PRASHANT P SINGH
SAHARANPUR, 9 JAN

Yogesh Chhibber has shown commendable respect for the city of wood, by raking a thought-provoking debate over the establishment of archive or museum to display antiquity of the city. But the residents of the city seem to have obliterated its glorious history. History of the city has never been a well-documented one and none of the scholarly efforts have been done in this direction so far.

    I have observed that many stupendous people construe Dr K K Sharma’s Saharanpur Sandarbh as a window to peep into the city’s past. But the book is written merely as a reference book, not as a masterpiece on history. Fortunately, Dr Sharma also holds similar views about his book.  Saying goes on that history is written by the victors. Many other books, I have seen, also remain riddled with sharp jingoism to scoff ethos of true history writing.  Other lacunas also warp perspective of scholars, which they admit, was no more that of historians’. Most of the reference writers dabbled over the subject, catching only fleeting glimpses, sometimes only to appease readers with their tempered details and sometimes fudged prolixity. What surprises me further is that reference writers of the city hardly delved into beyond the Imperial Gazetteer and scripted their pieces after willingly culling facts into their well-cherished skewed priorities. J L Nehru, in his ‘Glimpses of World History’ emphases over the importance of vision and originality in a historian’s perspective. It is what Romilla Thapar has pinpointed in her histrionics. But parochial approach of our writers often mars the quality and impartiality of history. Most of the writers treat history as a novel and inadvertently permeate their personal viewpoints into their writing.

Recently, I got some declassified documents from the palace of Oudh. These pre-mutiny documents, including rare pamphlets and GOs, revealed me many interesting details about the personality of first DM of Saharanpur Mr Guthrie. Before it, Collector of Moradabad W Leycestor, Esq. (c 1803) managed all revenue records. Even a murder convict Dyllah was first hanged by the order passed on 9^th Dec 1806 after rigmarole of legal proceedings by Nizamat Adawlut, which accorded powers of sentence to Collector on 5^th March 1804. Dyllah’s body was exposed on a gibbet by the orders of S T Goad, as the documents reveal.          

Records from the office (sometimes from Meerut) of Collector during 1814 to 1825 are full of vestiges of historical narratives. There are diffused details about Suttee in 1814 and how pundits issued threats that it would be blasphemous to question their religious autonomy. The English sent many people to jails in 1820 and there is deluge of well-scripted letters from the offices of Commissioner, Meerut, (c 1835). Writers of these letters intimated him about sardine-packed inmates in jails and sought his orders for their subsequent transportation to other jails.

Similarly, Tarikh-e-Saharanpur and some other Persian books, the writer browsed through about Saharanpur, preserve Mata-narratives about tyranny of Gulam Qadir with vivid details. How many of us know that Darwin got stimulus of writing Origin of Species from the animal diversity of Saharanpur? How many of us are aware of the fact that acclimatization of Chinese tea leaves was performed in the historic Company Garden? This tea consequently won eight international awards for its quality and heavily prized during 1890 in Victoria’s England. There are other forlorn and forgotten chapters of Saharanpur, whose overmastering rulers hampered balance of Marathas’s fate in the Third Battle of Panipat, which expedited a sudden demise of Afgan rule from Delhi Sultanat. But who cares for prowess of such details, which have hardly baited any researcher?  People of the city have forgotten British administrators, who built the city, at the cost of few, who spared nothing to mutilate the pristine beauty of the city. How would Saharanpur unlock the jigsaw puzzles of the lost chapters of history, typically between 1750 and 1850? History cannot subsist merely on guesswork as local media and some others conjure up. I brazenly admit that we Indians have bugged beauty of this historical city. Who would write the lost lessons?  

Dear Sir...i w`d like to see more pics of saharanpur people,social life,markets,pics of high as well as low aspects of the city..our saharanpur has a potential of becoming a big centre of trade tourism...good luck
 

Dear Sushant,

On the onset I wish to congratulate u on this wonderful piece of work. We r proud of your efforts and hope all Saharanpurites across the world are able to access the site and take pride in belonging to this wonderful city.

