UDHAM SINGH.

December 26 was the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Udham Singh, who is known for avenging the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of
1919.

Who was Udham Singh?

 Singh, born in Sunam in Punjab’s Sangrur district in 1899, was a political activist who got associated with the Ghadar Party while
in the US.
 The multi-ethnic party was believed to have communist tendencies and was founded by Sohan Singh Bhakna in 1913.
 Headquartered in California, the party was committed to the ouster of the British from India.
 In 1934, Singh made his way to London with the purpose of assassinating O’Dwyer, who in 1919 had been the Lieutenant
Governor of Punjab.

Why did he consider O’Dwyer responsible for the massacre?

 O’Dwyer ordered Brigadier Reginald Dyer to Amritsar before the massacre; he was worried that there might be a second Indian
mutiny, given the Hindu-Muslim unity and the demonstrations and strikes.
 Instead of Dyer, O’Dwyer is considered to be the actual perpetrator, since Dyer could not have executed it without his
permission.
 On March 13, 1940, Udham Singh shot O’Dwyer at a meeting of the East India Association and the Royal Central Asian Society
at Caxton Hill.
 He was immediately arrested and held in Brixton prison and was sentenced to death and was hanged on July 31, 1940, at
Pentonville Prison.

A legend in India

 For avenging the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Singh is seen by many as a hero. Gandhi, though, had famously called Singh’s
revenge as an “act of insanity”.
 While being on trial, he referred to himself as Mohamed Singh Azad, to symbolise Hindu-Sikh-Muslim unity in the fight for
India’s freedom.
 In 1974, his remains were sent back to India and he was cremated in his village in Sunam.
 There have been several demands in the past few years for Udham Singh’s statue to be installed in Jallianwala Bagh and the
Parliament complex.
 In 2018, his statue was installed at Jallianwala Bagh during Baisakhi.
 Udham Singh Nagar district in Uttarakhand is named after the freedom fighter.

ADOPT A HERITAGE PROJECT.

Context:

So far, under the project, 27 Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) have been awarded to 12 Monument Mitras for
twenty-five (25) sites and two (2) Technological interventi ons across India.

Adopt a Heritage Project:

The Scheme was launched on World Tourism Day i.e. 27th September, 2017.

1. This project is a key initi ati ve of Ministry of Tourism in close collaborati on with Ministry of Culture and
Archeological Survey of India (ASI), to develop the heritage sites / monuments and making them tourist-friendly
to enhance the tourism potenti al and their cultural importance in a planned and phased manner.

How it works?

The project plans to entrust heritage sites/monuments and other tourist sites to private sector companies, public sector
companies and individuals for the development of tourist ameniti es. The project aims to develop synergy among all
partners.

Who are Monument Mitras?

Successful bidders selected for adopti ng heritage sites / monuments by the Oversight and Vision Committ ee shall be called
as Monument Mitras. The basic and advanced ameniti es of the tourist desti nati ons would be provided by them.

1. They would also look after the operati ons and the maintenance of the ameniti es. The ‘Monument Mitras’ would
associate pride with their CSR acti viti es.
Significance of this project:

Adopt a Heritage project is meant to address the challenges that the Archaeological Survey of India and other government
bodies are facing in operati ng tourism infrastructure at heritage sites.

1. By allowing private players to build, operate and maintain “tourist-friendly” and “world class ameniti es at these
sites, the expectati on is that the project will boost domestic and internati onal tourism.

BHIMA-KOREGAON (1818) :IN NEWS.

The history of the Bhima-Koregaon battle should be taught in schools, said the Union Minister of State for Social Justice and
Empowerment.

Try this PYQ:

What was the immediate cause for Ahmad Shah Abdali to invade and fight the Third Battle of Panipat:
(a) He wanted to avenge the expulsion by Marathas of his viceroy Timur Shah from Lahore
(b) The frustrated governor of Jullundhar Adina Beg khan invited him to invade Punjab
(c) He wanted to punish Mughal administration for non-payment of the revenues of the Chahar Mahal
(Gujrat Aurangabad, Sialkot and Pasrur)
(d) He wanted to annex all the fertile plains of Punjab upto borders of Delhi to his kingdom
Battle of Bhima-Koregaon

 The 1818 battle of Bhima-Koregaon, one of the last battles of the Third Anglo-Maratha War culminated in the Peshwa’s defeat.
 It was fought on 1 January 1818 between the British East India Company (BEIC) and the Peshwa faction of the Maratha
Confederacy, at Koregaon at the banks of River Bhima.
 A 28,000-strong force led by Peshwa Baji Rao II while on their way to attack the company-held Pune were unexpectedly met by
an 800-strong Company force of which 500 belonged to the Dalit community.
 The battle was part of the Third Anglo Maratha war, a series of battles that culminated in the defeat of the Peshwa rule and
subsequent rule of the BEIC in nearly all of Western, Central and Southern India.

Mahars under Shivaji

 Back in the seventeenth century, the community was particularly valued by the ruler Shivaji, under whom Maratha caste
identities were far more fluid.
 The value of the Mahars for military recruitment under Shivaji was noted by the social reformer Jyotirao Phule.
 The Mahars were not only beneficiaries of the attempt at caste unity under Shivaji but were in fact valued for their martial
skills, bravery, and loyalty.

Mahars after Shivaji

 The position occupied by the Mahars under Shivaji, however, was short-lived and under later Peshwa rulers, their status
deteriorated.
 The Peshwas were infamous for their Brahmin orthodoxy and their persecution of the untouchables.
 The Mahars were forbidden to move about in public spaces and punished atrociously for disrespecting caste regulations.
 Stories of Peshwa atrocities against the Mahars suggest that they were made to tie brooms behind their backs to wipe out their
footprints and pots on their necks to collect their spit.

Why is the battle significant?

 The battle resulted in losses to the Maratha Empire, then under Peshwa rule, and control over most of western, central and
southern India by the British East India Company.
 The battle has been seen as a symbol of Dalit pride because a large number of soldiers in the Company forces were the Mahar
Dalits, the same oppressed community to which Babasaheb Ambedkar belonged.
 After centuries of inhumane treatment, this battle was the first time that Mahars had been included in a battle in which they
won.

Dr Ambedkar’s association

 It was Babasaheb Ambedkar’s visit to the site on January 1, 1927, that revitalized the memory of the battle for the Dalit
community.
 He led to its commemoration in the form of a victory pillar, besides creating the discourse of Dalit valour against Peshwa
‘oppression’ of Dalits.