Ashfaq, Bismil’s legend of poetry, patriotism retold

Lucknow: Legend of courage and patriotism of freedom fighters Ashfaqullah Khan and Ramprasad Bismil were narrated in ‘Dastan e Ashfaq', organised by Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) on the centenary celebration of the Kakori Train Action, at the Kaifi Azmi auditorium on Sunday.The event was inaugurated by actor and drama veteran Anil Rastogi and critic Virendra Yadav. Storytellers Shahzad Rizvi and Farzana Mehdi narrated the stories. The duo shed light on friendship of Ashfaqullah Khan and Ram Prasad Bismil and said, "Not only poetry, it was also their love for socialism that brought them close."Farzana said, "Ashfaqullah Khan was a Muslim Pathan from Shahjahanpur and was a brave, intellectual, courageous and large-hearted human being with a robust physique." Shahzad said, "Ashfaq's passion since birth was reading poetry, but his temperament was ‘inquilabi' (revolutionary)."Describing Bismil, Shahzad said, "Bismil was a vigorous, learned and handsome man and his name was given by his mother after Lord Ram, as she wanted to have a son like him." The incident of Maulvi Ahmadullah, the youth of Shahjahanpur, the Mainpuri case and cross-examination of Ashfaqullah's lawyer Hajela were also narrated.Throwing light on the Kakori Train Action, Farzana said, "The Kakori incident was not just about saving govt's treasury but also about shocking the cruel British giving out the message that Indians will not be subdued by their atrocities." At the end, the audience was in tears when the climax described the episode of the hanging of the revolutionaries. The script of the narration was written by Sachin.