Sunday, March 9, 2014

The story behind the Telangana Martyrs Memorial, Gun Park, Hyderabad


In 1971, the Telangana Movement was called off  and the people returned to their lives. Pratap Kishore, founder of the Telangana Praja Samithi, could not reconcile himself to the memory of the 370 people, mostly students who were killed in police firing. He thought over the issue and finally broached the subject of building a memorial for the Martry’s to Raghuveer Rao and Keshav Rao Jadav the other founders of the Telangana Praja Samithi. The three deliberated on the issue, and decided that the sacrifice of the martyrs should not go unrecognized, they decided to get the Government to build a memorial for the Telangana Martyr’s. Keshav Rao Jadav, was given the task of broaching the subject of building the memorial, with Lakshminarayana, the Mayor of Hyderabad.

When the memorial was suggested to Lakshminarayana, he agreed to take it up with the Chief Minister, Brahmanand Reddy, who shot it down. But both Pratap Kishore and Keshav Rao Jadhav, continued to put pressure on Lakshminarayana to pursue the subject of the Memorial. After much persuasion, Lakshminarayana, went against the wishes of Brahmanand Reddy, and had the resolution for building the Telangana Martyrs Memorial, approved by the Municipal body. The Municipal body agreed to building the memorial, but at the Victoria Play Ground in Chaderghat. Pratap Kishore, Keshav Rao Jadhav, EV Padnabhan and several other participants of the 1969 rejected the venue, saying the only fitting place for the memorial was in the park opposite the Assembly, where the MP’s who were elected in 1971, had taken an oath to continue their fight for Telangana state and also it was the place where several students were killed in firing. Finally the Corporation relented and gave its nod to building the memorial in front of the Assembly.

The Municipal Corporation called for sculptors to submit their designs for the Memorial. And of all the aspirants, Aekka Yadagiri Rao, a promising sculptor was selected and commissioned with the building of the memorial. Once the clearances for building the memorial were obtained, it was felt that just building a monument was not enough it had to be symbolic. Pratap Kishore then called Anthi Williams, an active Telangana fighter, and asked him to speak to the family of the slain students, it they would be willing to dig up the mortal remains of the martrys, and hand them over to be reburied under the memorial.  About three or four families consented to Pratap Kishore’s request and handed over the mortal remains of their sons to Anthi Williams, who then placed these in a black painted iron box  and sealed and buried it, in the site earmarked for the Memorial, a day beefore the memorial was to be inaugurated. The next day, Lakshminarayana, Mayor of Hyderabad, laid the foundation stone of the martyrs memorial. And the park where it is built was christened the Gun Park, to symbolize the guns that were used to massacre unarmed youth demanding their right to their home.

The memorial is 25 feet high, and incorporates five separate sections. The base is of black polished granite, which has nine bullet impressions on four sides to represent the 360 students, who scarified their life's for the cause in 1969. Each of the nine bullet impressions on each side, stands for the nine districts of Telangana, at that time Ranga Reddy was not a district. The black granite is symbolic of the mourning for the heroes. At the base of the memorial, the names of the martyrs are engraved in the black granite. The Government raised the height of the lawns by six inches, thereby hiding the names of the martyrs. The mythological sun-arch above the base was inspired from Sanchi Stupas. The plaques embossed in it on four sides represent the greatness of the cause. Above the sun-arch, nine strips or columns were carved denoting nine districts of Telangana. The specialty of this art piece is one can spot these nine strips from any side view. The meaning conveyed through it was nine districts of Telangana were united and nobody can disintegrate them. Next is the trapezium structure that has a dharma chakra, representing tolerance and truth, on four sides. The red granite represents sacrifice and the chakra for peace and love. The meaning conveyed through this was that Telangana youths sacrificed their lives while fighting for dharma, rights and justice. At the top there is a white lily flower to symbolize the freshness of youth and immortality of the soul.

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