Imphal: Governor of Manipur La Ganesan reiterated that there should be a strong sense of patriotism with us all the time. He was speaking at a book presentation function held at the Court Hall of Manipur University on Wednesday.
The book “Unsung Anglo-Manipur War Heroes at Kalapani” written by Sukhdeba Sharma Hanjabam and Aheibam Koireng Singh was presented to the Governor and Chief Rector of the University by Vice-Chancellor Professor Naorem Lokendro Singh.
Speaking to the gathering, Governor said that we got freedom from the sacrifices made by our freedom fighters in those days of colonial imperialism. He said that the heroic contributions of the departed souls should always be remembered and we should respect our country. Manipur’s fight against the British forms an integral part of a series of struggles that the freedom-loving people of India fought in different forms and different parts of our country.
He continued that the heroic people of Manipur fought shoulder to shoulder with their fellow countrymen for the freedom of our motherland. Manipur’s last war of Independence in 1981 is a testimony to this.
Governor further said that after the defeat in Anglo-Manipur War in 1891, Maharaj Kulachandra and many other prominent leaders including Yuvraj Tikendrajit and Thangal General were also arrested and charged for waging war against the Queen Empress and abatement of murdering British Officers. Five of them were hanged and twenty-three people including Maharaj Kulachandra were transported for life at Kalapani, Andaman.
The transported Manipuri war heroes from Manipur were believed to have interned at a Bungalow at Mount Harriet now called Mount Manipur. They faced horrific torture for the sake of Independence which is worth mentioning these days. Manipur’s last war of Independence also called the Anglo-Manipur war was fought in 1891. The historic and glory battle took place at Khongjom in which the brave sons of Manipur laid down their lives almost to the last man, he added.
Governor also thanked the authors for their relentless efforts to keep these rare and invaluable records intact for the present and future generations of the state in particular and the nation in general. He also felicitated the descendants of the War heroes during the function. Governor appealed to people to hoist the tricolour across all households in the state and sing the National Anthem as a part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mohatsav celebration in the country.
Professor N Lokendro Singh, Vice-Chancellor of Manipur University also spoke on the importance of documentation of participants of the Anglo-Manipur War of 1891 and expressed hope that writers will continue their efforts in this direction. Faculty members, researchers and students attended the function which was organised by Manipur University Intellectual Forum of North East-Manipur and Manipur University Students’ Union.
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