First row : Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel;Second row : Subhash Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad;
Third row : Tribal leaders Birsa Munda, Gomdhar Konwar, Lachit Borphukan
When, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, India welcomed the decision of 75 weeks of observances to commemorate the 75 th year of Independence, to conclude on 15 August 2023, a strong emphasis was made to showcase the contributions of the forgotten men and women of the country. While everyone knows about the contributions of the forefathers of the nation – Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sarojini Naidu, Ashfaqulla Khan, Bhagat Singh, etc., there are, however, many more whose relentless efforts to attain independence for the country went unnoticed and undocumented.
India’s freedom was a far-fetched dream as the country had been under the British colonial rule for centuries. Had it not been for the vision and foresight of the freedom fighters, India would never have gained independence. That’s why celebrating 75 years of freedom, in a manner it warrants – Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, is important for India to stay focussed, on track, and move ahead to achieve its full potential.
In the last few years, several important issues have been taken up and addressed by the government, such as cleanliness and sanitation. Amrit Mahotsav, to commemorate India’s 75 years of Independence, has specifically focussed on making India cleaner and several events and activities to further this have been organised and are planned in the near future. The Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, had laid special emphasis on cleanliness. He had said that cleanliness is most important for physical well-being and a healthy environment.
Educating youth about the freedom fighters
Union Minister of Education and Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan spoke about the importance of India’s struggle for freedom and that it will enlighten the country’s path towards progress. The government has initiated several innovative programmes to engage youth and students and encourage participation in nation building.
Indian freedom fighters Shahid Bhagat Singh, Khudiram Bose, Chandrashekhar Azad’. He explained the relevance of the programme launched by the Ministry of Tourism with the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) wherein efforts would be made to rope in school as well as university students. It is ‘preserving of our rich culture and heritage and, at the same time, moving ahead on the path of progress and development. It’s our moral responsibility to educate our youth about our glorious past and at the same time prepare them for the path of global leadership.’
Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav was launched as a 75-week-long celebration by PM Modi from the Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat. The youth of the nation must be exposed to the ‘rich tapestry of India’s glorious past and a grand future’. The inauguration programme comprised live streaming of a 20-minute film titled ‘India@75-A Journey’ – an effort to help the youth of the nation to appreciate the multi-hued fabric of India’s rich and plural culture, her vast heritage, infinite wisdom and her indomitable spirit so they can shape the glorious further of this ancient land. Several other initiatives have been undertaken to engage the youth through the ‘modern’ platforms they can best relate to.
India’s glorious history
When the Prime Minister announced the launch of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, to be celebrated 75 weeks before 15 August 2022 and continue till 15 August 2023, he paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi and the great men and women who laid down their lives in the freedom struggle. Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav means elixir of the energy of independence. It means elixir of inspirations of the warriors of India’s freedom struggle; elixir of new ideas and pledges and the nectar of Aatmanirbharta. India’s struggle for independence had set an example for several other nations who gradually fought their way out of the clutches of colonialism.
In India, one of the most significant events during the freedom struggle was the salt march initiated by Mahatma Gandhi – as a symbol of India’s self-reliance. Even today, salt represents honesty, trust, loyalty, labour, equality and, most importantly, self-reliance. The British, through their policies and laws hurt Indian values and self-respect. Indians had to depend on the salt coming from England. Prime Minister noted that ‘Gandhi understood this chronic pain of the country, understood the pulse of the people and turned that into a movement’.
Even before the rebellion stirred by Mahatma Gandhi, several important moments had changed the course of India’s fight for freedom. The first war of independence in 1857, Mahatma Gandhi’s return to India, the power of Satyagraha, call for complete independence or poorna swarajya by Lokmanya Tilak, Delhi March by the Azad Hind Fauj led by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, to name a few.
Holistic knowledge needed
The idea of Independence and of a free India percolated down through the thoughts and works of writers, saints, teachers and other bright minds, through history, who were born in India. The flame of freedom was kept alive in the nation’s consciousness because of the tireless contribution of religious leaders, scholars and thinkers from different parts of the country. According to the Prime Minister, saints like Chaitanya Mahaprabu, Shrimant Shankar Dev, and Ramkrishna Paramhans “created the bedrock of a countrywide freedom struggle”.
Through Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav programmes, an atmosphere will be created for the nation, especially the youth, to know about the many dalits, women, tribals and the youth who made supreme sacrifices to help India attain its freedom. The Prime Minister recalled the “sacrifices of unsung heroes” like 32-year-old Kodi Katha Kumaran from Tamil Nadu who “did not let the flag fall to the ground even as he was shot in the head by the British”. Similarly, Tamil Nadu’s Velu Nachiyar was the first Maharani who fought against the British rule and only few people are aware of this.
In the last few years, India has made conscious efforts to preserve history in every state and region. So, for example, the site where Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose hoisted the tri-colour in Andaman, after the formation of the country’s first independent government, has been revived.
The Prime Minister said, “The Andaman and Nicobar islands are named after the freedom struggle. Places associated with Babasaheb (Ambedkar) have been developed in the form of Panchteerthas. The memorial in Jallianwala Bagh and Paika Movement memorial have also been developed.” The Paika Rebellion aka the Paika Bidroha was an armed rebellion in 1817 against the Company rule in India. The Paikas were the traditional militia of Odisha and rose in rebellion under Bakshi Jagabandhu. Among other initiatives, the revival of the site associated with the Dandi Yatra was completed two years ago.
Unsung tribal freedom fighters
The tribals of India, throughout the freedom struggle, fought to defeat the foreign colonial rule. Birsa Munda challenged the British in the region what is now Jharkhand. He was a tribal freedom fighter, of the Munda tribe, and led a tribal religious movement that arose in Bengal Presidency (now Jharkhand) during the British rule. In Odisha, Chakra Bisoi, a rebel leader of Ghumusar fought the British Empire. Bisoi took command of the Khond rebellion in 1840 after the death of his uncle Dora Bisoi. His father Ram Singh Bakshi had died in cold blood in a skirmish against the British troops in 1937.
Among other tribal freedom fighters, the Murmu brothers led the Santhal movement against the British. On 30 June 1855, Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu mobilised roughly 60,000 Santhals and declared a rebellion against the East India Company. The rebellion, in present- day Jharkhand, was against the British East India Company and the zamindari system. Four Murmu brothers, Sidhu, Kanhu, Chand and Bhairav had led the rebellion. Tribal heroes such as the Nayak tribals in Jambughoda (Gujarat), Manyam Virudu Alluri Siraram Raju in Andhra Pradesh, Pasaltha Khungchera in Mizoram and Gomdhar Konwar, Lachit Borphukan and Serat Sing from Assam and the north-east fought the British to their last breath.