Jabalpur, Sep 18 (IANS): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Friday said his government was taking steps to bring the history and sacrifices of tribal heroes into the mainstream by incorporating their stories in school textbooks and promoting films and other initiatives based on their lives.
Addressing a programme in Jabalpur to mark the martyrdom day of tribal heroes Raja Shankar Shah and his son Kunwar Raghunath Shah, Yadav said the state had a responsibility to preserve the legacy of tribal icons and ensure younger generations learnt about their contribution to the freedom struggle.
“It is the responsibility of the state government to bring the glorious past of the tribal community to the forefront,” Yadav said.
He noted that episodes from the lives of tribal heroes, including Raja Bhabhut Singh, Raja Shankar Shah and Kunwar Raghunath Shah, had been incorporated into the educational curriculum.
The Chief Minister said the father-son duo, from the lineage of Rani Durgavati, resisted British rule through their writings and poetry and inspired people to fight for freedom. The British captured Shankar Shah and Raghunath Shah and executed them by tying them to cannons in Jabalpur in 1857.
“While a person’s physical body may cease to exist, their ideas live forever. This is precisely what the brave martyrs of Gondwana demonstrated. Their lives and sacrifices will remain a source of inspiration for future generations,” Yadav said.
He added that the government was also encouraging films based on the lives of tribal icons and had established institutions named after prominent tribal personalities. A university has been established in Khargone in the name of tribal freedom fighter Tantya Bhil, while one in Sagar is named after Rani Avanti Bai Lodhi.
On the occasion, the Chief Minister also launched the ‘Namo Prerana’ programme to spread awareness about cancer prevention and de-addiction among school and college students.
He later visited a blood donation camp organised under the ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan-2026’ at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Cultural and Information Centre and interacted with donors.
