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IIT Kharagpur Foundation (USA) NEWSLETTER
Volume: 11.18.2023
Dear Reader,
Poor taxpayers of India spent $20,000 each to educate us. Most of us are living in luxury in the USA. We should feel obligated to pay it back to our taxpayers. Better than giving to our children.
What made America great was charity by the rich alumni. Please give back to your beloved IIT generously and get a tax deduction and a free logo shirt.
Today, we bring you the story of the rise of IIT Kharagpur from the Hijli Detention Camp. We give pause as we consider the privilege of being alumni of this prestigious institution. As you read this story and watch the documentary, reminisce with your loved ones of what IITKGP has meant to you. Show your gratitude by supporting IITKGP; your donation matters, the amount does not! Your commitment to your alma mater matters….
Join us in giving back today!
Hijli Detention Camp to IITKGP - the Untold Saga
Directed by Pinaki Sarkar, this documentary film dedicated to the sacred memory of the Martyrs of Hijli Detention Camp narrates the story of the building which was once a detention camp for revolutionaries who selflessly fought for the Independence of India. With recreated events, the film is a documented tale of real incidents, real characters and a portrayal of historic events. The building holding the history of India for decades is now The Nehru Museum of Science and Technology on the IIT Kharagpur campus. In British India, the district of Midnapore in Bengal became a hub of revolutionary activities; there were several organizations involved in armed revolution as well as the nonviolence movement. The British wanted to divide the district along with the partition of Bengal. The proposed district was named Hijli and its headquarter was constructed near Kharagpur, but was never used for that purpose as the plan could never be realized.
A significant moment in the Indian independence movement occurred here in 1931 when two unarmed detainees, Santosh Kumar Mitra and Tarakeswar Sengupta, were shot dead by the Indian Imperial Police. Subhas Chandra Bose came to Hijli to collect their bodies for interment. Many Indian nationalists, including Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, voiced strong protests against the British Raj over this incident. The firing which later became known as "Hijli firing" is the only incident of police firing inside a detention camp. The detention camp was closed in 1937 and was reopened in 1940. In 1942 it was closed for the final time and the detainees were transferred elsewhere. During the Second World War it was occupied by the U.S. Air Force.
Today, the camp is also known for being the birthplace of Indian Institute of Technology - Kharagpur, which started in 1951. In 1990, a part of the former detention camp buildings were converted to house the Nehru Museum of Science and Technology.
Source: Wikipedia and The Nehru Museum of Science & Technology
US Air Force personnel playing baseball in front of the Hijli Detention Camp main building in 1945. The moment was captured by the late Edward L. Phillips, during his stay in the Old Building as an American Crew Chief on a C-46 flying squad in May 1945.
Announcements and Events
Celebrating Diwali 2023 at IIT Kharagpur
PANIIT2024 is Open for Registration
Give to Your Beloved IITKGP and Uncle Sam Will Kick in a Tax Deduction
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The IITKGP Foundation