the WWI by the Indian soldiers under the banner of ANZAC in the famous battle of Gallipoli. It was on the 25th April, 1915,  that the ANZACs landed at the Gallipoli peninsula battle site to commence one of the most heralded battles of the WWI at the deadliest of trenches and the worst of conditions at Gallipoli. The Indians fought shoulder to shoulder with their brothers in arm the white Australians and New Zealanders under the banner of the ANZACs directly under the command of the British soldiers. April 25, 2021, marks the 106th  anniversary of the historic landing of the allied troops - the ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand), on the Gallipoli Peninsula, for one of the most treacherous military campaign in the worst of battle conditions in the trenches of death, during WW1. This battle is now legendary and several heroic stories, books, documentaries and films have been told about the Gallipoli battle. Most unfortunately the role of the Indian soldiers in this war was again conspicuously missing from the military records of British. Thus battle lasted for nearly eight months and claimed at least 125,000 lives. 

As stated above, unfortunately for nearly 100 years since this battle, not much was known about the participation of Indian soldiers in the Gallipoli battle, let alone heralding their heroic contributions to the battle. The Indian soldiers participation in the battle was mostly swept under the carpet or at best found some foot note references in most military history books and articles. Fortunately, when the world was preparing to commemorate the centennial of the Gallipoli battle, the vital contributions of Indian soldiers in this battle caught the attention of a well known Australian historian and researcher - Prof Peter Stanley, University of New South Wales, Australia. Prof Stanley, through his intensive research, has written and documented, with extraordinary details, the contributions of Indian soldiers in the Battle of Gallipoli in his book “Die in Battle, Do not Despair, The Indians on Gallipoli 1915”.  While curating an exhibition ‘Cricket Connects : India - Australia Cricket Relations’, as a part of the  ‘Confluence : Festival of India in Australia’, which was presented at the historic Sydney Cricket Grounds, in October 2016, I had an opportunity to read this book, which I used to connect this historicity of relation between the two countries - India and Australia, in one of the sections in the exhibition. It was  heartening to note that of all the ten sections of the exhibition, the ANZAC connect part of the exhibition evoked an extraordinary emotional feeling for most Australian visitors to the exhibition.

The Indian troops were part of the ANZAC - an armed core unit under the command of the British, which consisted of soldiers from Australia, Great Britain, Ireland, France, India, and Newfoundland. The Indian troupes comprised of Gurkha and Sikh battalions and other mule drivers, who literally transported most war materials of the British forces and their allies during this battle. The ANZACs landed on the Gallipoli peninsula on the 25th April 1915 and fought in the deadliest of trenches and on the frontline and that too positioned at a completely disadvantageous position with respect to their enemy - the Turks. Thousands perished in this battle and several thousand more were either wounded or scarred for life. The Australians, New Zealanders and Indian soldiers united fight during this epic battle is something that would not have been countenanced in a “White Australia” during that period. 

The Gallipoli Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign, the Battle of Gallipoli or the Battle of Çanakkale (Turkish: Çanakkale Savaşı), was a British campaign of World War I fought with the aim of capturing the Ottoman capital of Constantinople (modern day Istanbul). This battle may have been a defeat for the ANZAC, if one looks prismatically with the objectives with which this battle was fought - to push out the Ottoman Empire and to create a new front for the allied forces. However a look at the historical war records and casualty data from World War, reveals  and clearly demonstrates  the Gallipolis campaign value to the Allied cause. The New Zealand government’s historical record documents that the Allies (which included Australians, British, Canadians from Newfoundland, French, Irish, Indians and New Zealanders) sustained 1,41,547 casualties (dead, wounded and missing) at Gallipoli – among those numbers were 44,150 dead. The Ottoman Empire forces sustained a far higher casualties - 2,51,309 including an astonishing 86,692 dead. The casualties on the enemy side almost doubled the ANZACs numbers including the dead and what is more revealing is that the Ottoman forces were strategically at a more vantage position than the ANZAC forces. Looking at the ratio – dividing the impact on the Ottoman side by the input of Allied force casualties – one can notice that the Allied soldiers were relentless in their heroic gallantry and displayed incredible valour, courage and endurance in the most hostile environment in which this battle was fought. 

The  valour with which the Allied forces fought this dreaded Gallipoli battle has led to the ANZAC legend that continues to live on to be celebrated and revered both in Australia and New Zealand, every year.  The ANZAC legend is celebrated as the Anzac Day on April 25, marking the landing of Anzac at Gallipoli in 1915.  Every year, there are ceremonial marches and parades in most Australian and New Zealand cities to mark the sacrifice of those who lost their lives in the line of duty. The Sikh community, who fought alongside the Australians, has proudly joined in this tradition of paying homage to their forefathers  and since 2005, there has been a Sikh contingent in the Anzac Day march in Perth, Australia, comprised of direct descendants of those who fell in Gallipoli and other campaigns.

The Gallipoli battle records have revealed the respect that the Australian soldiers had for the Indian soldiers, which is evidenced in one of the statement; “The [Indians] batteries did so well and gallantly that the Australians have metaphorically taken them to their hearts. All are the greatest pals imaginable, and the political effect of this cordial friendship should be good for both India and Australia.”  Most unfortunately, Indians have forgotten to respect our battle warriors who perished in this epic battle. Through this post, on behalf of my countrymen ( women included) I wish to pay our respect and reverence to those British Indian soldiers who perished not only in this battle but also in both the WWI and WWII.

