Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, inaugurated the Bhagwan Birsa Munda Memorial Udyan and the Freedom Fighter Museum at Ranchi’s old jail campus on the occasion of the legendary freedom fighter’s birth anniversary. The day also marked the 21st foundation day of Jharkhand.
Modi inaugurated the museum virtually from Bhopal also to mark Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas, which the union government has announced to celebrate on November 15 every year as a tribute to Birsa Munda's contributions in the country’s freedom struggle.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said, “In this Amrit Kaal (pious period) of independence, it has been decided that the country will give a more meaningful and grand identity to the tribal traditions of India and its valor stories. For this, a historic decision has been taken that from today every year the country will celebrate November 15 i.e. the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas’.”
Governor Ramesh Bais, chief minister Hemant Soren, union tribal affairs minister Arjun Munda were among other dignitaries who were present at the ceremony. The Prime Minister also paid tributes to late PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. “It was Atal ji who was the first to form a separate tribal ministry in the Union government and linked the tribal interests with the policies of the country. Jharkhand too was formed during his leadership,” Modi added.
On the Bhagwan Birsa Munda Memorial Udyan cum Freedom Fighter Museum, he said, “This museum will become a living venue of our tribal culture full of diversity, depicting the contribution of tribal heroes and heroines in the freedom struggle.”
He also hailed the contributions of Birsa Munda stating that Dharti Aaba was also against the thinking that wanted to erase the identity of India's tribal society. “Bhagwan Birsa lived for the society, sacrificed his life for his culture and his country. Therefore, he is still present in our faith, in our spirit as our God. ‘Dharti Aaba did not stay on this earth for very long. But he wrote an entire history for the country in that short span of life and gave direction to the generations of India,” PM added.
The museum, which is built at an old jail complex is where Birsa Munda had breathed his last in captivity on June 9, 1900 during the British rule.
The museum is designed on the theme of Cellular jail in Andaman and Nicobar islands and is made at a cost of Rs 35 crore. It has a giant statue of Birsa Munda and about dozen other freedom fighters of the state. Birsa’s statue is put in the room where he was kept imprisoned and another a 30-feet-high statue of him, built by ace sculptor Ram Sutar is been installed on the entrance of the jail campus. Birsa’s native village Ulihatu in Khunti district has also been recreated at the museum.
“At the rear end of the museum campus, there will also be a provision of laser show where life and times of Birsa and other tribal freedom fighters will be exhibited to visitors,” said an official.
Earlier, the prime minister launched 'Bhagwan Birsa Munda Smriti Udhyan Sah Swatantrata Sangrahalaya' in Ranchi virtually. The Sangrahalaya has been built in association with the Jharkhand government at the Old Central Jail in Ranchi, where the tribal freedom fighter had sacrificed his life.
The museum will also highlight other tribal freedom fighters associated with different movements such as Shahid Budhu Bhagat, Sidhu-Kanhu, Nilambar-Pitambar, Diwa-Kisun, Telanga Khadiya, Gaya Munda, Jatra Bhagat, Poto H, Bhagirath Manjhi and Ganga Narayan Singh.
The museum will have a 25-foot statue of Munda and nine-foot statues of other freedom fighters of the region as well.
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has so far sanctioned the construction of 10 tribal freedom fighter museums.
Born in the tribal belt of the undivided Bihar in 1875, Munda rallied tribals against the British colonial rule and conversion activities and died in 1900 in Ranchi jail.