Rajeev jain
 

Hi,
I am Uday Banerjee. I am running a Software Development and IT Education Centre NGP IT Soultions in Gill Colony Saharanpur. This is quite a remarkable effort for Saharanpur. In a town where most of the people are quite pessimistic about their own home town, this is quite an outstanding step taken towards making the city hi-tec. I love my Saharanpur and will love to see and contribute more towards such kinds of things.

Hats Off !!!!

I saw the pic of "Narakpalika Saharanpur" pathetic state of affairs. Can anything be done about it ? Why dont people, who live there, get together and raise their concern for the cleanliness of the place.

Can Commissioner Shukla do anything about it ?

Who else is concerned/bothered to see these pics and who else is willing to do their bit, in some way or the other? can we start collecting signatures to give a letter to the commissioner ?

Sushant Singhal ji, can this be arranged - A chain letter for all the visitors of this website and reaching out to others who are not yet connected and give an appeal to the commissioner to get the area cleaned and keep it cleaned ?

Thanks

-Meenakshi Kapoor
 Pittsburg, USA
 

1:02pm Oct 03-2009   Umesh Sharma

To start with , I want to greet ev body who s assciated with launch of this web site. well done !

wakai apne shahar ki baat hi kuch alag hai jo bayaan karne se nahi balki is shahar mein rahne bhar se hi mahsoos ho sakti hai.

baki batein baad mein meri duty ka time ho ria hai.

mein is shahar ko kucch dena chahta hoon i'll disccuss later.  filhaaal itna hi kahoonga ki mein sports mein is shahar ko upar uthana chahta hoon. 

(मैं इस शहर को कुछ देना चाहता हूं, बाद में बताऊंगा।  फिलहाल इतना ही कहूंगा कि मैं स्पोर्ट्स में इस शहर को ऊपर उठाना चाहता हूं।)

प्रिय उमेश शर्मा,

     आपकी भावनाओं की हम बहुत कद्र करते हैं और आपको हमारी ओर से हार्दिक शुभकामनायें। आप सहारनपुर को प्यार करते हैं वह तो अच्छा है ही, पर आपकी जो बात हमें बहुत अच्छी लगी, वह ये कि आप अपने शहर के लिये कुछ करने का जज़्बा रखते हैं। सहारनपुर डॉट कॉम पूरे शहर की ओर से आपको शुभकामनायें प्रेषित कर रहा है।  जिस दिन आप खेल के मैदान में सहारनपुर का नाम रौशन करेंगे,  हम आपके सम्मान में एक विशेष आयोजन करने का वायदा करते हैं।  भगवान करे, आप अवश्य सफल हों।

सुशान्त सिंहल
द सहारनपुर डॉट कॉम

Dear Sushant sir,  I was very pleased and surprised when I, first time saw this web site. Really you have done a great job. I feel very proud that my pics r @ this site ...jiss ne lahore..... i m one the pehelwans chela....

Aapka prayas kafi sarahniye hai.. aapke parayas ke baad saharanpur nigam ho gaya...umeed hai ki university bhi yahan par hogi....
saharanpur ke top coaching institute (banking, CA, IIT , MBA and other higher education) ki list bhi isme add kar dijiye.......

Saharanpur ke cinema halls with their running movies can also be added...

hope to get latest updates...wishing all the very best....

Dr.H.O. GUPTA

Reply :

आदरणीय बंसल साहब,

       आपका पत्र मिला।  यह अनुभव कर बहुत अच्छा लगा कि आप इस वेबसाइट को जन-हित में किया जा रहा एक अच्छा कार्य मानते हैं और इसमें हमारी सहायता करने को उत्सुक हैं।  इस उत्साहवर्द्धन के लिये हार्दिक आभार !

