SHILLONG, Oct 11: The North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) on Tuesday organised a one-day seminar and exhibition on ‘Tribal Heroes in India’s Freedom Struggle’ in collaboration with National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.
The programme was attended by Tripura University Vice Chancellor Prof. Ganga Prasad Prasain as the chief guest, member of National Commission for Scheduled Tribes Ananta Nayak as the guest of honour, NEHU Vice Chancellor Prof. Prabha Shankar Shukla, faculty members, scholars and students of NEHU and its affiliated colleges, among others.
Prof. Shobhan N. Lamare of Department of History, NEHU, who was the resource person, presented a lecture on the contribution of the tribals of Meghalaya in the freedom struggle.
He said, “Although it is important to remember the leaders who sacrificed their lives for the country, we should also acknowledge the people at the grassroots level who gave their lives for the freedom of this great nation.”
He also discussed in detail about the contributions of Jaintia people who fought tirelessly against the British.
Dr. Kedar A Kulkarni of Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram elaborated on the sacrifices made by the tribals of the entire country in attaining freedom.
He said the presence of tribals in our country from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and North-East to the state of Gujarat has played an important role in repelling the British forces.
“Although many names have been forgotten, research should be done to find out the countributions of the tribals in the freedom struggle,” Dr. Kulkarni said.
The chief guest, on the other hand, spoke about the importance of rewriting history and highlighted about the contribution of the tribal heroes in the freedom struggle.
The NEHU VC spoke about the contributions of the unsung heroes of Meghalaya in India’s struggle for freedom.
“It is only right, just and about time that we make ourselves and our youths aware about the sacrifices made by our forefathers for this great nation to attain freedom and reach greater heights; and when we talk about the freedom struggle, it is not just the heroes from the plains we should be remembering — the tribal heroes have also contributed equally.”