Incidentally the Battle of Gallipoli is also known for the death of one of the greatest of scientists who died in the battle of Gallipoli. One of those hundreds of thousands of soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice by laying down their life in service of their motherland, during the World War 1, was the genetically gifted genius scientist, Henry Moseley. In the words of Issac Asimov, ‘Moseley’s death is the single most costly death of the war’. Periodic Table is invariably associated with the Russian chemist - Mendeleev, who discovered it in 1869. However, it must be noted that the modern day Periodic Table, which is omnipresent in all schools and colleges and science labs, owes its genesis to the contributions of Henry Moseley, the British Scientist. His findings - rightly called the Moseley’s Law - was primarily responsible for the modern day periodic tables. Moseley was one of those millions of soldiers who volunteered to participate in the WWI and tragically died in the Gallipoli battle on the 10th of August 1915, at a very young age - 27 years. In his untimely death, the whole of humanity was robbed of Moseley’s genius scientific contributions. His death is all the more poignant for what he might have achieved, had it not been for the senseless battle of Gallipoli, which took away his life along with innumerable other Indian soldiers during WWI. 

The best tribute for Henry Moseley, Indian soldiers and other battle heroes, who were martyred during the WWI at Gallipoli, can be witnessed in the words of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938), an army officer who was part of this battle and who founded an independent Republic of Turkey out of the ruins of the Ottoman Empire. He served as Turkey's first president from 1923 until his death in 1938. Mustafa Ataturk Says ; 

 “Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives; you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours. You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well”  - Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

Today as we commemorate the 105th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli, it is heartening to note that the Britishers have finally owned up their ‘ pervasive racism ‘ behaviour and have rendered an apology for their inhuman behaviour. May the revered souls of valiant soldiers  rest in eternal peace and may they continue to remain in our hearts and minds.

Jai Hind.

 22nd April 2021:  51st Earth Day - International Mother Earth Day

Every year the world collectively celebrates this day - 22nd April, as the Earth Day, which the United Nations calls it as the “International Mother Earth Day”.  Each Earth Day is assigned a different theme and this year’s theme is “Restore Our Earth.”

In its inimitable style, the Google Doodle highlights ‘how everyone can plant the seed to a brighter future—one sapling at a time’, to help restore our Earth. In the unending cosmos in which our planet earth is an infinitesimally small dot, yet, it is perhaps the only place in the universe, which harbours life in all its diverse and beautiful forms that inspire wonder. Our Mother Earth and its environment - a nature’s miracle, works very hard to sustain us and this mandates that we play our constructive part to sustain a fine balance that our planet  has to play in providing for the needs of the people as against our unending greed, which is majorly impacting our very survival. A time comes when even the Mother Earth has to take a call for how long she can sustain the unending greeds of human beings. Today’s video Doodle shows how we can collectively help restore our earth by planting a variety of trees within our natural habitats. This is one of the many ways we can help our Earth and play our constructive part to keep our Earth healthy for future generations. 

We are also passing through the worst of times when the whole world is plagued by the Covid pandemic and we in India are passing through the deadly second phase of this pandemic. While continuing to be a responsible citizen in contributing to the efforts of the highly stressed, yet more determined, health workers to help us all tide over this pandemic situation, let us all pledge that we will individually be fully and completely responsible in following all the mandated Covid appropriate behaviour and so also to motivate and encourage everyone to find one small act each of us can do to combat the Covid pandemic and so also to help our Earth. This one small step of our individual commitment is definitely bound to take a firm root, which can blossom as a collective mass movement, which will ensure that Covid becomes a thing of the past. This being a Earth Day, we must also commit ourselves to caring for nature, plants, and our environment, which are integral to our own health and that individual responsibility lies with each of us. Each of us collectively can help Earth blossoms into a more beautiful place for all of us to be proud of. 

This year's theme -  Restore Our Earth, takes me back by few years when we celebrated the World Environment day at our centre with tens of hundreds of children taking part in a series of events and programmes which we organised at our centre. The start attraction for the children and the media of course was our chief guest for the day  Mr. Shyam Sunder Paliwal, social campaigner and ex-sarpanch of Piplantri. The Piplantri village in the Rajsamand district of Rajasthan, India, has been a proud advocate and ambassador of eco-feminism. The villagers of Piplantri plant 111 trees every time a girl child is born. The community ensures these trees survive and grow as do the girls. This extraordinary social movement with an even more extraordinary benefit for the planet earth, was initiated by Shri. Shyam Sunder Paliwal ji. He was kind enough to accept our invitation to be with us and to lead a movement of massive plantation in our campus which was graciously supported by many stake holders including the Rotary Clubs. 

One of the best ways to ‘Restore our Earth’ is to plant trees and we planted a very large number of trees on that day and we are so proud that most of them have survived and are so very healthily growing taller and taller. Plantation of trees is among the most effective strategies for climate change mitigation. A recent study in Science has shown that ‘there is room for an extra 0.9 billion hectares of canopy cover, which could store 205 gigatonnes of carbon in areas that would naturally support woodlands and forests’. This highlights global tree restoration as one of the most effective carbon drawdown solutions to date. The study has shown results, which highlight the ‘opportunity of climate change mitigation through global tree restoration and also the urgent need for action’.

