Union Minister Prakash Javadekar inaugurates Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav exhibitions at seven places

New Delhi: Union Minister Prakash Javadekar inaugurated exhibitions at seven places on Saturday (March 13) as part of 'Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav'.

The festival was kickstarted at Sabarmati Ashram in Gandhinagar by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (March 12).

The exhibition inaugurated by Javadekar at National Media Centre in New Delhi was set up by the Bureau of Outreach and Communication (BOC).

The Union minister of information and broadcasting also virtually inaugurated exhibitions at six other places -- Samba district in Jammu and Kashmir, Bangalore, Pune, Bhubaneswar, Moirang district in Manipur and Patna in Bihar.

"Effective exhibitions set up by @BOC_MIB across the country will educate the populace on the ethos of freedom struggle and envision our path for the next 25 years. Inaugurated 7 such exhibitions today. I invite people to visit these venues and leave with a piece of history with them," Javadekar tweeted.

Effective exhibitions set up by @BOC_MIB across the country will educate the populace on the ethos of freedom struggle and envision our path for next 25 years. Inaugurated 7 such exhibitions today. I invite people to visit these venues and leave with a piece of history with them. pic.twitter.com/Undtqcsjb4 — Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) March 13, 2021

Addressing the media on the occasion, the minister said this was an important moment for the country to reflect on "how far we have come since independence as well as envision what we want to achieve in the next 25 years."

Javadekar said freedom for the country came at a great cost and this exhibition seeks to narrate the story behind those sacrifices. Amit Khare, Secretary, Information and Broadcasting Ministry said the National Committee headed by the Union minister of home affairs has tasked each ministry to work towards educating people on the efforts of the people who contributed to the freedom struggle.

The secretary said a digital version of these exhibitions is in the making and is expected to be unveiled before August 15. The exhibition at Samba, Jammu is being held at Brigadier Rajender Singh Pura Bagoona, which is the birthplace of Brigadier Rajender Singh, also known as 'Saviour of Kashmir' who single-handedly faced off against Pakistan backed tribesmen during an attack in October 1947 in Kashmir and laid down his life in the conflict, the ministry said in an official statement.

The Regional Outreach Bureau has organised an exhibition at Kendriya Sadana, Bengaluru. It highlights the contributions of local freedom fighters along with national freedom fighters. The exhibition at Pune has been organised at the Aga Khan Palace, closely linked to the Indian freedom movement as it served as a prison for Mahatma Gandhi, his wife Kasturba Gandhi, his secretary Mahadev Desai and Sarojini Naidu.

The Regional Outreach Bureau at Bhubaneswar has organised an exhibition from March 12 to 16 in Khorda district which is historically significant as a number of freedom fighters were born there. "During these five days, exhibitions, seminars, cultural programs and other competitions will be organised. Panels highlighting the significant contribution of freedom fighters from Odisha have also been displayed," the ministry said.  

Moirang in Manipur, which occupies a unique place in the history of India's freedom struggle, is holding the photo exhibition as part of the celebration of Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav and is very significant, the statement said, adding that it was in Moirang that the flag of the Indian National Army (INA) was first unfurled on April 14, 1944.

The virtual inauguration of the five-day photo exhibition on 'Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav' at INA Memorial Auditorium at Moirang in Bishnupur district of Manipur was attended by Lok Sabha MP RK Ranjan Singh, senior officials of State Art and Culture Department and Bishnupur district administration.

The exhibition at Patna has been organised at Anugrah Narayan College, which is named after Anugrah Narayan Singh who was a leading freedom fighter and played an important role during Mahatma Gandhi's Champaran satyagraha.

"It highlights important freedom fighters of Bihar. Rare footage of freedom fighters is being screened on LED TV and a cultural program is being organised," the ministry said. These exhibitions showcase the sacrifices and struggles of various freedom icons like Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Smt. Sarojini Naidu, Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal, Lala Lajpat Rai and revolutionaries like Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Ram Prasad Bismil and many more.

The ministry said the festival, which has commenced 75 weeks prior to Independence Day 2022, would continue till Independence Day 2023.

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