In a vein of nostalgia, Sumit Paul brings to the fore the historical, social and cultural aspects of a city that has rather been ignored.
My interactions with liberal scholars of Pune and Mumbai have strengthened my belief that Ahmednagar has been deliberately marginalised and consigned to the dustbin of history by the intellectuals of these two cities. I leave it to the readers to judge for themselves as to why this city hasn’t been allowed to develop. Doesn’t it reek of a conspiracy, which befell Aurangabad as well?
Whenever I visit Ahmednagar, a place that falls between Pune and Aurangabad, I feel an uncanny old world charm that’s so perceptible to visitors like me with a nostalgic mindset. It’s really strange, nay disheartening, that despite being one of the greatest historical places in India, Ahmednagar is still confused with Ahmedabad and barring defence folks, people have little knowledge of its chequered history and significance.
Students of history are aware of its magnificent past when the city’s female ruler Chand Bibi took on the mighty Emperor Akbar’s army and put up a brave fight. She refused to surrender and was eventually stabbed to death by her minister Cheeta Khan. I don’t know how far it’s true but legend has it that she was either a male or a eunuch (the legendary historian Sir Jadunath Sarkar believed more in the latter but never mentioned this on paper). It could be apocryphal. It’s worthwhile to state that the year Calcutta completed its 300 years (1989), Ahmednagar competed 500 years! Alas, no one talked about this feat in India, whereas a Tehran-based Iranian daily published an exhaustive article on Ahmednagar, detailing its history and heritage!
This story is from the November 2017 edition of Dignity Dialogue.
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This story is from the November 2017 edition of Dignity Dialogue.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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