Agartala (Tripura) [India], November 15 (HBTV): A rally was organized in Agartala to celebrate the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda, observed as Janajati Gourav Divas across the nation. Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia attended the celebrations along with other party leaders and government officials.

Vishal Kumar, the District Magistrate of West Tripura, said, 'We are celebrating the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda as Janajati Gourav Divas today in Agartala. There are many schemes for the development of Janajati people, and they should be able to benefit from them.'

Bipin Debbarma, State Secretary of the Tripura BJP, added, 'We are holding a rally on the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda for Janajati Gourav Divas. Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia is here to join the celebration, while PM Modi will virtually inaugurate the event from Bihar. We are pleased that Janajati Gourav Divas is being celebrated.'

Birsa Munda, a hero of the Indian tribal freedom struggle, played a key role in inspiring the tribal communities of the Chotanagpur region to fight for their independence. He led the armed revolution known as 'Ulgulan' (the rebellion) against British rule.

Belonging to the Munda tribe of the Chhotanagpur Plateau, Munda spearheaded an Indian tribal mass movement that arose in the Bihar and Jharkhand regions during British colonization in the early 19th century. He rallied the tribals to resist the British government's forceful land grabs, which would have turned them into bonded laborers and driven them into poverty. He encouraged his people to understand the importance of land ownership and to assert their rights over it.

Birsa Munda also founded the Birsait faith, a blend of animism and indigenous beliefs, which emphasized the worship of a single god. He became a leader to his people, who called him 'Dharti Aba' or the Father of the Earth. He passed away on June 9, 1900, at the age of 25.

November 15, Birsa Munda's birth anniversary, was officially declared 'Janjatiya Gaurav Divas' by the Central Government in 2021.

(ANI)