Jallianwala Bagh 100th Year

It is said that Britishers lost Indian consciousness this day 100 years back. On its hundredth year, it was expected that Britain would formally apologize for the act. They, however, stick to a milder term, ‘regret’. Hundreds of unarmed people including children and women were shot. It was a Baishakhi day. A day of merry brutally turned to the one of sorrow. The day marked 13 April 1919 for Indian history.

Rowlatt Act was a seditious law against which there were protests and people were asking for civil liberties, press freedom, lessened Police raj and so on, in a nutshell, more real freedom. As Tagore said, 'where the mind is without fear and head is held high...’ life to live with dignity. It was the time near the end of World War 1 and many Indian soldiers died helping Imperial Britain. It was expected that reforms will come, however, Britishers ditched Indians and cruelly took a U-turn. Many Indians thus felt betrayed and more so because of the suppressing Rowlett Act.

Although our history was dark, it left us with a scope to improve on the same scale and hence the bulky Indian constitution was being made with utmost care taking into account modern civil liberties and many marvelous elements. The gist in the form of Preamble contains the most modern values a nation should aim to possess, like Secularism, Socialism, Republic, Democratic, Sovereign. It was made in India context, an utterly poor country then and bitter minds due to Partition, famines at the doorstep. Independence was thus hard to come and the values were laid passionately for making in a democratic country of leftover India.

The massacre united Indians and the leaders. Tagore asked the viceroy to relieve him of his knighthood. People of all religion died. The bullet from the barrel did not discriminate between them. This has to be seen in the present context. Our aspiration with regards to the progress made since Independence should be compared. We should probably take bigger decisions of scrapping AFSPA and other Sedition laws.