The Assam govt on Thursday, August 18th announced its initiative of sending 1000 students on a research study tour to one of India’s oldest jails, the Kala Pani officially known as the cellular Jail. Situated in the island territory of Andaman & Nicobar the Cellular Jail was a remarkable witness of India’s 190 years of struggle for freedom and independence, that today tells the tale of glory and valour of the country’s freedom struggle with utmost pride.
The jail during the times of the Raj housed several freedom fighters who were exiled by the British govt for the crime of voicing against the oppressive British rule. Great freedom strugglers from the northeastern land of Assam were also jailed in this infamous Kala Pani. Those brave names include Gomdhor Konwar, the first Assamese to revolt against the British in 1828, and others like Bahadur Gaon Burha.
The initiative has been taken by the govt as a part of commemorating India’s Azaadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and spreading awareness amongst the new generation about the struggles and sacrifices the country has made in order to achieve the freedom that we have today and to imbibe the spirit of patriotism and nationalism amongst the youth.
Taking to the micro-blogging social media site Twitter, Sarma on Thursday tweeted, “We have decided to send 1,000 youth from Assam to Cellular Jail as part of #AzadiKaAmritMahotsov and to imbibe the spirit of nationalism by drawing inspiration from the sacrifices of our brave freedom fighters,” Sarma tweeted on Thursday.
Earlier on Wednesday 17th August, during the one-day special session of the Assam Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma noted that numerous ‘unsung heroes’ from the state and other northeastern states were imprisoned in the cellular jail.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in his speech in the Assembly also claimed that ‘The Har Ghar Tiranga Campaign’ launched by the govt under the Azaadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav turned into a people’s movement and Sarma stated that “we received unprecedented response across the state”.
CM Himanta Biswa Sarma taking proud on the wide-scale celebration of the Independence Day that took place in the state on the 15th of August further said that “Despite the boycott-call given by extremist outfits, there were spontaneous response and enormous participation from the people on August 15.” “I have never witnessed such huge participation in my lifetime.”, he added.
