Academic ambit of Kakori Train Action must be expanded: Descendants of revolutionaries

LUcknow, With the historical Kakori rail process on the brink of turn 100, descendants of some of the revolutionaries who took part in the act feel that the academic ambit of the event must be expanded so that the future generation knows about the hardship their forefathers had to undergo to gain Independence from the British. On August 9, 1925, Indian freedom fighters looted the treasury of the British government in Kakori to buy arms for their revolution against the British Raj. In 1927, Ram Prasad 'Bismil', Ashfaqullah Khan, Thakur Roshan Singh and Rajendranath Lahiri were hanged to death by the British government for their involvement in the incident. In 2021, the Uttar Pradesh government renamed the revolutionary event as the Kakori Train Action. The new name was used in official communications to refer to the event, which was usually described as the 'Kakori train robbery' or the 'Kakori train conspiracy'. Afaqullah Khan, the grandson of revolutionary Ashfaqullah Khan told PTI, "This historic incident is confined barely to a couple of paragraphs in the pages of history, and there is a strong need to include this incident as a chapter from Class 8 to Class 12, so that our future generation can actually know the struggle and hardship our forefathers had to undergo to gain independence from the British." "There should be detailed information on the unsung revolutionaries who had attained martyrdom from 1857 to 1947, and questions should be asked of the students in various examinations. This will act as an incentive to the students and they will make efforts to learn about them," he said. Khan further said efforts should also be made at the university level to teach this incident as a specialised topic such as the Mughals. If this incident is taught only for the sake of teaching, then this will not serve any purpose, he added. "The real purpose will be served when questions in various examinations are asked on this important topic. Gradually, this will infuse a fresh dose of nationalism among the youth. I had studied Ramprasad Bismil and Ashfaqullah Khan till Class 10. Whether they are now in the syllabus or not, I don't know. Once our children know that under what circumstances our country got independence, they will automatically become nationalistic," he said. Khan also said that there is a need to remember our revolutionaries beyond their birth anniversaries, death anniversaries and a few other special dates associated with them. Rajeev Singh, the grandson of Thakur Roshan Singh, told PTI, "More research should be done on the Kakori Train Action at the university level. I have only heard about my grandfather, Thakur Roshan Singh; I never had the honour of seeing him alive. My grandfather has not got the due share of prominence he deserved for the work done by him for the country and the contributions made by him." Singh said his only wish is to see that the work done by his grandfather should be duly acknowledged, as he made the supreme sacrifice of giving up his life for the country. "Children should be motivated to study more about him and other revolutionaries, whose contribution was no less than others," he said. Meeta Bakshi, granddaughter of Sachindra Nath Bakshi, told PTI, "At a time when people generally tend to forget the revolutionaries, remembering them is itself a big thing. I feel that the ambit of Kakori Train Action, which is being taught in the schools, should be significantly increased, so that children may know more about the rich history of this place and its impact on the Freedom Struggle." She said the Kakori anniversary is being celebrated from August 6 to August 8 at the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University in Lucknow. A quiz contest was also organised. Children made posters. "They took an initiative of organising extra-curricular activities on Kakori," Bakshi said, adding that the Kakori incident should be integrated with various educational activities and programmes. Rohit Khatri, grandson of Udai Khatri, told PTI, "I am of the view that the Kakori Train Action should be fully included in the NCERT textbooks covering all the aspects of the incident. If detailed information is not available, then how will anyone come to know about the rich history of the Kakori Train Action?" Khatri said Kakori Shaheed Mandir should be made and developed as a tourist place containing all the information about the revolutionaries. A trained and well-informed guide should also be present there, who can give accurate information on various aspects of the incident to the visitors, he added. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.