By Arteev Sharma

Painted in tricolour, "Azadi Express" a mobile train exhibition, that carried pictures of defining moments in India's freedom struggle including the first war of independence in 1857 and sacrifices of the freedom fighters who won freedom for us was a source of inspiration and entertainment for the students of different school and people of all walks of life of Jammu region for the three days, when it made its 9th halt at Jammu Railway station on October 28.

Cutouts, cards, diorama (re-creation of a natural setting which shows a specific moment in time), photos, books, and video clips on the 1857 war of independence, the emergence of Mahatma Gandhi, the Jallianwala Bagh incident, the Bhoodan movement, patriotic literature and many more memorabilia were put on display and the visitors comprising school children, their parents, other Jammuites and tourists from other states shared their thoughts and lived, through the pictures and photographs etc, the moments when our freedom fighters uprooted 150 years old British rule by laying down their lives.

It was a novel way to make the youth aware of the struggle for independence.

The students from different schools and other people also did not miss any opportunity for shopping and buying flags and silk ties, soaps from the end coach i.e Khadi coach shop.

The special train comprising 11 coaches, decked with material related to all major incidents in the making of India since the first war of independence will run throughout the country for eight months with the last leg of the exhibition slated from Meerut to Delhi on May 15, 2008.

The train had begun its journey from New Delhi on September 28 on the occasion of 100th birth anniversary of Shaheed Bhagat Singh and was flagged off from Delhi by Central Minister for HRD Arjun Singh and Minister for Information and Broadcasting P R Das Munshi.

After passing through Punjab, it reached the winter capital city of Jammu and Kashmir.

The train is scheduled to cover 68 stations throughout the country.ÿÿ The exhibition narrates, "India fought back, emerged victorious and came firmly back on the road to achieve its past glory".

Each of the first eight coaches carries a specific epoch in the freedom movement.

The coach one describes the start of "Kompany Raj", when European traders were attracted to India, and how the British East India Company managed to take over this whole nation.

It also focuses on how India's economy was completely ruined, wealth looted and people subjugated but nevertheless, they were not broken.

The coach two, important one, showcases March 1857 when the much needed spark came in the form of cartridges greased with forbidden fat.

The defiance that started with Mangal Pandey in Barrackpore quickly spread across all regiments, and soon to the towns and the villages across the country.

In Meerut, the sepoys revolted and took charge.

Similarly, the coach three (fire spreads) describes the revolt, which spread far and wide across northern and eastern India.

Indians of all races, faiths and castes fought as one.

The coach describes that the British tried desperately to disrupt the communal harmony but failed miserably.

Coach four describes the story of "British takeover", when the fire of the uprising soon spread to the present days Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

The entire country from north to south and east to west joined in the independence struggle.

After the uprising petered out, the British launched a revengeful campaign and destroyed hundreds of towns and villages killing thousands of people.

The 5th coach "National Awakening" section depicts the formation of the Indian National Congress, partition of Bengal and opposition to it, Mahatma Gandhi's emergence, draconian Rowlatt Act, and the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

The British Queen, Queen Victoria took over direct control of India.

Besides violent protest by freedom fighters of the country, Noble Laureate Rabindranath Tagore renounced his title in protest.

Coach six narrates the struggle of 1920, when "Mahatma Gandhi" launched the "Non-Cooperation Movement" against the British government's high handedness and ruthless repression.

A large number of Indians-Hindu and Muslims alike irrespective of caste, creed and class-joined the non-violent struggle.

The people of India remained united.

Coach seven is about "Quit India" when the people of India had entered into an era that witnessed climax of India's freedom struggle.

The British by now had come to realize that their Indian Empire would not remain intact for long.

The people continued their nation-wide revolt with more enthusiasm.

In coach eight, "Azadi" (freedom), Indians finally became the "masters of their destiny" and created own constitution which was adopted on January 26, 1950.

India became a Soveign Democratic Republic.

"Last three coaches focus on the "New Dawn" in our national history and March forward to prosperity and the strengthening of a vibrant democracy.

The exhibition also includes various social movements like the Indigo Farmers issue, the rise of the nationalist press, patriotic literature, Bhoodan movement of Acharya Vinoba Bhave, and participation of women in the freedom struggle.

Talking to Kashmir Times, Sapna Sharma, a 9th class student said, "This is a good venture of the government and the train's halt at Jammu really imparted much information to Jammuites.The train exhibits the entire freedom struggle and tells people across the country how we got out freedom and how to protect it.

The sacrifices of the freedom fighters who won us freedom and those at our borders who are making sacrifices even today to protect our hard earned freedom should always be borne in mind".

Satish Sharma from Jaipur who appeared to be in Jammu for few days also availed the golden opportunity to see the exhibition.

While expressing his happiness, said, "The photo exhibition has provided a rare opportunity to learn from the history of our country's freedom struggle.

The exhibition reminds us to emulate their examples and values in our lives for evolving into better and zealous citizens of tomorrow".

Though "Azadi Express" left Jammu Railway station on October 30 for its further journey and will make its 10th stop at Chandigarh, the exhibition on train took visitors on a journey through time.

The exhibition not only showed how our country was one of the richest nations of the world and how we were reduced to abject poverty but also depicted how Indian fought back, emerged victorious and came firmly back on the road to achieve its past glory.

It was really a historic moment for the people of this state to have a glance of pictures that depicted hard earned independence and each coach of 'Azadi Express' made every Indian feel proud to be a resident of this country.