A schools’ initiative from The Express Group
Quest is a project conducted by The Indian Express in schools in and around Delhi. It covers more than 50 schools in Delhi and NCR.

Quest aims at stirring awareness and opinions. Today, when all that children see are shopping malls and cineplexes, we at The Indian Express want to show a completely different picture of this city to them. Delhi has changed beyond nostalgia and recognition since Independence. How many of these kids know of the ‘Seven Cities’ of Delhi or the stories of the pigeon fliers of Old Delhi?

The idea behind such an activity is to create awareness about the various structures and monuments that the students do not know about. This is a specially designed programme, which will help the students appreciate the rich culture and background of this city. In association with INTACH and ASI, this is a small effort on our behalf to depict a phase of our national life and the decay of a whole culture, a particular mode of thought and living. The visit is followed by the students sending in articles, pictures, poems, paintings, and collages to express their experiences about the heritage walk.

We invite schools to be a part of this

Express Group initiative.

TRIP TO “TEES JANUARY MARG” —A CURTAIN RAISER FOR YOUNG GENERATION
I was told that The Indian Express had organised a trip for our school to Gandhi Smriti. I was anxious to see the place where Gandhiji breathed his last. On the next day I was so excited that I could hardly wait till 8 am to get to school. I packed my bag with some snacks and water, and after a short journey of one and a half hours we reached Gandhi Smriti. It was very peaceful inside and there were lots of trees. We were then escorted by a volunteer who took us to the place where Nathuram Godse had fired three bullets at Gandhiji. We paid homage to the great man who led us to the path of non-violence. We also went to the room where he slept and the place where he met people. His stick, spoon and other belongings were displayed there and there was a big photograph of the last time he had chanted his prayers.

Inside the museum we saw a large gong and other musical instruments. In the hall we were shown an animation movie.

We saw a monitor which was movable: as it moved from right to left, it told us about Gandhiji, right from his birth till his struggles and his success in achieving freedom for India.

There was a room where the drawings made by children were hung on the walls. On the side of the walls, Gandhiji's famous “Three Monkeys” were drawn. On one side were traditional ones and on the other were modern forms of the monkeys.

There was a table on which stood the models of the people who followed Gandhiji's principles. They included Albert Einstein, Nelson Mandela, Dr S Radhakrishnan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah and many more.

The volunteer also told us that Gandhiji’s last words were “Hey Ram”.

This visit was full of knowledge and I learnt a lot about Gandhiji which I did not know earlier.

I would like to thank my teachers who selected me to go to the Smriti. It was once in a lifetime experience
- CHARU SHARMA X-C

A memory to cherish for life
All of us were quite excited when we got to know that we would be visiting Gandhi Smriti. Gandhiji, who was Bapu for everyone, can never be forgotten. His courage and inspiration were a motivation for one and all. He was a man of dignity, who followed the path of non-violence and peace.

I was enthusiastic about getting to see the place where he spent the last 144 days of his life. We first saw the death place of Gandhiji. “Hey Ram” were the last words spoken by him. We were also told by the guide why this place is known as Tees January Marg. When I saw Gandhiji’s room, I had tears in my eyes. He lived in such simplicity.

We were also told the reason why he chose salt as a powerful weapon against British oppression — salt is a natural thing. Gandhiji said that no one should not be asked to pay tax for natural things like wind, air, water, fire, sky, as they all are available in nature. So he broke the salt law by manufacturing salt from sea water by boiling it.

As we entered the hall we were shown an animation movie which showcased how he was thrown out by the British from a train in South Africa.

Gandhiji used to pray everyday but on January 30, 1948, Gandhiji got late for the sabha, so he took a shortcut. Nathram Godse took advantage of this and fired three bullets in his body. I am very thankful to all my teachers and The Indian Express who gave me the opportunity of having such a scintillating experience.
- POOJA AGGARWAL, X-C

Housing The Mahatma’s Message
Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti (GSDS), an autonomous body, was formed in September 1984 by the merger of Gandhi Darshan at Rajghat and Gandhi Smriti, at 5, Tees January Marg. Gandhi Smriti, housed in Old Birla House on 5, Tees January Marg, is the place where the Mahatma was shot dead by Naturam Godse on January 30, 1948. The Mahatma had resided in Birla House from September 9, 1947. As a result, the house has memorabilia that defined the last 144 days of his life. The Old Birla House, acquired by the government in 1971, was converted into a national memorial for the Father of the Nation, and was opened to the public on August 15, 1973. The preserves include the room where Mahatma Gandhi lived and the prayer ground where he held a mass congregation every evening. The building and the landscape have been preserved as they were in the days of yore.

At the entrance of Gandhi Smriti is a life-like statue of the Mahatma standing on a globe, flanked by a boy and a girl. Sculpted by Shri Ram Sutar, the imagery symbolises Gandhi’s empathy for the under-privileged and the downtrodden. The famous quotation — “My life is my message” — is inscribed on the statue. The museum’s first floor houses the new-age Eternal Gandhi multimedia museum that presents his life through state-of-the-art, innovative installations, and technologically perceptive interfaces. There’s the ‘E-Prison’, a timeline browser that tells the remarkable tale of Gandhiji's journey as a social revolutionary in search of spiritual enlightenment.

MAHATMA GANDHI
The man of honesty
The man of greatness
He is our Mahatma
The father of our nation!
Both in a family
Of cultured background
Grown is a circle.
Of loving parents
Honest, truthful and simple
Of body so frail yet nimble
With heart so big and true
With gifts but given to few.
Made many mistakes.
Realised his faults
Vowed never to commit them again.
Loved his motherland
Brought her freedom
With the weapon of Non - Violence
And not a drop of blood, shed.
Bravely to prison he went
Though so old and bent
Many a blow did he get
Yet never did he fret
With guns and knives, he did not fight
Satyagraha was his eternal might
India's Independence he fought and won
Bloodshed and bitterness there was none.
Adopted penance and fasting
Started the Satyagraha
Gave up foreign goods
And inspired wearing Khadi.
He is our only Gandhi
- ASHU PARASHER, X-A

For queries mail to heritagewalks@expressindia.com