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Amritsar: It's been
over 90 years since British troops led by Brigadier Reginald Dyer
fired at unarmed Indian protestors at the Jallianwala Bagh here.
But walking through the narrow passage, leading to the now clean,
green and well-maintained park whose walls still bear the
bullet-marks, manages to evoke a connect.
As you step through the only entry to the park, a stone plaque
there reads - "This is the place where the bullets were fired
from."
You can almost visualise the scene from April 13, 1919.
Hundreds of people still come to visit the historical site,
located in a congested area near the holy Sikh shrine Harmandar
Sahib, popularly known as Golden Temple.
And on the 66th Independence Day, it was no different at the
place, now a national memorial spot.
"The Jallianwala Bagh massacre was one of the most tragic
incidents in Indian history, so the place is certainly very
important in context of the nation's independence. It is very
heart-wrenching to see the bullet marks and makes us realise the
sacrifices behind the freedom we have today," Hema Upadhyay, a
tourist, told IANS.
It is hard to think how, from a lane, where even three people
can't walk side by side comfortably, one man managed to perpetrate
a massacre, leaving a reported 379 dead, and over 1,100 injured.
For several youngsters, the site takes them back to their history
books, but the experience of seeing the bullet marks and "the
well" in which several people jumped to their death to escape
bullets, is all together different.
The bullet marks are clearly visible as they have been highlighted
on the walls, and the 'Martyrs' Well' is covered by a steel net.
"It's something we have been reading about in our history
textbooks since childhood. Going there is truly an overwhelming
experience. It makes us realise what people had to go through to
get us independence," said a college student named Ritika.
Neeta Sharma, a housewife, says once you enter the Jallianwala
Bagh, "you automatically go back into the history and start
imagining what the atmosphere would have been like on that fateful
day."
According to an administration source at the Jallianwala Bagh,
most tourists come here during the weekends or on holidays.
"You can say if 100,000 people come to Golden Temple, double the
people come to see the Jallianwala Bagh," the source said when
asked about the general crowd at the spot at any given point of
time.
"A lot of tourists come from Maharashtra and down south. Many
choose to first visit the Golden Temple and then they come to the
Bagh, roam around, rest and also learn about the history. The
people are still eager to know what happened here exactly," added
the source.
The Bagh is never shut, and unlike most historical sites, has no
entry ticket.
It is very well-maintained, clean and green and people across all
ages come to see the park, including young couples who don't mind
strolling hand in hand.
Right in the centre is a huge memorial tower erected in honour of
those who died in the massacre.
There is also a museum with black and white photographs describing
the incident.
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