The Central Government has declared November 15, the birthday of Bhagwan Birsa Munda as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas to commemorate the role of tribal freedom fighters in the freedom struggle of India.
On November 15 and on this day Jharkhand was formed as a state. The decision was taken during the cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi a day back.
Modi in his Tweet announced that the birthday of Bhagwan Birsa Munda will be celebrated as the Janjatiya Gaurav Divas. He said that the life of Birsa Munda teaches us courage and service to the nation.
“This is a great honour for the people of Jharkhand and the rest of the country. We as a nation pay our tribute to Bhagwan Birsa Munda who will keep inspiring us. It will make the coming generations aware of the sacrifices of the tribal freedom fighters during India’s freedom struggle,” said BJP Rajya Sabha MP Mahesh Poddar.
The decision is part of the year-long celebrations of 75 years of India’s Independence called Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
Born on November 15, 1875, Bhagwan Birsa Munda had spearheaded a tribal agitation against colonial exploitations. He raised an armed rebellion to drive Britishers out of the country.
As part of the Janjatiya Gaurav Divas celebration the Centre along with state governments will launch a week-long celebration from November 15 to November 22 to display the glorious history of tribal society, culture, heritage, the contribution of tribal society in the freedom struggle.
Every year the Janjatiya Gaurav Divas day will be marked by special programmes and displays of the rich tribal repository of India and to recognize the role of tribal society in preserving cultural heritage and Indian values.
The Prime Minister has been particularly fond of the life and contribution of Birsa Munda and the tribal society. In 2016, he had sanctioned setting up as many as 10 tribal freedom fighter museums across India including one in Ranchi. The old Ranchi jail where he took his last breath is being renovated as a museum.