"They may kill me, but they cannot kill my ideas. They may crush my body, but they will not be able to crush my spirit."
~ Shaheed Bhagat Singh
India's 200 years of struggle for freedom have witnessed thousands of fearless people who either selflessly accepted martyrdom with indomitable courage or got injured and embraced imprisonment. Every year, 23rd March is nationally observed as Martyrs’ Day or Balidan Diwas to recall the great sacrifice of the brave freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru. The freedom struggle was the driving force to bring together people from every region and all walks of life across India to fight and claim independence from the tyranny of British rule.
To recall their stories of valour and sacrifice, and to make the young generation aware of different people of different times who have helped retain the dignity of our country, Manthan Sampoorn Vikas Kendra celebrated the month of March 2021 as Martyrs' Month.
With the help of different stories, presentations, and fun yet useful activities, students were taught about various cultural aspects of India such as the ancient martial art form Kalaripayattu, dyeing procedures such as bandhni, and about the lives of Rani Lakshmi Bai, Rani Avanti Bai, Tanaji, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Bhagat Singh, Rishi Dadhichi etc. People from present times who are contributing to the progress and development of our country in various spheres have also been introduced, like women who are working in the defence, those like Meenakshi Amma, perpetuating the artform of kalaripayattu and people who are working for space research.
These sessions have reinvigorated the students and motivated them to be responsible in respecting the legacy of our freedom fighters. Manthanites have pledged to keep their vision of a free India alive where the country would not just be free from foreign rule but from all kinds of divides like poverty and discrimination.
Manthan Sampoorn Vikas Kendra is a brave initiative of Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan working arduously to lessen the gap of education equity in India.
