“The country or society that disconnects itself from its history does not have a bright future. Therefore, no country or society should forget its history and past,? said Shri Suresh Soni, Sahsarkaryavah of RSS. He was releasing the special issue of Vishwa Samvad Kendra magazine in Lucknow. The special issue is on the first freedom movement of 1857.
Shri Soni said the country fought a long battle for independence. He pointed out that in 1957 when the country celebrated the centenary of the first freedom movement (1857), the central government had decided to publish a booklet in every state highlighting the contribution of people of respective states. But only Madhya Pradesh published that booklet, which says that the country gained freedom only through non-violence. ?This is a fact that the country did not get independence only through Gandhiji'snon-violence movement. The contribution of other people is also not less in the freedom struggle. Therefore, there is a need for neutral evaluation of the history,? he said adding that the whole country unitedly fought the freedom movement of 1857. He further said the praise of the martyrs has been reduced only in books and the rulers after the independence only popularised the contribution of Gandhiji and his non-violence movement.
Analysing the freedom movement, Shri Soni said the British handed over the power to us basically because of two reasons. One, the Indian army has not been loyal to the British government and second, the British, after World War II, were not in a position to deploy more British army in India. The fight by the INA of Subhas Chandra Bose too had shaken the roots of the British army. ?It proves that the contribution of those who were involved in the armed struggle was also not less,? he said and added that if the 1857 movement had been properly managed, the situation of the country would have been different today. Stressing the need for correcting the history, Shri Soni said if Germany, Vietnam and Korea could unite, there is no reason that this land is not reintegrated.
Dr Vibha Awasthi, chief guest on the occasion, described the 1857 freedom movement as the biggest freedom movement of the world. She said the British adopted every means to suppress it. Presiding over the function, Shri Ramesh Chandra Tripathi, former IAS, said the freedom movement of 1857 is a major event of our history and every countryman should draw inspiration from it. He called upon the people to renounce narrow feelings and strengthen the social harmony. Dr Gaurinath Rastogi, editor of the special issue, introduced the issue.
