Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the objective of “Swaraj” would be achieved in true sense only if the country’s languages, dharma, culture and arts are preserved and its history passed on to the future generations.
At the launch of a 75-episode serial Swaraj -- Bharat Ke Swatantrata Sangram Ki Samagra Gatha produced by Doordarshan, Mr. Shah said from the Indian perspective, the meaning of “Swaraj” is not just limited to self-rule. It also encompasses the elements of the country’s own unique method of governance, languages, dharma, culture and arts.
The serial will be aired every Sunday from 9-10 p.m. on Doordarshan National from August 14. It is being dubbed in nine regional languages -- Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Gujarati, Oriya, Bengali and Assamese -- along with English. The serial in regional languages will be broadcast on Doordarshan’s regional channels from August 20.
The Home Minister said the foreign rulers destroyed the country’s excellent systems. They could have ruled only by instilling an inferiority complex among the Indians, who were ahead of them in all the areas. “They created a myth that we were illiterate. How can the country which has given to the world Gita, the Vedas, [the number] “zero” and astronomy be illiterate,” asked Mr. Shah. He expressed hope that the serial would help uproot the inferiority complex.
Mr. Shah said India was all set to attain greater heights in the 75th year of its Independence and no one would be able to prevent it from becoming a great nation. He applauded the role of All India Radio and Doordarshan in preserving the country’s culture, arts and history, and creating awareness among the people.
Speaking on the occasion, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said Doordarshan and All India Radio had done a commendable job in reviving the valiant stories of over 550 freedom fighters in order to acquaint the younger generations with the unsung heroes. He said: “The serial is a manifestation of our pride in these heroes from the past.”
Mr. Thakur said intense research had gone into making of the serial and information and documents were collected from different parts of the country to bring to life the stories from India’s struggle for freedom.