So let us love our trees, which capture carbon that we majorly emit, they cool overheated places, benefit agriculture, support pollinators, reduce the risk of disease transmission, and boost local economies. Let us pledge to ‘Restore our Earth’.

 Last year, on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Earth Day, I had written a blog on the significance and history of the Earth Day. For those who may be interested, here is a link to that blog. 

https://khened.blogspot.com/2020/04/22nd-april-2020-golden-jubilee-of-world.html

Gol Gumbaz, A Glorious Monument, which influenced two Colonial Buildings in Mumbai.

Commemorating International Day of Monuments and Sites - Gol Gumbaz, A Glorious Monument, which influenced two Colonial Modern Buildings in Mumbai.

Images - Courtesy Wiki Commons.

Every year 18th April is celebrated as the ‘International Day for Monuments and Sites’ with an objective of educating people about the significance of old monuments and sites. It was back in 1982, that UNESCO, during its 22nd General Conference held in Paris from 21-24 June, adopted a resolution to celebrate this day as the ‘International Day for Monuments and Sites’ and each year the international Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) proposes a theme for the commemoration of this day. This year - 2021, the theme is ‘Complex Pasts : Diverse Futures’.  Last year, to commemorate this day, I had posted a Blog on an extraordinary monument from the city of Bijapur ( now Vijaypura) - Ibrahim Roza, and this year my post is once again on another monument - Gol Gumbaj, from Bijapur, which is Internationally acclaimed. My choice for the Gol Gumbaz is because it’s design influenced two well known colonial buildings in Mumbai and also the fact that I spent seven years of my most important and unforgettable part of my early life - 1970-77, at the Sainik School Bijapur.

The city of Mumbai - where I presently live,  is resplendent with a mix of elegant past colonial buildings of the Bombay times with that of the modern day high rise buildings of present times that beautifully coexist to form the economic capital city of India - Mumbai. Two such buildings of the colonial times of Mumbai -  the General Post Office (GPO) and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), formerly known as the Prince of Wales Museum, have been inspired and modelled on the famous Gol Gumbaz  monument of Vijayapura in Karnataka, a city with which I have a major tryst with my destiny and therefore this city is very close to my heart.  I spent seven years of my most important and unforgettable part of my early life - 1970-77, at the Sainik School Bijapur, a residential school that is part of a chain of Sainik Schools across India, which was established during the early sixties.

The GPO, modelled on the famous Gol Gumbaz, was designed by the British architect John Begg in 1902. The historians and experts of colonial era architecture say that ‘GPO is among the few structures built in Mumbai with black Kurla basalt stone with a dressing of Malad yellow and white Dhrangdra stones’ which owes its design to the Gol Gumbaz. Similarly the CSMVS building, designed by George Wittel and completed in 1914 and opened in 1922, was also inspired and modelled on the designs of Gol Gumbaz. The CSMVS and its majestic dome built on the Indo-Saracenic architecture style, a synthesis of Muslim designs and Indian materials, dominates the south Mumbai skyline. Therefore, the Gol Gumbaj has a connect with Mumbai. 

Gol Gumbaz is the crown monument among a multitude of several other famed monuments and places of historical significance that are home to the city of Bijapur, which include among others ; the Ibrahim Roza, about which I wrote last year, Upli Burz, Bara Kaman, Mulik I Miadan, Hardar Burz, Taj Bauri, Asar Mahal, Jama Masjid etc. Therefore, Gol Gumbaz and the city of Bijapur are inextricably linked to each other and are hyphenated with each other and a visit to Gol Gumbaz is mandated for every tourist who visits the city. It was built as a mausoleum for the king and is famous for its large dome and an unique whispering gallery inside this dome provides its own trademark aesthetics to the monument. The people in the city believe that Gol Gumbaz is arguably the second largest dome in the world, next only to the St. Peters Bascilica in Vatican City. 

A look at the majestic Gol Gumbaz will reveal to the beholder what a marvellous work of architectural genius it is. The massive dome of the Gol Gumbaz, with an ave inspiring whispering gallery, stands unsupported by any central pillars. Although the city of Vijaypura  has several monuments, each of which have their own remarkable features, the Gol Gumbaz stands out to attract thousands of tourists every year because of its massive sized dome. The city of Bijapur is embellished with quite a few remarkable monuments which were built during the rule of the Adil Shahis. Some of the notable structural, artistic and cultural features of these monuments in Bijapur include the large dome of the Gol Gumbaz, the glittering mehrab found in Jama Masjid, exceedingly delicate chiseling works witnessed in the Mehta Mahal, the exquisite wall paintings evidenced at the Asar Mahal, the great arches of Gagan Mahal and so also a gigantic half built Bara Kaman and lastly the extraordinary artistic embellishments found in the Ibrahim Rauza. In these monuments the Adil Shahi kings  have  left behind a legacy, which continues to be seen and appreciated even today, hundreds of years later.

The Sultanate of Bijapur, known in Bijapur as the Adil Shahi dynasty, ruled parts of southern India from the late 15th to the late 17th century (1490– 1686) with their capital in Bijapur. The Adil Shahi dynasty was founded by the Persian governor of Bijapur, Yusuf Adil Shah, who declared his independence from the declining Bahmani kingdom of the Deccan. Rulers of the Adil Shahi dynasty were great patrons of art and architecture, which is evidenced in the monuments which stand testimony to their patronage. The Adil Shahi kings could not hold on to their citadel when the Mughal ruler looked towards the south and expanded to the Deccan. Bijapur was no longer able to evade confrontation with the Mughals and finally fell to Aurangzeb. After the conquest of the city of Bijapur by Aurangzeb the importance of the city and so also the Adil Shahi kingdom began to loose its lustre and gradually faded from the collective memory of the people writing history and most unfortunately it is also not widely documented.

