 |
| Shaikh Bhikari Gate, ORMANHJI CHOWK |
A people without the
knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without
roots.’ - MARCUS GARVEY. Historical buildings and monuments are physical links
to our past. I was reminded of this maxim during a road journey I undertook recently.
While travelling by road from Ranchi, the administrative capital of Jharkhand
State to Dhanbad, the Coal Capital of India, I came across ORMANHJI CHOWK, a
marketplace along the highway, just on the outskirts of Ranchi. There stands a
gate constructed in the memory of Shaikh Bhikhari, a great freedom fighter of
the 1st War of Independence in 1857. Shaikh Bhikhari was born in a humble momin
ansar family of Khudia village in Ormanjhi, on 2nd October, 1811. From a humble
weaver in the beginning, he rose to become a great freedom fighter, by virtue
of his extreme patriotic fervour and bravery. Shaikh Bhikhari had fought the
British a number of times. Employing his tactical guerrilla warfare skills, he
inflicted major casualties on the British forces advancing from Ramgarh towards
Ranchi through the Chutupalu Hills. But Shaikh Bhikhari was destined to become
a martyr in the cause of the Motherland. He was hanged to death by the British
in Chutupalu Valley on January 8, 1858.
At
the present time, the ‘‘Shaikh Bhikari Gate’’ at Ormanjhi Chowk is a monument
lying in a state of ruin and disrepair – plasters are crumbling, paints have
peeled off, even the writing of the main arch has almost completely faded due
to weather conditions and absence of routine repairs. It is indeed painful to
see an important landmark, built to commemorate the noble sacrifice of this
great freedom fighter, suffering from indifference and neglect.
Today
is August 15, 2018. We are celebrating our 72nd Independence Day, today. We owe
this great day to the sacrifices of our great freedom fighters, one of whom
was, undoubtedly, Shaikh Bhikhari. The least we can do to honour his supreme
sacrifice for the cause of Motherland is to repair this decaying monument and
restore it to its original glory and grandeur.
Author:
M.
W. Ansari, Retd. D. G. P.
Bhopal
He can reached at mwansari1984@gmail.com
0 comments
Posts a comment