       एक ओर हम घनघोर विद्युत संकट अनुभव कर रहे हैं वहीं दूसरी ओर शहर में हज़ारों बिजली के खंबों पर लगे हुए हैलोजन बल्ब दिन भर जलते हुए देखे जा रहे हैं। दोपहर को हाई मास्ट लाइट को जलते हुए देख कर माथा पीट लेने को जी चाहता है। आप विद्युत विभाग के सेवानिवृत्त अभियंता हैं।  क्या आप इस बारे में कुछ सार्थक प्रयास कर सकते हैं?  द सहारनपुर डॉट कॉम की पूरी टीम आपके साथ है। 

      हमारी तुच्छ बुद्धि में इसके दो ही उपाय नज़र आते हैं।  या तो इन लाइटों के लिये एक केन्द्रीयकृत नियंत्रण कक्ष हो। या, इन लाइटों के स्थान पर सोलर पैनल वाली लाइट लगाई जायें जो सूर्य के प्रकाश में स्वयं ही बन्द हो जाती हैं।

      आप इस बारे में जो भी सहायता चाहें, हमें सूचित करते रहें।  धन्यवाद

सम्पादक,
द सहारनपुर डॉट कॉम

Its such a great feeling to see saharanpur sitting in noida, my heartly wishes are with the promoters of this site. i would request you not to forget a few more personalities such as Mr. Nirmal Kumar Jain (I.A.S) & Mr. Surendra Kumar Jain (I.A.S.) from Sahu-Ki-Haveli, 10/646, Kayesthan Street, saharanpur.

Myself is Vikas Jain running a travelling agency for all kind of air tickets, hotel bookings, packages, cruise in Noida Sec-18. Basicaly from saharanpur in case i would help u some how plz let me know.

Dear Sushant ji,

I was very pleased and surprised when I, first time saw this web site. Really you have done a great job. I personally feel very proud that I am in touch with you in various social organizations and your coopration is always there to serve them. I appreciate your creativity and give my best wishes.

Sanjay Bhasin
President, Lions Club Saharanpur Central
President, Saharanpur Jila Yuva Vyapar Mandal (Pt.Shyam Bihari Mishra),
President, Sanyukt Vyapar Mandal Sharda Nagar, Khalasi Line, Saharanpur.
 

It is Prashant P Singh here, a pen-slipper of the  premiere English daily Garhwal Post. I really appreciate your sincere efforts to present something scribbled down very creatively about the city of wood. The city, which seems to have obliterated its ancient glory and luminaries, needs to resuscitate consciousness of its young residents .  But I hope people like you, whose writings may burnish the city in the memory of its residents, would help it revive like phoenix.

- Prashant P. Singh
   Garhwal Post, Saharanpur Office

There is nothing like connecting with your old roots. And Saharanpur is one great city which still attracts its residents no matter wherever they might have settled globally. The city has uncanny charm which is hard to explain and can only be experienced. I have been living out of Saharanpur for almost 20 years ( have lived in almost all Metros in India and in the USA for the last 6 years) but still look for an opportunity to go back to the city whenever I find time. That is the attraction and charm of Saharanpur. However , the city has its own issues and problems - cleanliness, lack of community hygiene, lack of higher education institutes and the career opportunities. I remember when I was growing up there the situation was not so bad. I hope it would change for the betterment soon.

Anshul Verma.
 

Hello Sushant Sir,

I just wanted to thank you for the stories and pictures on your website! These pictures give me some basis of what my City is. I will pass this down to my friends so they also know about our great city and our way of life. Thank you again.

Wonderful website with lots of memories! Thanks for allowing me to visit.

Whatever the reason might be to initiate the site. But I wish this site be helpful for the betterment of Saharanpur. It's good that you are doing efforts in the direction of going green as it is the foremost demand to save the forthcoming generations. One more thing that I would like to suggest is - the stuff related to helping less privileged people in saharanpur can be added here. I mean there are people who want to do something for helping the society and community but they don't get a proper channel or platform to do that. It would be great if your site serves that purpose also.

