Netaji visited Hisar village 80 years ago

HISAR: Revered freedom fighter and head of the Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army or INA) Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had come to meet villagers of Satrod Khurd — falling under the present-day Hisar district — some 80 years ago when the area was in the grip of a severe famine, suggest the archaeology department records.

This 80-year-old remembrance came alive on Friday when the archaeology department exhibited a photo relating to his visit, at the exhibition of historical and rare documents and photographs at Thakur Das Bhargava Senior Secondary School here. A photo of the Constituent Assembly meeting held on January 24, 1950 was also a centre of attraction in which Thakur Das Bhargava is himself seen.

As per the Hisar Gazetteer, in 1938, there was a severe famine in the district. The Congress did a lot of relief work. Subhas Chandra Bose, the then President of the Congress, came to see the relief arrangements himself. He also exhorted the people to take national work seriously. This boosted the morale of the local Congressmen and they swung into action.

Anil Kumar, keeper of records and incharge of Hisar archives department, said that following the severe famine, Netaji had visited Hisar on November 28, 1938 to meet the victims. A photo of his visit near the village of Satrod Khurd in which he is meeting the victims, was also caught attention of the visitors to the exhibition.

A telegram dated May 10, 1857, informing about the first freedom struggle that Ambala saw, hanging of Lala Hukam Chand Jain and a list of jewellery of the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar were also display at the exhibition.

Acquisition of the territories of the king of Ballabgarh, Nawabs of Jhajjar and Bahadurgarh , Proclamation of November 1, 1858 regarding the handover of administration to Queen of the areas of British Council, the route to Kala Pani through which prisoners were sent in 1858 and a letter of administrative arrangements for the security arrangement against demonstration over the Rowlatt Bill were also showcased.

Apart from these, photographs of patriots who participated in India’s freedom movement were also displayed.