Shahjahanpur's Streets Alive with Patriotic Fervor: Centenary of Kakori Train Action Draws Massive Procession
Shahjahanpur Wakes Up to History as Kakori Train Action Centenary Peaks
Anyone wandering through Shahjahanpur early on August 8 would have found the city’s streets buzzing with energy that you don’t see every day. Long before breakfast, thousands had poured out—students, teachers, local families, and officials—to join a massive Prabhat Pheri, a tradition where folks walk and sing to mark a big occasion. Why now? The city was closing out the Kakori Train Action Centenary Festival, and the mood felt electric.
This wasn’t just about marching. The streets throbbed with the sound of cheers and slogans: ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai!’ floated above the crowd right alongside ‘Vande Mataram!’ Banners with revolutionary faces—Ram Prasad 'Bismil', Ashfaqulla Khan, Rajendra Nath Lahiri, Chandrashekhar Azad—bobbed above heads while the tricolor flag was everywhere, from little hands to towering banners.Kakori Train Action, if you’re wondering, was when a young group of revolutionaries stopped a British train and took the colonial treasury to help fund the underground push for independence back in 1925. For Shahjahanpur, this is personal—Ram Prasad 'Bismil' was a local, and the city played a key role in those heated freedom years.
Honoring the Revolutionaries with Tradition and Youthful Zeal
The procession wasn’t a straight walk. The route was carefully picked, winding through neighborhoods and historic spots, including areas near the old railway station—a nod to where it all began a century ago. Schoolkids put in weeks of practice, bringing the action to life with plays, songs, and skits. Not just echoing old stories—these kids were out there acting, singing, and living history. Locals even got into the act with vibrant folk performances, using music and dance to retell how those revolutionaries pulled off their daring heist against the British government.
District officials, right up to the District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police, were front and center. Their presence lent the event a sense of official pride—this wasn’t an old tale dusted off for a parade but a living tribute to those who refused to back down. And the preparations went deep. Students made banners and posters, and schools competed to see who could best capture the drama of 1925 in their art and performances.
After winding through the heart of Shahjahanpur, the crowd gathered at the main martyr memorial. Here, everyone paused—a full city, silent for a few moments, slipping flowers onto the memorial stones. Then came more excitement: essay and speech competitions for students, all themed around the freedom fighters and sacrifices of the past.
The day didn’t just honor history—it spotlighted unity. As part of the ‘Tiranga Rakhi’ campaign, youngsters tied tricolor rakhis on police officers standing watch, a playful but heartfelt thank-you to today’s guardians of the peace.
This kind of celebration wasn’t unique to Shahjahanpur. The Culture Department coordinated similar processions in all 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh. The main event, planned for later that day at Kakori’s own memorial grounds, would meet with an address by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The centenary festival wasn’t tossed together overnight. For a whole year, communities across Uttar Pradesh have been hosting plays, competitions, and rallies—each of them building toward these climactic celebrations. In a country that’s quick to move on, Shahjahanpur’s remembrance of the Kakori heroes is proof that some stories never stop mattering.