Payal Gupta

Hi Sushant,

this is Meenakshi from Bareilly. I belong to Saharanpur and love this city more than anything else. You have really done a wonderful job of connecting people thru this site. This city has the potential of being one of the metro cities of the country. What it needs is the awareness among people. It is on the main Amritsar Hawrah line, joins Uttar Pradesh with two states - Haryana and Uttrakhand. What else you need to florish the business, trade and commerce which is the backbone of prosperity of any city and its people.

I have three suggestions if they can be incorporated anyhow. Of course, they will take time :

i) It requires upgradation in the field of higher/professional education. It had to sacrifice IIT then the University of Roorkee and the people are still calm. They don't feel the need of another such institution in the city. We need to do something in this direction also. I don't see any good private institution either as other cities of UP have.

ii) It needs to be more beautiful and more green. Can have plants on the sides of roads

iii) If walking plaza with soft music can be initiated, it will add to the quality of life of people there. It can be started from the Company Garden. I am afraid if it exist now.

- Meenakshi H. Verma, Bareilly

Dear Sushant Bhai,
 
Thanx so much for ur mail regarding ur website the saharanpur.com. Heartiest Congratulations for ur dynamic work. It will be a unique and creative work in the interest of general public of Saharanpur. Please accept my best wishes for this work. Please do not hesitate for any work for related to this website.
 
Thanking you and warm wishes for ur brighter future........

Sushant Jain,
Chander Nagar, Near jain Mandir,
Saharanpur-(UP) 

 

Oye Sushant Ji
balle balle

Saharanpur naam sunte hi dil me ghantiya si bajne lagti hain, baje kyon na, vo mera janam sthal jo hai. Yaar tusi kamal kita aur voh bhi singhal ne to dil aur bhi khush ho gaya. Aab koi kahe ki jativaad nahi chalega to hum kab kaha rahe hain ki chalega? aare yeh dil ki khushi hai, jo kaha diaya so kaha diya. jab aadmi khush hota hai to kuch bhi kah sakta hai.

bas ab ek hi sandesh ki lage raho munna bhai. aab jo kaam suru kiya hai to use ek nai uchai par leke jana hai. Hum se jo ban parega hum bhi karege.
ok tata byebye.

Rajeev Singhal
State Bank of India
Chief manager Cor Centre Nariman PT Mumbai

hi !!!!!!
this is saharanpurian i m very glad 2 b born in this town...............:

Archit Arora

miss u saharanpur........ we'll be meeting soon for sure

aman chawla
jaipr,rajasthan

वाह वाह सहारनपुर
वो कंपनी बाग़ का समां , वो कांचा की चाऊमीन ,
वो पिंडी वाले के भटूरे , वाह उसमे है कुछ बात
वो गुलाटी की लस्सी , वो राजदूत का डोसा
वो हरिया की पाव भाजी, और मंगत का समोसा
वो रिक्शा का सफ़र , वो कोर्ट रोड की हवा
वो दालमंडी पुल की रौनक और लिंक रोड का समां
वो जनवरी की कडाके की सर्दी , वो बारिशों के महीने
वो वुड कर्विंग का काम ,और वो लकडी पे नक्काशी
वो होली की मस्ती , वो दोस्तों की टोली ,
वो रानी बाज़ार का माहोल , वो घंटा घर का ट्रैफिक ,
वो पंथ विहार का नज़ारा , वाह उसके क्या कहने .
वो सराफे बाज़ार की गलियां , वो St. Mary's और AMS की लड़कियां .
वो कंपनी बाग़ बेंच , और वो मांगे राम की चाट
वो आशुतोष का ढाबा ,वो गुघाल के मेले की सजावट
वो स्कूल की लाइफ और वो कॉलेज की ज़िन्दगी ,
वो दिल्ली रोड का रास्ता और वो ellora's की patties
वो नौ गजापीर का मजार , वो गुघा की माडी
वो नवाब गंज चौक , वो हकीक़त नगर
इतना सब कह दिया पर दिल कहता है और भी कुछ कहूं
वो शहर है अपना, जिसका नाम है सहारनपुर

-- ABHISHEK VASHISHTHA,  M.TECH. STUDENT, BHU

ALLAHABAD. 

