ZEE Network's Tribute to India's First Freedom Fighters

ZEE Network Pays Tribute to India's First Freedom Fighters on the 150th Anniversary of 'The 1857 Uprising'

Published: Sunday,Jan 06, 2008 11:52 AM GMT-07:00

Hiral Bhatt

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As the country marks the 150th year of its ‘First War of Independence – the 1857 Uprising’, Mr. Subhash Chandra, on Saturday, January 5th, 2008 at Taj Lands End, Bandra at 7:30 pm., paid homage to all the martyrs who took the courage to stand against the British Imperialism.

As a part of flag off to the initiative - ‘Salute to the Soil’, Mr. Subhash Chandra, Chairman, Essel Group said, “Soil from the birthplace of the martyrs and warriors of the first war of Indian Independence will be brought together and consecrated with the waters of India’s holy rivers. This affair will prelude to the final event that will be held at Bithur in Uttar Pradesh on 15th, 16th and 17th February 2008.”

He further added, “‘Salute to the Soil’ has been organized to reiterate the respect and gratitude that we hold towards our great freedom fighters. It’s also a gesture to tell the world that we value the current independence that the nation enjoys and we would always be grateful to the selfless efforts put in by these souls for achieving it.”

Mr. Raj Duttji, President, Sanskaar Bharati said, “On occasion of this momentous event, to respect the martyrs of our independence struggle, we have brought the caravan of their memories to this bastion of the Indian entertainment world. From the entertainment industry Shammi Kapoor, Boney Kapoor, Subhash Ghai, Raj Babbar, Shyam Benegal, Paresh Rawal, Pankaj Udhas, Ravindra Jain, Aroona Irani, Rajshri Thakur, Nitish Bharduaj, Anoop Jalota to name a few were there to grace the occasion and honour memory of these great men and women.”

Amongst those who will be felicitated at the event, are the luminary freedom fighters like Azimullah Khan, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Mangal Pandey, Nana Saheb Peshwa, Rangoji Bapu, Rani Laxmibai, Tatya Tope and Veer Kunwar Singh.

From the entertainment industry Shammi Kapoor, Boney Kapoor, Subhash Ghai, Raj Babbar, Shyam Benegal, Paresh Rawal, Pankaj Udhas, Ravindra Jain, Aroona Irani, Rajshri Thakur, Nitish Bharduaj, Anoop Jalota to name a few were there to grace the 150th ceremony of the 1857 uprising to honour memory of these great men and women.

It’s epochal in the history of modern India; the beginning of the Indian freedom movement. Swatantriyaveer Savarkar has immortalized this date in his book with the same name. Despite of the nest efforts of the British, this date has risen from the ranks of condescending epithets like ‘rebellion’, ‘mutiny’, and ‘uprising’ to be accorded its rightful place in Indian history as the watershed of independent India’s fate. The Indian Rebellion of 1857 brought about the end of both the East India Company's rule in India and the Mughal Empire replacing it with direct rule by the British government.