From 1771 Chuar rebellion to 1946 Naval mutiny, State Archives expo shows it all

The exhibition showcases contributions from the National Archives of India (NAI) as well as exhibits from the state archives collection

The Uttar Pradesh State Archives is organising an exhibition focusing on India’s Independence struggle. To be open for public viewing till August 23, the exhibition—spread over two floors of the Archives’ building in Mahanagar—kicked off on July 23, the birth anniversary of revolutionary Chandra Shekhar Azad.

A group photo of all the persons accused in the Kakori controversy, being showcased at the exhibition.

The exhibition showcases contributions from the National Archives of India (NAI) as well as exhibits from the state archives collection. The showstopper is a wall-to-wall map highlighting all 20 major battles and revolts that took place during the struggle for freedom and even predating 1857—from the Chuar Uprising in West Bengal in 1771 to the Naval Mutiny of 1946 in Mumbai.

“To my knowledge, this is the first exhibition that the State Archives is staging on its own in a long time. So far, we have collaborated with other departments, organised displays and exhibits in different districts of UP on different occasions. This Independence Day exhibition is one we have put up solely,” said Uma Dwivedi, the director of UP State Archives. The NAI has contributed 30 standees detailing the various stages of the freedom struggle, while the state archives department filled the walls and soft boards with enlarged copies of documents and written records from those years.

The display includes a replica of Thakur Roshan Singh’s letter to his brother Hukum Singh. The original document is preserved by the archives department. Roshan Singh was a revolutionary from Shahjahanpur, who was jailed, arrested and tried multiple times, and was finally executed at the Allahabad prison in 1927. The exhibition also includes the names and signatures of all those accused in the Kakori Conspiracy.

Since it began in late July, the exhibition has had about 1000 visitors, “but not as many school or college students as we’d hoped”, added Dwivedi.