Hi I am writing this mail from Auckland New Zealand. Have been here for 4 years now, Saharanpur is my home town and my home is in Avas Vikas. Was very very happy to see the website, should say people behind this website have done a good work. Keep it up. Cheeeers!!!

Varun Chawla - Auckland
13.09.2009

GOD BLESS all fellow SAHARANPURIAN's!!!!! 

atlast WE can say tht SAHARANPUR too have a dedicated website for this beautiful & peaceful city of us, really very kind of you MR.SINGHAL for putting in so much effort in making it possible. 

MOHAMMAD ANAS

the site has very charming features....
sir, you have done a great job....

from:-
harshil
(samyak)
 

I have visited the entire website.  Great effort. Congratulations. In case I can be useful in any kind of contribution, just lemme know.  Regards.

- Acharya Pratishtha Sharma
(Internationally acclaimed Kathak Dancer and World's youngest Yoga Teacher)

 आपने इस वेबसाइट के माध्यम से सहारनपुर की सही मायनों में सेवा की है जिसके लिये आपको साधुवाद ।  मेरा हर प्रकार से सहयोग आपको सदैव उपलब्ध रहेगा।

- रोटेरियन विवेक मनोचा
(महामंत्री, सहारनपुर उद्योग व्यापार प्रतिनिधि मंडल)

  Excellent Work done.  I would love to be and shall feel proud to be a part of this project.

- Sandeep Sharma
(Famous actor and director,  Member of ADACAR)

By making this site, you have done something very good for Saharanpur and its people.  Please add a column for those in Saharanpur who wish to sell or purchase USED, SECOND HAND PRODUCTS.   This will be a great facility for them.

- S. Jasvinder Singh,

(Megahertz Technologies, Saharanpur)

आपका ये प्रयास अनुपम है।  सहारनपुर की सभी सांस्कृतिक, सामाजिक, साहित्यिक संस्थाओं का परिचय देने की चेष्टा करके आप सही अर्थों में समाज व साहित्य की सेवा कर रहे हैं।  सहारनपुर का सचित्र परिचय देने वाली ऐसी कोई भी वेबसाइट अभी तक उपलब्ध नहीं थी।  हिन्दी में इसका निर्माण करना तो इसे और भी अधिक महत्वपूर्ण बना देता है। 

- जावेद खान सरोहा
(प्रख्यात रंगकर्मी, लेखक, निर्देशक व प्रशिक्षक)

आपकी इस साइट को देखना बहुत सुखद रहा।  इसको जल्दी ही पूरा करें ताकि और अधिक आनन्द आये।

-लॉयन सुशील भनोट
(पूर्व अध्यक्ष, लॉयंस क्लब सहारनपुर मयूर)

शुरु में मेरा विचार था कि सहारनपुर में ऐसा भला क्या हो सकता है कि जिसके लिये वेबसाइट बनाने की कोशिश की जाये।  अब आपकी इस वेबसाइट को देख कर मेरा विचार बदल गया है और अपना ये शहर अब मुझे खूबसूरत लगने लगा है।

- मौ. अय्यूब
(Creative Concepts Publications)

Got your mail and thank you for letting me know about www.thesaharanpur.com

Hope all the public will now be able to know much more about Saharanpur through this website.

- Rotarian Sunil Chugh,
Cell 9897780170
Asstt. Governor, Rotary International, District 3080 Zone X
 

hello,

  I saw your website.It is good.But i want to say that how can we stop any wrong thing through this website.For example in saharanpur

there is a main problem of drinking water. But some persons waste drinking water permanently like "Chaddha Tea Corner" in pratap market chowk. Water is permanentlt blowing from that shop from two nals.and this drinking water is waste.Nagar palika not take any action against

this type of person so how problem can solve.

thanx 

- Aditya Gupta,
adityagupta118@gmail.com
 

Delighted to go through the website. Hats off to visionary and missionary Shri Sushant Singhal blessed with a paining heart, thoughtful head and healing hands. Perfection is almost no where as it is imperfection only that continues the doors open for further betterment. I think this website should continue to grow to make people feel proud of their city that has contributed a lot to this beautiful country and the globe in different disciplines.
 