The history of the city of Bijapur, however, predates the Adil Shahi’s  and goes back to the Palaeolithic times the evidence of which is seen from the archaeological findings that show human settlements. However, the legendary founding of the city of Bijapur, which we know today,  started in the late tenth century (900s) under Tailapa II, who had been the Governor of the Rashtrakutas of Tardavadi. The Bijapur city was then destroyed by the invasion of the Paramara of Malwa, who declared his independence and went on to found the empire of the Chalukyas of Kalyani. It was during this period that the city came to be referred to as Vijayapura ("City of Victory").  By the late 13th century, the city had come under the influence of the Khilji Sultanate. In 1347, the area was conquered by the Bahmani Sultanate of Gulbarga (now Kalaburgi) and the city was referred to as Vijapur, which later became Bijapur. In 1518, the Bahmani Sultanate split into five splinter states known as the Deccan sultanates, one of which was Bijapur that was ruled by the kings of the AdilShahi dynasty. The city of Bijapur owes much of its greatness to Yusuf Adil Shah, the founder of the independent Bijapur Sultanate. The rule of this dynasty ended in 1686, when the city was conquered by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. 

Among the monuments which stand testimony to the rule of the Adil Shahi kingdom, by far the largest and most conspicuous building in Bijapur is the mausoleum of Muhammad ( or Mahmud as he is sometimes called) Adil Shah I, which is famously known as the Gol Gumbaz. Like his illustrious father Ibrahim II, who had built the majestic Ibrahim Roza, Muhammad Adil Shah preferred to build his own legacy that he can leave behind. He envisaged that his legacy should be bigger than his fathers legacy. Therefore, as soon as he ascended the throne of the Adil Shahi kingdom, he prioritised his choices and ordered his people to built a mausoleum, which can be used as his own tomb. He envisaged that he will be able to complete his tomb before he died, unfortunately that did not happen. It is interesting to note that the successive kings of the Adil Shahi dynasty had some kind of competitive rivalry, and each monarch wished to leave a tomb or a mark of his own behind which would eclipse those of their predecessors, and leave no room for improvement to their successors. Each of them wished that their name could be singled out conspicuously from the other. To this effect, Muhammad Adil Shah certainly succeeded in building the Gol Gumbaz, which became a landmark beyond anything attempted before or after him. Although the Ibrahim Roza, built by the father of Mohammad Adil Shahi, Ibrahim II, is so extraordinary and majestic, yet the sheer size and magnitude of the Gol Gumbaz has some how managed to dwarf the Ibrahim Roza monument. Most of the people who are not so well versed with history will only remember Gol Gumbaz and the Ibrahim Roza monument has mostly become insignificant and is hardly known to people.

Credit must therefore be given to Mohammad Adil Shah and the architect and men who built the great Gol Gumbaz because surpassing the majestic Ibrahim Roza was no mean a task. The architects and builders had done their very best while constructing the Ibrahim Roza. Therefore, to surpass the Ibrahim Roza, the only thing left for Mohammed Adil Shah was to substitute quantity for quality. If he could not surpass the delicate chiselling and lacelike balustrades of the Ibrahim Rauza, he thought that at least he could build such a tomb as would, by its immense size, dwarf the Ibrahim Roza and every other building in the city. Thus was built the Gol Gumbaz, a tomb which would arrest the eye from every quarter for miles around, and carry with it the name of Muhammad, the great Sultan Muhammad of Adil Shahi into the annals of history. 

The Gol Gumbaz has perhaps derived its name from ‘Gol Gummata’ - from the local Kannada language, meaning ‘circular dome’., which is built in the Deccan style of architecture. The tomb is a giant cube on top of which houses a very large hemispherical dome. Each storey of this massive structure has seven arched windows each of which are crowned by smaller domes. The main hemispherical dome, which forms the genesis of the Gol Gumbaz structure,  is an acoustic wonder and serves as a whispering gallery that can echo the faintest of whispers many times. The diameter of the dome is less than the breadth of the building. A winding staircase ascends in each of the corners of the building, which ultimately leads to the flat roof on top between the corners and the dome. There are passages, which lead from the roof, through the thickness of the dome into the whispering gallery that forms an interior of the large dome.

Gol Gumbaz was constructed by Mohammad Adil Shah during his reign 1626 to 1656. While there is no certainty as to who the designer of this structure was ( some historians say it was one Mr. Gopal) but it certain that the architect for this monument was Yaqut of Dabul. As the name of the structure suggests, the monument is a Circular dome constructed with dark grey basalt and decorated plaster, the plain exterior of Gol Gumbaz is beautiful in its stark simplicity. The main structure of the monument is in the form of of a cube with each side measuring some 47.5 meters (156 ft) on each side, and it is capped by a dome which is about 44 m (144 ft) in external diameter. There are eight intersecting arches, which are  created by two rotated squares which provide an interlocking structural support for the large dome. At each of the four corners of the cube there is a dome-capped octagonal tower, which is seven stories high with a staircase inside. The upper floor of each of these corners opens on to a round open gallery which surrounds the dome. 

