PATNA: Lively and ticking whole day long, the sprawling Gandhi Maidan, which used to be known as Patna lawns or Bankipore Maidan in pre-independence days, is that part of the city that never sleeps. It has long been witness to historic events, some cherished, some long forgotten.
In recent times, from melas, exhibitions, theatre festivals, book fairs to political rallies, it’s been the centre-stage of activities. It can best be described as a home for paupers, a bazaar for vendors, a haven for lovers, a haunt for revellers, a playground for sports lovers, a hope for beggars and a den for drug peddlers.
During the British era, the maidan was a centre for polo sports, and hardly any political rallies were allowed here. But during the Indian freedom struggle, several movements, including the Champaran movement and the Quit India Movement, were launched in Bihar from this Maidan.
In 1938, the Muslim League was revived from this historic ground, with Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the then president of the league, delivering a strident speech against the Congress from this platform.
After the formation of Forward Bloc (1939), Subhas Chandra Bose’s speech here invited the wrath of Congressmen, who hurled stones and shoes at him. He is said to have gathered these in his shawl and later met Rajendra Prasad at Sadaquat Ashram, recalled noted Gandhian Razi Ahmad.
Gandhiji, during his long political movement, held a number of prayer meetings at this historic ground. During 1947, he even collected funds for Muslim refugees after riots broke out during partition, said Vijay Kumar, director, Bihar state archives.
On August 15, 1947, when India became independent, common masses assembled here, where Mahamaya Prasad Sinha, the then Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee president, unfurled the tri-colour, said P K Sandilya, who actively participated in Bihar’s 1974 movement.
According to Ahmad, in 1946 JP was given a grand reception at the Maidan after his release from Amritsar jail.
In post-independence history, another unforgettable moment is of June 5, 1974 when the Maidan reverberated with chants of ‘Sampoorna kranti ab nara hai, bhavi itihas hamara hai’, a slogan given by Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan. The call for ‘Total Revolution’ culminated in the ouster of Congress from the government both in the state and the Centre in 1977.