82 years after martyrdom Rajguru's home still awaits memorial, govt attention

The residents of Rajgurunagar, the native village of martyr Shivram Hari Rajguru, are carrying out a lone battle to keep his memories alive while the project to develop a memorial of the martyr is entangled in red tapism. It has been 82 years after the British rulers executed him along with Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev for assassinating a British police officer JP Saunders in Lahore in 1928.

Rajgurunagar
Located on the Pune-Nashik Road, about 45 km from Pune, the village of Rajgurunagar has a population of 25,000 and is in close proximity to the proposed Chakan international airport. But its only claim to fame is that it is the birthplace of Rajguru. Its name comes from Rajguru’s association with the village.

Till a decade ago, not many residents of Rajgurunagar were aware of the importance of Rajguru, one of the first revolutionaries with ultra-left ideology, which has made a tremendous impact on contemporary Indian politics. However, a few youths from Rajgurunagar came together to form Hutatma Rajguru Smarak Samiti (HRSS) and their efforts awakened the villagers to their very own nationally acclaimed martyr.

Today, everything in the village right from the school, college, youth groups, Ganesh mandals and even shops are named after Rajguru. However, the villagers’ demand of a grand memorial of the martyr at the 300-year-old majestic  ancestral wada of Rajguru still remains a distant dream.

Home of a matryr
The ancestral wada of Rajguru is a grand stone structure standing on the banks of Bhima river. Spread over 2,788 sq m land, it has a retaining wall originally built in stones, a grand arch door (dindi darwaja), the main house building (thorla wada), a prayer room, the room where Rajguru was born, a Hanuman temple built by Rajguru himself, vyayamshala where Rajguru spent hours exercising, an old washing stone, an old well and an earthen water pot buried in the ground.

There is also the ore containing remains of the three martyrs kept in the room where Rajguru was born. The wada, which can be seen from the Pune-Nashik Road as one enters the village, still remains in a neglected state. Rajguru’s  descendants gave the wada and 50 guntha land to the Centre in 2008.

A tale of neglect
It is a Herculean task for a visitor to locate the wada. There is a signboard giving directions to the house of local MLA Dilip Mohite but none giving directions to Rajguru wada. About 100 enthusiasts visit the wada every month. A persistent visitor has to pass through narrow lanes bearing stink of litter spewed around and overflowing open drainages.

A part of the retaining wall has been reconstructed in cement but that has resulted in defacing the wall and the remaining wall is still in a shambles. Heaps of garbage lay near the grand arch door. The main house structure is all in a pathetic state with loose stones falling out. Similar is the state of the Hanuman temple and gymnasium. The well that does not have retaining wall is covered with iron plate.

Villagers’ efforts
It took formation of HRSS to get the entire wada cleaned for the first time in 2003. Though the state government never hoisted the tricolour at the wada, the HRSS has started organising flag hoisting ceremony here on Republic Day since 2004. The first ceremony saw Rajguru’s nephew Kamlakar unfurling the flag. It was attended by only a handful of  people but now villagers, especially the youth attend the function in large numbers.

The HRSS has been looking after the wada and the gram panchayat has deployed a couple to assist them. The HRSS has been demanding that the wada be restored and developed into a monument. Every year on March 23, a siren is sounded to remind the villagers of the martyr. The HRSS has also maintained bulky files containing every bit of information on Rajguru.

The monument project
The villagers saw a ray of hope in 1998 when the then chief minister Manohar Joshi announced a plan to develop a monument at the wada. The plan was to create a memorial on the 2,788 sq m land. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) was roped in. When the Rajgurus handed over the property to the government, some of the land had already been sold.

In 2005, the state government sanctioned Rs1.70 crore for the memorial. However, the only funds disbursement made so far is the first installment of Rs5 lakh in 2007 and the money was adequate only to redevelop the room where Rajguru was born. Later, the state government rebuilt the retaining wall but the work got mired in controversy with villagers alleging use of substandard material.
The project work came to a grinding halt after that.