PM Modi Releases Dictionary of Martyrs of India’s Freedom Struggle spanning 1857-1947

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 7, 2019 released the Dictionary of Martyrs of India’s Freedom Struggle (1857-1947) at an event in Lok Kalyan Marg, New Delhi.

This five-volume dictionary contains account of the martyrs from India’s First War of Independence in 1857, to India’s Independence in 1947.

This is the first ever attempt by the Government to compile the names of martyrs on this scale.

Definition of ‘Martyr’

The dictionary defines a martyr “as a person who died or who was killed in action or in detention, or was awarded capital punishment while participating in the national movement for emancipation of India.”

What does the dictionary include?

• The dictionary includes the martyrs of 1857 Uprising, Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (1919), Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-22), Civil Disobedience Movement (1930-34), Quit India Movement (1942-44), and Revolutionary Movements (1915-34).

• It includes the names of freedom fighters of the Azad Hind Fauj who attained martyrdom.

• It also includes the martyrs of Kissan Movements, Tribal Movements, Agitation for Responsible Government in the Princely States (Prajamandal), Indian National Army (1943-45), Royal Indian Navy Upsurge (RIN, 1946), etc.

• It includes ex-INA or ex-military personnel who died fighting the British.

Five volumes of the Dictionary of Martyrs

The dictionary has been brought out in five volumes (zone wise). The information of about 13,500 martyrs has been recorded in these volumes. These volumes are:

• Volume 1: More than 4400 martyrs of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh have been listed.

• Volume 2: More than 3500 martyrs of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Jammu & Kashmir have been listed.

• Volume 3: The martyrs covered in this volume are more than 1400. This volume covers the martyrs of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Sind.

• Volume 4: The martyrs covered in this volume are more than 3300. This volume covers the martyrs of Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura.

• Volume 5: The martyrs covered in this volume are more than 1450. This volume covers the martyrs of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Background

The project for compilation of “Dictionary of Martyrs” of India’s Freedom Struggle was commissioned by the Union Ministry of Culture to commemorate the 150th anniversary of uprising of 1857.

The Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) was given the task of compiling the dictionary.

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Source: Jagaran Josh

Image Courtesy: Patrika

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