Rs.25 Cr to be for renovation of Hussainiwala Martyrs Memorial
Work in full swing on Saragarhi War Memorial with Rs 2 Cr
Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh/Ferozepur, March 15-
The country's first historical Saragarhi Museum built for Rs.2 Cr. was dedicated today to the unparalleled sacrifice, bravery and fighting of 21 brave Sikh soldiers who were martyred in the historical battle of Saragarhi, was dedicated to the public. The inauguration of which was performed by MLA Ferozepur (Urban) Ranbir Singh Bhullar and Deputy Commissioner Rajesh Dhiman.
Under the able leadership of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and Minister for Tourism and Cultural Affairs Anmol Gagan Mann, the Punjab government organized a commemoration of national martyrs, awareness among people about the glorious history of Punjab, promotion of tourism in the state and historical importance and enormous efforts are being made for the development of the places.
MLA said that in this museum, the artefacts, equipment, coding, and decoding of the signalling technology used during the Saragarhi War have been shown, with which the people coming here and especially the school students will get historical as well as technical knowledge. The museum consists of seven galleries that depict the Saragarhi Post and the war from different angles.
The first gallery has a model of the Saragarhi post and also displays the history of the Saragarhi war, including information about the martyrs of Saragarhi. A 3D Theater has been constructed in Gallery-2 where a full movie depicting the historic battle of Saragarhi dedicated to the valour of 21 Sikh soldiers who fought alongside thousands of Afghans led by Havildar Ishar Singh is shown. Gallery 3 has the heliography gallery which has live VFX on how signalling was done between two forts and a post at that time.
The two-way movie is played in Gallery-4, in which detailed information is given about the circumstances, events, and honours after this battle. The next 5th gallery displays replicas of the weapons and guns used by the Sikh soldiers and the Afghans during this battle. The 6th gallery also known as the Last Man Gallery is dedicated to the last martyr Gurmukh Singh. After this is the last gallery-7 which is the tribute gallery and the selfie gallery. A gun of the Sikh army is kept here where a sensor is installed, by touching which tributes are paid to the martyrs.
In the same gallery, a live cut-out of the martyrs of the Saragarhi war has been installed, standing next to which people can take a selfie. This gallery contains detailed information about the newspaper cuttings of the time and the honours given by Queen Victoria, the memorials made to the martyrs. Touch panels have been installed in these galleries in which detailed information can be obtained in Punjabi and English language about the Saragarhi war and martyrs.
Built to commemorate the great sacrifice of the martyrs of Saragarhi, this museum commemorates the exemplary saga of 21 soldiers of 36 Sikhs that took place at Samana Ridge (now Pakistan), who sacrificed their lives fighting fiercely against an attack by 10,000 Afghans on September 12, 1897. This will always remain an example in the history of the Indian Army.
The work of the Saragarhi Memorial, the foundation stone of which was laid by the Chief Minister in memory of the martyrs of the Saragarhi war, is also in full swing by the Punjab government spending Rs 2 crore. This will give a boost to the tourism industry in the border district of Ferozepur and the people of the country and abroad will also get information about the precious sacrifices of Punjabis.
DC Rajesh Dhiman said that works are being done on a large scale to promote tourism and develop places of historical importance at Ferozepur. He said that apart from Saragarhi War Museum and Saragarhi War Memorial, Hussainiwala Martyrdom Memorial will also be renovated and Rs.25 crore will be spent for the beautification of martyrdom monuments, parks and buildings, parking arrangements, ponds and facilities for tourists.
On this occasion, present among others were SDM Ferozepur Charumita, Member of Saragarhi Memorial Trust Dr. Anirudh Gupta, and Vinod Chauhan, Director VCHAU Voyage.