SHUBHANGI SHIFA
Ranchi, May 4: The Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University (DSPMU) on Wednesday inaugurated a two-day seminar on the historic importance and relevance of the regional Mundari language, under the aegis of Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) celebrating ‘Azaadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’. Along with this, the university has also organised an exhibition to celebrate the battles and movements against British rule in India before 1857.
Talking on the occasion, chief guest Governor Ramesh Bais said, “Even several residents of the state don’t remember the actual history of Jharkhand. We need to understand how the history was distraught by those in power, and how different the actual history is from the one recorded by the then rulers of the nation.”
Governor Bais further added, “This seminar has been organised to remember the freedom fighters that gave away their lives for the Indian freedom movement. This would help us inform all of the several anonymous fighters that died for the movement. It would also remind us to think of the future but understand our history in detail.”
Keynote speaker on the occasion, Dr Anand Vardhan while informing the audience of several freedom movements organised before the most talked of in 1857 said, “In the history of the world, no other nation has such a vast history of the fight for freedom as India. Even the Indian history talks of freedom fought in Buxar and Plassey, however, both were regional wars. What the history doesn’t talk of are the movements that happened from 1764 to 1857.”
He further talked of the importance of the hill tribes, normal people including salt makers, and other workers in the movement calling it ‘Jan Yudhha’. He further described the incidents that happened after 1764 explaining how small rebellions began a series of movements by the tribes on hills. He further talked of how the tribals then met not only Subhash Chandra Bose and Gandhi to support them in their fights for freedom.
Talking of freedom fighters like Sidhu-Kanhu, Tilka Manjhi, Fateh Bahadur Shahi, Budhhu Bhagat, Birsa Munda, and Chand-Bhairav among others Dr Vardhan explained how the tribal movement was a movement of social, religion and cultural consciousness.
Interim VC DSPMU Nitin Madan Kulkarni said, “We only know of the freedom movement organised in 1857, however, for around 100 years before that, several small rebellions laid foundation of the same. Several rebellions in different parts of the nation have been talked of and displayed in the exhibition here. It is said that literature is the mirror to society, and here we are ready to present several aspects of Mundari Literature on this occasion.”
Others present on the occasion include Dr Namita Singh, Dr Binod Kumar, DSW Dr Anil Kumar, PRO Rajesh Singh among others.
