Weapons steeped in freedom history on show

PUNE: Spring cleaning ahead of the renovation of an old wada led workers of the famous Bhau Rangari Ganapati mandal to a treasure, instead. Weapons as old as 150 years including 12 cartridges, three pistols, nine Enfield rifles and three swords were discovered in the basement of the wada along with some historical documents. As the city gears up to celebrate the 10-day Ganeshotsav starting on Monday, this mandal is opening an exhibition of these weapons in the wada located near the historic Shaniwarwada from Friday. The weapons were stashed away in a trunk in the basement. Among the nine pistols is one adorned with gold work on it. The pistol, according to Suraj Renuse, one of the trustees is one of the weaponry that was used by the revolutionaries during the freedom struggle. Among the arms found is a Colt revolver that dates back to 1879.The weapons will be put up for public display at an exhibition on the first floor of the wada. "All the different guns will be exhibited for the public. We have some 150 books that belonged to Bhausaheb Laxman Javale better known as Bhau Rangari, that will also be put on display for the public," Anant Madhav Kusarkar, main trustee of the mandal, said.The weaponry is said to belong to Javale and his revolutionary friends who used to meet and exchange notes about the freedom struggle. "They used to hide the arms in closets behind the doors and in secret chambers all over the wada," said Kusarkar.The trust office that once used to host meetings between freedom fighters from across the country was secured with a central locking system. As soon as they heard a knock on the main door, they would lock the latch while sitting on the first floor of the house and prevent action by the police. The entrance still the latch which can open the door from the outside even when it is locked from the inside."When there was some problem with a few rifles used in the first war of independence in 1857, a fresh stock was imported from Britain in 1861. One of the rifles in the trunk is from that stock," Renuse said. Each of the guns has the British crown emblem and made by Enfield.