The dome is practically a hemisphere of about 38 metres (124  feet and 5 inches) interior diameter. The thickness of the dome is 10 feet at the base and it is 9 feet at the crown top of the dome. Thus the total external diameter of the Gol Gumbaz Dome at its base is approximately 44 metres (145 feet). The curves of the surface of the hemispherical dome are not absolutely perfect and therefore the measurements taken across different diameters of the dome vary by several inches. Notwithstanding  the same, one can safely arrive at an area of the dome which is in excess of 1670 square metres (18,025 sq. ft). When we compare these measurements of the Gol Gumbaz and compare it with other monuments of the world, we can say that Gol Gumbaz can be considered as the second largest space covered by a single dome in the world, the next largest being that of the Pantheon at Rome which measures 15,833 sq. ft. The total exterior height of the Gol Gumbaz building above the platform on which it stands is about 60 metres tall (198 feet and 6 inches) exclusive of the wooden pole at the top, which measured some 8 feet thus the total height of the building measures some 62 metres tall (206 ft. 6 in). The interior height from the level of the floor around the tomb platform to the top of the dome is 54 metres (178 ft). The drop from the gallery to the floor below is about 33 metres (109 ft. 6 in.). 

The most popular feature of the monument, which attracts visitors is the loud echoes that fill the whisper gallery inside the dome. Just a thumping of the feet is enough to create a impactful echo which can resemble the tread of a regiment. When the whispering gallery is filled with children one can listen to a range of sounds and strange and uncanny noises, which fill the gallery to the bemusement of the visitors. Another feature of the inner dome is the specialities of its acoustics, which amplify the slightest whisper from one part of the dome so that it can be heard by the friend standing on the other side of the dome at a considerable distance. The guides will brief the visitors that one can easily start a conversation which can be most easily carried on across the full diameter of the dome in the lowest undertone, when not many visitors are around. One common site at the inner dome is the scene of visitors clapping their hands, which gets echoed over ten times distinctly. 

Although the whispering gallery appears to be the main attraction of the visitors one can say with some certainty that the architect of Gol Gumbaz perhaps did not  have in mind the production of a good echo, when he designed and constructed the dome. After all the Gol Gumbaz dome is no more than a duplicate of many domes that are seen in Bijapur. The only difference however is that it is much larger in scale. It therefore appears that the echoes which now form the main attraction to the visitors was actually not planned for but has been purely a natural result of the large size of the dome. When one looks at the domes and analyses them from acoustics point, we can understand that the smaller domes will produce what is called resonance, primarily because their diameters are not sufficient enough to produce a distinct echo. For a distinctive echo to be produced, the distance between a person and the reflecting surface must be higher than at-least 22 metres (66 feet) so that the sound on return may reach the ear immediately upon the dying out of the original sound so that it can create the impression of a second sound — an echo. If a greater distance intervenes, the echo is more distinct as more time separates the original sound from the reflected sound. If the distance is less, no distinct echo results, as the original and reflected sounds overlap and produce a confused sound or a resonance. 

The Sultan - Muhammad Adil Shah, who painstakingly conceived an idea to build this majestic monument, is buried inside this mausoleum hall, which is a square podium with steps on each side. In the middle of the podium, a cenotaph slab on the ground marks the actual grave below. In all there are five graves in the mausoleum hall and they are ; Muhammad Adil Shah, his youngest wife Arus Bibi, a daughter, a grandson, and his favourite mistress, Rambha. To distinguish the Sultan from others, a wooden baldachin is placed over the Sultan’s cenotaph. The actual graves however are buried underground.

The beauty and technical elegance of this building can be seen and appreciated from the words of James Ferguson. In the History of Indian and Eastern Architecture, he explains the technical wizardry involved in building Gol Gumba; “The most ingenuous and novel part of the construction of this dome is the mode in which its lateral or outward thrust is counteracted. This was accomplished by forming the pendentives so that they not only cut off the angles but that their arches intersect one another and form a very considerable mass of masonry perfectly stable in itself: and, by its weight acting inwards counteracting any thrust that can possibly be brought to bear upon it by the pressure of the dome. If the whole edifice thus balanced has any tendency to move, it is to fall inwards, which from its circular form is impossible: while the action of the weight of the pendentives being in the opposite direction to that of the dome, it acts like a tie, and keeps the whole in equilibrium, without interfering at all with the dome.”

The majesty of the monument can be felt when one looks around the roof of the tomb. It provides a most extensive view of the whole city and one can see the Jama Masjid,  Mustafa Khan’s mosque, the Asar Mahal with its great open front, and the many buildings in the citadel, most prominent among which is the Anand Mahal. One can also sight the domes and minars of the famous Ibrahim Rauza. There is a large boldly cut Persian inscriptions, from which one can understand that the Sultan Mohammad Adil Shah died in 1656 (A. H. 1067). The inscriptions in Persian read : “The end of Muhammad has become laudable.” “Muhammad Sultan whose abode is in paradise.” “The abode of peace became Muhammad Shah.”

On the occasion of this years ‘International Day for Monuments and Sites’, with a theme “Complex Pasts : Diverse Future”,  I earnestly hope that the city of Bijapur and the majestic monument - Gol Gumbaz, will be more prominently visible on the tourists map of India and hopefully it will be visited by more and more tourists - not just Indians but foreign tourists as well. On this occasion let us remind ourselves of how blessed we are to have such a rich heritage that is resplendent with innumerable temples, mosques, churches, monuments and other archeological sites, which are spread all across our vast country. It is our bounded duty to cherish them and help the authorities concerned in maintaining and preserving the temples, archeological sites and monuments for posterity. 