We must certainly look forward to enrich the website and the efforts with the genuine information we have and the creative ideas and talents we possess; may our efforts be as tiny as those of squirrel in the task of setubandh by Shri Ram.
 

-'Padmashri' Bharat Bhushan
a servant of Divine

(received via email)

Hi Sushant,

Your efforts to make the website and gather all the information is commendable.. thanks for this.

I have a suggestion/request.... the purpose of this website it to get more and more traffic so that people can learn abt saharanpur, indians or non-indians, both.
I understand and agree that we are Indians, we speak hindi and we shd promote hindi. But how many hindi speaking persons who dont know english use internet ? none, i would say.

It will be nice to have this website in both the language and a link to be provided on the homepage for those who want to read in Hindi or english..

Since you have put in so much efforts to make this website.. it is highly recommended and suggested to have it in both the languages.

Thanks

-Meenakshi Kapoor
Pittsburgh, USA

Ashish Gupta writes : "Saharanpur provides all the ingredients to make someone go after success and achieve the best in the world."

Kanwal Jeet Singh Bawa writes : "ऍ मेरे प्यारे वतन , ऍ मेरे बिछडे चमन ; तुझ पर दिल कुर्बान"

TheSaharanpur.com is a website that can be termed as the best in India.It has given a tremendous  image lift to this city not exactly known for beauty or aesthetics. It has always been a rugged rural cum urban area with lots of enterprising souls who brought laurels to the city but  remained unrecognised. It s a city of communal amity and cultural amalgamation for the good of all. I am proud of this website and hope this will rekindle a fire amongst the citizens to achieve higher goals.

Best wishes

Tarun Vijay
Director, Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation
(centre for civilisational values and policy research)
11 Ashok Road, New Delhi 110001
tel. no.-011-23382569,23382234.

Dear Mr Singhal

It is a great news that you are working on a website on Saharanpur. I am fully aware about your creative and innovative capabilities, and I admire your latest endeavour to introduce Saharanpur to the global community of internet. I am sure people of Saharanpur will benefit hugely from your efforts. All the best!

Dr Javed Jamil

Chief Editor - Islam, Muslim & the World
Bhagwati Colony, Behat Road
Saharanpur
 

For me Saharanpur will always remain a great place. Its potential has not been fully used.  It can provide great business and employment oppurtunities in Agriculture and agro based products.

Another is tourism. It shares boundary with Haryana and Uttrakhand. It should be developed as tourism spot. It has famous Shakumbhari Devi Temple and Gughal mela.  Shakumbhari Devi place doesn't look holy at present but is worth visiting.

But the real story is that it has always been neglected.  Lack of higher studies and job oppurtunities force young people to move out of it.  We should contribute to its development and watch it flourishing.

All the best for your work.

With warm regards ,

RAVIKANT SINGH
ENGINEER -CLASS A
Product Development
EDAG Engineering & Design India Pvt. Ltd,
A-604, Signature Towers,
South City, Gurgaon, Haryana - 122 001

(Mr. Ravikant Singh writes about himself :  I work in German MNC in Gurgaon as automoble
engineer,though my home is still Saharanpur. I studied in Infant Jesus
School till 10th and finally did 12th from Saharanpur Public School. Then I did my B.Tech in mechanical engineering from UPTU (Dr.KNMIET,Modinagar)
 

This website gives all exhaustive information about our own Saharanpur.  Its is indeed heartening to learn that now we have a platform to showcase the BEST of our city. May this portal grow leaps and bounds in times to come and help citizens of Saharanpur not only to present their problems and woes but to come out with the best of solutions. 

I wish the entire team of www.thesaharanpur.com ALL THE VERY BEST. 

Ankur 
Design Engineer. 
National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd.

Hi everyone !  This site is mind blowing.  Offers all the information about Saharanpur.  Thank you, Sir.

Meenal Girdhar
(Samyak)