On Gandhi Jayanti, as the sun rose over the historical city of Uttar Pradesh’s (UP) Rampur and a sense of reverence filled the air for the Father of the Nation, the people of Rampur — in a time-honoured tradition — donned the iconic ‘Gandhi topi’ to honour Mahatma Gandhi on his 155th birth anniversary. Historians say it was Rampur that gifted Bapu the iconic cap, which later turned out to be a powerful symbol of India’s Independence movement before being known worldwide as ‘Gandhi topi’. Kashif Khan, a renowned historian from Rampur with extensive knowledge of the region’s history, said the story dates back to 1919 during Mahatma Gandhi’s vigorous campaign for swaraj or ‘self-rule’.
“As he travelled extensively to unite various classes and religious sects, particularly Hindus and Muslims, he visited Rampur to meet Sayyid Hamid Ali Khan Bahadur, the nawab of the princely state of Rampur from 1889 to 1930, at Kothi Khas Bagh,” Khan told News18. Mahatma Gandhi’s visit to Rampur, Khan said, was celebrated as a grand festival. The Nawab made elaborate arrangements to welcome him, decorating the streets and monumental gates at the city’s entrances, while Kothi Khas Bagh was beautifully adorned for the occasion.
“During his visit, Gandhi was informed about a tradition in the Nawab’s court requiring guests to cover their heads while meeting him. This however put Bapu in a dilemma as he had nothing to cover his head at that moment. The people from t.
