A patriotic evening complimented with a never seen before play “The Buckingham Palace Trials” was organized by Bharat Maa Shaheed Samman Trust, at the Dalmia House, residence of Industrialist Mr. Sanjay Dalmia. The play showcased the image of Buckingham Palace at the stage and artists playing the leading characters from the period of British rule in India. The play unfolded intensely and the artist playing prosecutor presented his case pretty well, against the 4 main accused – Queen Victoria, Lord Macaulay, Brigadier General Dyer and Winston Churchill who were responsible for the atrocities committed against Indian citizens, during British rule in India. The artist playing defense attorney tried to defend the actions of each one of his clients but failed miserably. The three accused were found guilty by the Indian court of law and were sentenced to death while queen Victoria was sent to “Kala Pani” for life.
Mr. Sanjay Dalmia with Jai Madaan and families of freedom fighters at “The Buckingham Palace Trials” Event
While addressing the audience present at the event, Mr. Sanjay Dalmia mentioned, “It is a sin to commit injustice, but it is a greater sin to tolerate injustice. These words from Lord Krishna to Arjuna, from the holy book, Bhagavad Geeta actually inspired me to conceptualise & develop “The Buckingham Palace Trials” on the lines of Nuremberg trial where Nazi war criminals were tried for their crimes by the court of law. I strongly believe that Whatever one dreams today, can be realized tomorrow.”
The scripted performance strongly portrayed the atrocities done by the accused, as per the allegation made by the prosecutor, including the ill practices of Indentured labour during British rule, when poor Indian farmers were sent to remote lands like Fiji, Trinidad, Mauritius, Guyana and Tobago, for sugarcane farming. The lawyer demanded the highest level of punishment for General Dyer, the main accused for the bloodshed during the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. The crowd was awestruck and got emotional as this play took them down the memory lane to present a glimpse of the pain and grief that our people suffered during that period. They realized how our Gurukul and traditional skill-based education system was tarnished during colonial rule. Also, our local industries were butchered and farmlands were destroyed which resulted in the loss of nearly 4 million lives during the Bengal famine and pushed our countrymen into extreme poverty.
Bharat Maa Shaheed Samman Trust was formed by the Chairman of Dalmia Group and the former member of the parliament – Mr. Sanjay Dalmia and Dr. Jai Madaan, a popular motivational speaker and celebrity astrologer. The objective of this trust is to honour the freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives, fighting against the Britishers to liberate India from colonial rule. Bharat Shaheed Samman Trust has been actively supporting the families of the martyrs, by providing them the much-needed financial assistance for education and livelihood.
Dr. Jai Madaan while delivering her speech said that, “All Indian parents must inculcate the habit of saying “Jai Bharat Maa”, at least once, into their children. She said “I believe that as proud Indians, it’s our responsibility to address our mother nation as “Bharat Maa. These words have the power to move every Indian who aspires to dream big and make India “The Golden Bird”, once again.”
Amit Azad, great grandnephew of the revolutionary freedom fighter- Chandrashekhar Azad, was also present at the event. Commenting on the trial, he said, “My soul soothes to see that Britishers who dared to destroy our Indian culture and heritage met the fate they deserved, in this play. I am very hopeful that one day, every family like ours will get the long due justice for the years of pain we have suffered. I salute this effort by Bharat Maa Shaheed Samman Trust and offer my regards to Sanjay Dalmia sir, for his commendable dedication in honouring the freedom fighters.”
“The Buckingham Palace Trials” was also streamed live on social media. The occasion was graced by the presence of the families of great freedom fighters, like Chandrashekhar Azad and Sukhdev along with many other dignitaries like Major General Gagan Deep Bakshi. A short video from the play is currently available on YouTube for public view. Here is the link: The Buckingham Palace Trials.