Jai Hind.

13th April, The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre & the Savagery of the beast - General, Reginald Dyer

Certain incidents from the annals of history, remain etched in the collective memory of nations and one such event for India is the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the savagery perpetrated by the British General, Brigadier General, Reginald Dyer, on the 13th of April, 1919. Dyer, the newly appointed British General, marched along with his chosen soldiers, Gurkhas and Baluchis, to the Jallianwala Bagh on that day, and without any warning ordered his men to fire on the unarmed crowd some 20,000 of them - peasants from nearby villages who had come for the cattle fair, domestic workers, craftsmen, artisans and young boys - who had gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh grounds to celebrate Baisakhi, the harvest festival season celebrated with great fervour across Punjab. The unprovoked firing continued for more than 10 minutes and 1650 rounds were fired during this dastardly inhuman act. As per the official records of the British, 379 people were shot dead and some 1200 wounded. But as per the the Indian Congress Enquiry Committee report, nearly 2,000 people were either killed or seriously wounded and mimed for life. General Dyer left the Jallianwala Bagh site leaving behind a pool of blood of Indians and a history which continues to haunt us.

The criminality of the massacre of innocent lives by General Dyer can only be mirrored in such other equally heinous crimes that were committed at the Auschwitz by the Nazis during the WW II and perhaps to the more recent Tiananmen Square, China, in 1989. The Jallianwala Bagh quintessentially symbolises crime against humanity and this incident should have placed General Reginald Dyer in the infamous company of villains of World Wars, but most unfortunately that has not happened and justice has permanently been denied to the victims of General Dyer. The Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial now stands testimony to the atrocities committed by the Britishers in general and General Dyer in particular to the Indians and will continue to remind us of the martyrs who were brutally and mercilessly gunned down at this historic site.

On the centenary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre - 13, April, 2019, the Parliament (both Rajya Sabha and Loksabha) had discussed with passion, the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial (Amendment) Bill 2019 and unanimously passed bill. Participating in the debate, leaders, cutting across party lines, paid rich tributes to the Jallianwala Bagh martyrs - innocent lives including women and children. One of the significant point, which came to light during this parliament debate was the extraordinary solidarity that  Nobelist, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore had lent to the martyrs of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Rabindranath Tagore was the first Indian and Asian to have  received the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 and he was also knighted by the British in 1915. When Tagore received the tragic news of the loss of tens of hundreds of innocent lives at the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, he was deeply pained and expressed his solidarity with his countrymen. In one of his writings, Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, famous Indian scientist, statistician and a fellow Bengali of Tagore, has said that Tagore tried his best to move towards Punjab to be with the people who had faced the worst of brutality at the hands of General Dyer. He further added that Tagore had also sent a message to Mahatma Gandhi ji  suggesting that both of them together should travel to Delhi and from there to Punjab to show solidarity with the people of Punjab. But then Gandhi ji was not in favour of Gurudev’s idea, which he feared may lead to further violence in Punjab, which was already very tense. Therefore Tagore, agonised by the unprecedented Jallianwala Bagh massacre, decided to denounce his knighthood as a mark of his protest against the British brutality perpetrated against his countrymen. Tagore denounced his knighthood with a repudiation letter that he wrote to the Viceroy Lord Chelmsford, dated May 30, 1919.

Part of this historic letter reads “The time has come when badges of honour make our shame glaring in the incongruous context of humiliation, and I for my part, wish to stand, shorn, of all special distinctions, by the side of those of my countrymen who, for their so called insignificance, are liable to suffer degradation not fit for human beings. ..  And these are the reasons, which have compelled me to ask Your Excellency, with due reference and regret, to relieve me of my title of knighthood, which I had the honour to accept from His Majesty the King at the hands of your predecessor, for whose nobleness of heart,  I still entertain great admiration”. 

Incidentally to commemorate the centenary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, an interesting exhibition was organised in Kolkata. The exhibition ‘Ways of Remembering Jallianwala Bagh & Rabindranath Tagore’s Response to the Massacre’, was quite unique because of its distinctive connect and linkage to Punjab and Bengal, the two major states, which were central to the freedom struggle. More over, this was the first time ever that the Victoria Memorial Hall (VMH), a symbol of British Colonial Raj in India, in almost its hundred years of existence, was hosting an exhibition to commemorate the centenary of Jallianwala Bagh. This unique exhibition, curated by Ms. Dutta Gupta, included historic and archival information on not just what happened on that fateful day - April 13, 1919 - but it also placed the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in context. One of the significant object on display at the exhibition was the letter, which Tagore wrote to Viceroy Chelmsford, while denouncing his knighthood. Tagore continued his efforts in highlighting the atrocities committed at Jallianwala Bagh till this matter was taken up and discussed in the British Parliament.

There are two different accounts of the human casualties that happened at the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. The British account puts the dead at some 379 people with an additional 1200 wounded, while the Indian account, which  is based on the Congress Enquiry Committee report, puts the number of deaths in excess of 1000 and nearly 2,000 others grievously wounded. The actual or perhaps realistic number of casualties in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre can be seen in the recently republished 1969 classic book ‘Jallianwala Bagh’, by Mr V.N. Datta, which comes with a preface by his daughter and distinguished historian, Nonica Datta. Mr Datta puts the number of deaths to around 700 people. This data is based on his well researched material.

