Culture and History Association

Recent Projects and Events

Events Program 13th April, 2017

On the morning of 13th April, 2017, Dr Vandana Shiva started her program of 'beej swaraj' from the martyrs memorial at Kali Paltan Temple, Meerut, the site from where began the Great Uprising of 1857. Farmers of freedom struggle villages of Meerut, women farmers who do organic farming, school children and residents of Meerut conducted a march upto the Freedom.

Events 20th April

On 20th April, 2017, had the opportunity to take Mr. Michael Way of the British Association of Cemeteries of South Asia and his daughter round St. John's Cemetery and Church at Meerut. We discussed the history of Meerut with special reference to the Uprising of 1857.

REVIVAL AND LIVE PERFORMANCE OF A DEAD ART FORM

The Western Uttar Pradesh rendition of Alha was nearly lost for the past 15 years. In 2012 â€“ 2013 we could find only one person, Mr. Vinod Kumar, who could sing it in its original format. This was the first ever complete live performance of this dead art form after all these years at USI, New Delhi, held on 27th Novâ€™2013.

DISCOVERING MEERUT CITY

Spent the day travelling on two wheelers through Meerut city along the location of the old fort wall which does not exist today (I obviously was the pillion rider). The wall had been dismantled by the British after the Uprising of 1857. It was a hot dusty day and we finally reached the residence of the Thairandesh Nawab family of Meerut.

SUFI SAINT BADRUDDIN SHAH

He was a follower of the Chisti sect of the Sufis and was a disciple of the famous Chisti saint Nasiruddin Shah Chirag Dehelvi.
Sufi Badruddin Shah was born in Sirsalgarh, Dist. Baghpat in 1236. He travelled to Delhi where he was ordained in the great tradition of Sufis before finally coming and settling a Barnawa, also presently in Dist. Baghpat where he continued to give sermons.

SAD STORY OF THE REVOLUTIONARIES OF 1857, VILLAGE UKULPURA, SARDHANA, DIST. MEERUT

The continued suffering for generations of those who fought against the British in 1857 in our part of India is best illustrated by the plight of the descendants of a revolutionary as well as their village Ukhulpura near Meerut. Narpat Singh, a revolutionary of this village, led Rajputs and Ranghars in an attack on Sardhana tehsil and freed his region from British rule for nearly 2 months.

BOOK RELEASE PROGRAM AT INDIAN INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, NEW DELHI

Book titled '1857 ...Living History!' authored by Dr. Amit Pathak was released on the 14th of December, 2009 by the famous academic and bureaucrat Mr. T. N. Chaturvedi.

FELLOWSHIP LECTURE AT THE UNITED SERVICE INSTITUTION OF INDIA, NEW DELHI

The session was chaired by my guide Lt. Gen. (Retd) Mathew Thomas and was conducted my Sq. Ldr. (Retd) Rana T.S. Chhina.
The lecture was on various aspects of the 900 year oral.

SEMINAR ON INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE AT NATIONAL MUSEUM INSTITUTE, NEW DELHI

A working seminar on Intangible Cultural Heritage was organised at the National Museum Institute, New Delhi on 4th and 5th of May, 2013. The two cultural regions taken up as a pilot project were Western Uttar Pradesh and Ladakh. Our group represented Western UP.

FREEDOM STRUGGLE VILLAGE OF UKULPURA, DIST. MEERUT-2011

The great sacrifice of Narpat Singh had gone unsung for nearly 150 years and his story was lost in time (chapter ). A survey of the village of Ukhulpura was undertaken in 2011 by the author, Dr. K. K. Sharma, Maj. Himanshu and Dr. Manoj Kumar Gautam. It was found that Ukhulpura.

FREEDOM STRUGGLE VILLAGE OF SIRSALI, DIST. BAGHPAT

This is a village close to the famous village Bijraul of Baba Shah Mull. Half of this village which today is called `Bagi Pattiâ€˜(rebel part) joined the forces with Shah Mull during the battles that took place in Baraut and around. Even after the death of Shah Mull, this village continued to be one of the centers of revolutionary activity.

PROGRAM TO IDENTIFY VILLAGES OF THE GREAT UPSURGE OF 1857 AND SHAHEED NAMAN YATRA

This project was undertaken by the founders. Our guides and teachers have always been Dr. S. K. Mittal and Dr. K. K. Sharma. Mr. Manoj Kumar Gautam and Mrs. Rakesh Chauhan accompanied us on many of these trips and Mr. Sachin Kumar was our assistant.

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE GOVERNMENT FREEDOM STRUGGLE MUSEUM, MEERUT

The building within which the Museum is now housed had been constructed in 1997. For nearly eight years it lay vacant and unused. Through the personal intervention of the Commissioner of Meerut Division, Mr. Rajeev Kumar, proper appointments of staff and officer of the Meerut Museum was undertaken.

RENOVATION OF SHAHEED SMARAK, MEERUT

The first memorial to the Great Uprising of 1857 is in the form of a tall pillar within the Shaheed Smarak complex of Meerut, opposite the Income Tax Office. This is one of the most imposing monuments of North Western Uttar Pradesh. It is in the form of a pillar with the `Ashok Stambh’ at its pinnacle. It was constructed in 1957.

STATUES ON MALL ROAD, MEERUT CANTONMENT

Two statues were erected on the Mall Road in 2002 and 2003 to commemorate the Great Uprising of 1857.
The first statue is opposite Allahabad Bank building on the Mall. The statue was designed by taking out two figures from two original hand drawings of the Great Uprising.

PRESERVING MEMORIES OF THE GREAT UPRISING OF 1857 IN MEERUT CANTONMENT BY PUTTING UP STONE MARKERS AT HISTORICAL SITES WITHIN THE CANTONMENT

In the year 2002, a project was undertaken by the founder members of the association with the Cantonment Board of Meerut under the guidance of the Cantonment Executive Officer.