Esuru leads state stories on Independence portal

The Centre has launched a portal to celebrate 75 years of Independence

Esuru in Shivamogga, the first village to declare itself free from British rule in 1942, the Amar Sullia Movement of 1837, and the battle against the Portuguese in 1558 in Bijapur are some of the stories from Karnataka that find a mention in an online repository launched by the Centre to celebrate 75 years of India's Independence.

The portal — which has 1,827 entries — contains district-wise details of lesser-known events of the freedom struggle, information about freedom fighters and heritage structures like forts, museums as well as forests, parks and lakes. The Centre has now asked people to contribute stories as it plans to raise the number of entries to over 10,000 by the end of the year.

The people of Esuru had joined the freedom struggle and refused to pay taxes. They declared themselves independent, hoisting the tricolour on September 29, 1942. The incident led to the arrest of over 200 people. Five of them were sent to the gallows a year later. Over 40 people were sentenced to life in prison.

The portal also has details of the Amar Sullia Movement by the people of Kodagu and Canara. The rebellion, which predates the Revolt of 1857 by two decades, was the first instance of an armed uprising against the British. Rebels hoisted a flag of the Haleri dynasty and ruled the region for two weeks before the British quashed the uprising, killing several leaders and capturing many more.

Another event that finds a mention is the defeat of the Portuguese in 1558 by Vijayapura dynasty's Rama Raya.

In all, Karnataka has 48 entries.

Culture ministry officials said that state-level committees headed by principal secretaries of the culture and tourism department have been constituted to look after the portal.

"States that provide the largest number of stories will be incentivised and their contribution will be promoted across our social media channels," an official said.

The portal also features freedom fighters from the state such as the 16th-century Tuluva queen of Ullal Veera Rani Abbaka who fought the Portuguese, M N Jois, popularly known as the Lion of Mysore, and politician Hari Vishnu Kamath, who was a member of the Constituent Assembly of India.