On 13 April, 1919, Punjab was celebrating the main Sikh festival of Baisakhi. At Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, people had gathered for a Baisakhi mela and to stage a peaceful protest against the British rule. On hearing about the crowd, General Reginald Dyer reached the place and ordered his force to open fire on the unarmed people, scripting one of the bloodiest stories in the history of India’s struggle for Independence. With the relentless, unprovoked firing blocking their only exit from the park, hundreds of people lost their lives trapped in the enclosed area. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre went on to become a symbol of colonialism and the atrocities suffered by India during the British rule. As the incident completes 100 years this year, Epic TV is airing a special show, ‘Jallianwala Bagh – Punjab Ka Dil’, commemorating the martyrs.
Commissioned by the Government of Punjab, the EPIC Original show is a tribute to all those people who were killed in cold blood. The first of the two-part project was aired on 6 April at 7 pm with a repeat telecast on 7 April at 10:30 am. The concluding part will be telecast on 13 April at 7 pm and repeated on 14 April at 10:30 am.
Entrusted by the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) of the Punjab government, the Epic Channel says the feature on the Jallianwala Bagh massacre “examines the events leading up to the incident and analyses the far-reaching impact of its fall-out; that spurred the clarion call of Poorna Swaraj — complete independence”.
“Through interviews with renowned scholars, rare archival footage, meetings with descendants of the martyrs, along with an exploration of those who visit the hallowed ground to pay homage, the hour long narrative explores the various facets that make the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy an extremely significant event in India’s history,” the channel said in a statement.
Akul Tripathi, Head – Content and Programming, Epic Channel, added: “We are honoured and proud to be the vessel of choice, to tell the story of such an important moment in India’s history. The feature is homage to generations of martyrs and freedom fighters from the brave land of the Punjab. The Jallianwala Bagh incident and its sacrifices must not be forgotten, today and by generations to come.”
Jallianwala Bagh – Punjab Ka Dil will also be available on EPIC On, which is the channel’s video streaming service, in Hindi, English, and Punjabi.