On the eve of ‘Birsa Munda Jayanti,’ a commemorative lecture was delivered by Vijay Manohar Tiwari, former Information Commissioner of Madhya Pradesh, at the National Institute of Technical Teachers’ Training and Research (NITTTR) in Bhopal.
Tiwari’s lecture shed light on the enduring contributions of Birsa Munda, the revered tribal leader, freedom fighter, and social reformer, who made a remarkable impact within his brief life span.
During his address, Tiwari emphasized the vast contributions of Birsa Munda to the tribal community. Born in 1872 in the Ranchi district of Jharkhand, Birsa Munda fought passionately for tribal rights, social reforms, and cultural preservation until his death in 1901.
His contributions include the fight for tribal rights, opposition to religious conversion, education and literacy, protection of women’s rights and opposition to child marriage. He participated in the Indian independence movement and fought for political rights for his community, opposed the conversion of tribal by Christian missionaries and protected the cultural and religious traditions of his community.
Birsa Munda was born in 1872 in Ranchi district of Jharkhand and passed away in 1901, but his contribution is still a source of inspiration for the tribal community. Tiwari said that today, if you are asked to make a list of freedom fighters, you might not be able to make list of more than 10-20 people, whereas millions of people have been martyred in this movement. Tiwari also highlighted the contribution of Swadhyay family influenced by Birsa Munda that today lakhs of people gather on their one call.
Director Prof. C.C. Tripathi said that how amazing his personality must be that at an age when the youth are not able to understand life and the world properly, he united the country and society and included them in the movement.
He said it is important for everyone to know about the inspiring personality of Birsa Munda and his works. Today’s young generation should also know about those martyrs associated with the freedom movement who may not be seen in the pages of history. Our history has been very rich and glorious, we should recognize it and be proud of it.
At the closing of the program Prof. P.K. Purohit said that society should remain connected to its roots otherwise it will be nowhere.
The Director of the Institute has decided to make a documentary film on the life of great hero Birsa Munda which will be sent for screening in institutions across the country. The coordinator of the program was Dr. Ravi Gupta and it was conducted by Mrs. Rachna Gupta. In the program, officers/employees of the tribal society were honoured for their work in the Institute.
