Centre reviving literary works banned during British rule to celebrate 75 years of India's Independence

The government is in the process of reviving and popularising Indian literature banned during the British rule as part of its efforts to celebrate 75 years of India's Independence, officials said Wednesday.

As part of the 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' celebrations, the Culture Ministry has identified poems, writings and publications that the British Raj banned, primarily due to their patriotic fervour, and put them together as catalogues for people to read and appreciate.

The catalogues have been published on the official website for the project. These literary works are in different Indian languages, including Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Kannada, Punjabi, Sindhi, Telugu, Gujarati, and Tamil.

These are mostly revolutionary pieces penned during India's struggle for Independence and were considered "dangerous" to the "security" of the British rule in India.

In a move to make these literary works popular among the masses, the Culture Ministry has enrolled the services of Union ministers to recite poems particular to their region which have been uploaded on the official website.

Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan can be seen reciting the poem 'Daridra Nian' by Odia poet Gangadhar Mishra, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya recited Gujrati poem 'Kasumbi No Rang' from the book Sindhudo by poet Jhaverchand Meghani and Culture and Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy read 'Bharatha Matha Geetham' by Telugu poets Vaddadhi Seetharaamanjaneyulu and Pudipeddhi Kashi Viswanatha Sashtri.

All these works were banned during British rule.

Officials also highlighted the Culture Ministry will encourage people to hoist the national flag in their homes in the week ahead of August 15. Officials said the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ scheme will reach out to over 20 crore homes on Independence Day.

The campaign will be officially launched by mid-July. Senior officials said the scheme envisages that people will buy the flags made by local self-help groups giving a fillip to the economy.

They also said the ministry has tied up with e-commerce firms to ensure that flags are sold online to meet the anticipated rise in demand. Once the programme is officially launched, campaigns will be undertaken to raise awareness on the Tricolour.

Culture Secretary Govind Mohan said in the last 15 months of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations over 47,000 programmes have been conducted.

"From commemorating unsung heroes of freedom struggle to celebrating India’s achievements through Dhara: An ode to Indian knowledge systems, documenting local history via digital district repository, celebrating India's literary contributions, spotlighting states and their contribution to the freedom struggle, and poetry based on banned literature, Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav aims to connect people to their past and inspire them to participate in India's progress as we make our way through Amrit Kaal (period of 25 years from 2022-2047)," he said.

"Har Ghar Tiranga is the next big initiative under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav dedicated to the 'aan, baan, shaan' (pride and glory) of the Tricolour. We encourage everyone to hoist the national flag at home on August 15 and mark their commitment to nation-building," Mohan said.