The barbarian Jallianwala Bagh massacre became a symbol and a metaphor for racial brutality and inhumanity and this event fundamentally changed the coarse and direction of India’s freedom struggle with Gandhi ji taking centre stage of this movement. Gandhi ji, who, until this savage incident, believed that the larger good of the people of India was to cooperate with the colonial government, soon after this indescribable cruelty and inhumanity - almost unparalleled in modern times, changed his motto from cooperation to non cooperation. This incident paved the way for Gandhi ji’s famous ‘satyagrah’ - noncooperation movement against the tyrannical rulers and that too following his dharma of ahimsa - non violence. Jallianwala Bagh was an important turning point in the Indo-England relations, which completely destroyed whatever little faith that Indians had in the British rulers. Alongside Gandhi’s non-violent struggle, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre resulted in the emergence of a movement of political resistance in Punjab that also led to the emergence of revolutionaries like the legendary Bhagat Singh and Udham Singh. 

Gandhi ji called Dyer, ‘the chief perpetrator of the Jallianwala Bagh, blood thirsty and warned people against ‘Dyerism’. Yet Gandhi ji asked the ‘Jallianwala Bagh Congress Inquiry Committee’ not to prosecute him. Most tragically, the apostle of peace that Gandhi ji was, Gandhi ji kind of a pardoned Dyer’s unpardonable sin. This was one of the reasons why Dyer got away with almost no punishment after a kangaroo type trial, which was conducted by the British that was quite farcical to say the least. The Jallianwala Bagh outrage provided a new momentum to the renewed Indian national movement and it helped in inspiring a variety of national leaders and freedom fighters to unitedly fight for the cause of the liberty and independence for Mother India. Gandhi ji who had pledged his support and cooperation to the British during First World War, became a non co-operator. 

To understand the reasons that ultimately led to the dastardly act of Jallianwala Bagh massacre, it is necessary to go back to the World War 1 period. Gandhi ji had pledged his support to the British during the WW I with a belief that the British will reward India with Independence post the war, which did not happen. The people of Punjab were incensed by the backtracking of the promise made by the British to the Indian National Congress and other leaders of the Indian Independence movement, to accord Dominion Status to India, involving some amount of self-governance. In return, the British had sought India’s support in fighting World War I. While Indians including the Mahatma and particularly the Punjabis  and Sikhs, uncompromisingly supported the British in their War and so also made payment of millions of pounds in taxes, and provided food grains, arms and ammunition for the British Army to fight the War and so also the sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of Punjabi men during the war, what they expected post the WW1 was a promise of self rule. But after the War the British reneged on their promise, which resulted in some violent and more peaceful protests across nations including the one at the Jallianwala Bagh.

The World War I, had cost India dearly in men and materials. The WW I had also resulted in rising prices of essential goods, new taxes. Adding to this misery the British had introduced harsh recruitment policies, which had added to the tribulations of famines, failing harvests and plague outbreaks that followed. In all this, Punjab was the hardest hit: with just one-thirteenth of the country’s population, Punjab had contributed 60% of the recruits for the British army. During this turbulent times, Punjab was ruled by the Lieutenant Governor, Sir Michael O’Dwyer ( later assassinated by Udham Singh in 1940). O’Dwyer, an arch-imperialist, ruled the Punjab province with an iron hand for six years, stifling all dissent and opposition. This was also the time when the infamous Rowlatt Act was introduced by the British. The iniquitous Rowlatt Act became a spark thrown on the tinderbox, which Punjab and India had turned into. There were agitations across the country against this Act and the strikes in Punjab were most prominent among all the strikes in India. To add further fuel to the fire O’Dwyer had ordered deportation, on April 10, 1919, of the two most popular leaders of Punjab - Saifuddin Kitchlew and Satyapal. This became a flash point that resulted in direct clashes between the people of Punjab and the British authorities. During the ensuing violence, five Europeans and about 20 Indians were killed and one of the British missionary, Marcella Sherwood, was assaulted. All these incidents had set the stage for the arrival of Brigadier General, Dyer and the events that unfolded at Jallianwala Bagh.

General Dyer was incensed by the incidents that happened on the 10th April, which included the killing of 5 Europeans and a brutal attack on the British missionary - Marcella Sherwood. It is believed that his action was triggered by feelings of revenge shaped by a visceral racial hostility towards the people of Punjab, particularly those from the city of Amritsar. Above all Dyer has stated that he feared a mutiny-like situation, a repeat of 1857. Moreover, General Dyer was informed by Miles Irving, the deputy commissioner of Amritsar, that the civil control of the city was almost at an end. In one of his deposition to the enquiry committee commissioned to enquire into the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Dyer said that he feared that the city had been seized by the people of Amritsar and that it was his duty to recapture it from a hostile population of 1,60,000 people. With all these arguments, Dyer was successful is justifying his unjustifiable acts of the massacre, which he perpetrated on the innocent people on that black day - 13th April 1919. 

While the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy cannot be reversed, an unconditional apology from the British government, which was long overdue, could have demonstrated their remorse for this dastardly act. But most unfortunately even that has not happened till day - 102 years later. The British Government, true to their tyrannical past refused to render any apology, let alone compensate through reparation begging atonement for their inexcusable crime. Contrary to their condemnable behaviour, we Indians, true to our culture and philosophy of ahimsa, have moved on and have not even asked for an official apology not to talk of any reparation - the articulations for which was so exemplarily adduced by Dr. Shashi Tharoor in a debate before the August gathering at the Oxford, which subsequently led to his writing his famous book - The Inglorious Empire : What the British did to India, published by Penguin. 

The cruelty and inhuman act of Jallianwala Bagh massacre ensured that Amritsar became India, an India that was outraged, bloodied and the ensuing trauma was so deep as to have altered the very composition of India’s political psyche. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre became a symbol of the tyrannical rule by the British that changed the political history of our country and accentuated the way forward for our focussed and sustained freedom struggle. On the occasion of the 102nd anniversary of this dastardly act - an unpardonable tragedy of humongous proportions, it is pertinent to question the British on what authority did they have to impose their so called higher ideas of morality. The 102 years post the Jallianwala Bagh has been a long time in the Indian political history and from being a subservient nation to the colonial masters, we have come a long way. And in this long journey India has witnessed moments of great happiness of our independence, the trauma of partition, growing from utter hunger to self-sufficiency in food, achieving an incredible success in the field of IT, education, Space and Atomic energy and so also the improvement in the overall socio economic conditions of our citizens. Notwithstanding the Covid pandemic, which is now at its peak of the second wave, India has made substantial progress and all these of these developments have tried to erase the trauma of the Jallianwala Bagh, which continues to remain etched as a permanent scar in our collective memory. 

Although more than 100 years have passed since the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, it is necessary that we perpetuate this information to the young generation, in whose minds this memory is gradually fading into the sepia of fading memory. The Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial hopefully will ensure that we as a nation don’t forget this incident.  On the occasion of the 102nd year of the Jallianwala Bagh, let us all join hands in praying for all those martyrs who sacrificed their life for the freedom of our country and pledge that we remain united as one nation, whose foundations were built on the sacrifice of innumerable martyrs.

Images - courtesy Wiki Commons and Alamy and Amazon. 

Jai Hind. 

Innovative ways to harvest technology to connect emotionally with our audience - An idea. 

For all those who were born on this day - 10th April, imagine how you will feel when you suddenly receive a very birthday greeting card from the Nehru Science Centre. Yes that would have happened had any one of you enrolled in the online workshops that we have organised and filled up the form with your date of birth and also your email. Incidentally this day, 10th April,  happens  to be the birthday of Tanishka, one of our audience, who participated in the workshops that we have conducted online and filled up the database. Today we have sent her a special birthday greetings on her email. Alongside our birth day wishes, we have also informed her that she shares her birthday with a great scientists - Bernardo Alberto Houssay, who too was born on this date 10th April, 1887. He was the co recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1947.

Last year when the lockdown was imposed and our centre remained closed to the visitors I had this idea of connecting emotionally with our audience digitally. Accordingly I assigned a job to some of our staff to research and create a database of all top level scientists, specifically the Nobel Prize winning scientists in science subjects,  and so also other well known scientists and other notable leaders from different fields in India. The main consideration in this database is to record them based on their dates of birth and also to record a small write up on their achievements. This work is an ongoing work and the date base is dynamic. Our main aim was to ensure that every single date of the year from 1st Jan to 31st December - 366 days in, all we must have at least one or may be more of the names of renowned scientists who are born on these days. Fortunately my colleagues have worked hard to complete this database and we now have a fairly rich data base of scientists, which means on any given date we have a name or two of scientists who are born on that date. 

In the meantime I had also asked my colleagues to keep expanding our visitor database and one of the fields in the database is the date of birth of the visitors. As can be seen from our social media and other platforms we have organised innumerable online programmes and activities and every activity has further increased our database of our visitors/ audience. We now have a database in excess of 20000 of our audience who have shared their dates of births with us. We had informed them that we are seeking their date of births, which will be maintained in strict confidence with us, so that the science centre could send them birthday greetings. I am not sure how many people believed that we would really be sending them birthday greetings but fortunately many of the students and other audience have shared their dates of birth and they will now be receiving a special birthday greeting card from our centre on their birthday.

Harvesting the two databases - the data base of the scientists and the database of our audience, we have now worked out an innovative method of wishing our audience by sending special birth day greetings by email. Two of our enthusiastic education staff believing in my idea have worked very hard for this and the result is something, which they are majorly enjoying and I can even see a sense of self actualisation on their faces. What we have done is to create a template of a birthday greeting card and the software and programming so developed picks up from the database of our audience the birthday boys and girls and send them a birthday greeting from the Nehru Science Centre, reminding them that they must feel proud that they share their respective dates of birth with the Nobel Laureate scientist/s. The feedback that my colleagues have received from the birthday boys and girls is so very inspiring and satisfying. My idea which started with some naysayers feeling I am unnecessarily giving some extra work to the staff, has in fact become the work, which they are thoroughly enjoying and I can even see a sense of great satisfaction among my staff. Our audience who are receiving such birthday cards from our centre are overwhelmed and their thanks messages are so very motivational that our staff are working that much harder to keep increasing the database of our visitors and so also the scientists so that even while we are physically closed we remain emotionally connected with our audience. 

This idea can be replicated by most public service organisations to connect emotionally with their audience and customers. 

I wish to thank my colleagues Sheetal, Rajesh,  Puliwar and some other interns and trainee boys and girls who were engaged in researching and preparing this vast database of scientists and our audience.