THE Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized that India must remember the glorious heritage of the freedom struggle, and ensure that the legacy of the struggles and achievements of our freedom fighters is passed on to succeeding generations.
Speaking after the launch of a commemorative coin to mark the inauguration of the birth centenary celebrations of Rani Gaidinliu in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on 24 August 2015, the Prime Minister said it is our misfortune that people such as Rani Gaidinliu have either not been remembered adequately, or have been deliberately forgotten.
The Prime Minister recalled Rani Gaidinliu’s contribution to India’s freedom struggle. Referring to her as “Rani-Maa,” he said that she believed that her struggle for the Naga people against the British, was also a struggle for India’s unity and integrity. The Prime Minister also credited Rani Gaidinliu with spreading the message of Mahatma Gandhi in the North-East.
He regretted that she could not enter her village for many years after independence. He said India has not been made by kings or rulers, but by its people.
The Prime Minister said Rani-Maa’s thoughts on living in harmony with nature could provide an answer to the problem of climate change being faced by the world today.
The Prime Minister spoke of his Government’s initiatives for the development of the North-East. He reiterated that the progress of the north-east will provide a big boost to the development of the entire nation. He said the Land Boundary Agreement signed recently with Bangladesh would help improve connectivity of the region with the rest of the country. Referring to the recently signed Naga Peace Accord, the Prime Minister said it was due to the efforts of successive governments, that such an agreement could be reached.
The Governor of Nagaland Mr PB Acharya, the Chief Minister of Nagaland Mr T R Zeliang, the Chief Minister of Manipur Mr O Ibobi Singh, and Union Ministers Mr Rajnath Singh, Mr Arun Jaitley, Dr Mahesh Sharma, and Dr Jitendra Singh were present.
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Brief History:
Rani Gaidinliu
[1915-1993]
“We are a free people, the white men should not rule over us, we will not pay house tax to the Government, we will not obey their unjust laws like forced labour and compulsory porter subscription,”
– Rani Gaidinliu.
RANI Gaidinliu was a Naga spiritual and political leader who led a revolt against British colonial rule in India. She was born on 26 January 1915 at Nungkao, Rongmei village in Manipur. Ranima, as she was known with respect and affection, had humble beginning. At the age of 13 she came under the influence of Haipou Jadonang, the leader who launched a religious movement that sought to reform the Zeliangrong Naga communities. The movement grew into a political struggle to uproot British colonialism from Manipur and the nearby Naga-inhabited areas. Within the Heraka cult Rani Gaidinliu came to be regarded as the human form of the Goddess Cherachamdinliu.
By the late 1920s, British officials began to view the political underpinnings of the movement with deep suspicion as they saw it as undermining their authority. After the execution of Jadonang in 1931, Rani Gaidinliu took up the leadership of the movement for independence. She was arrested in 1932 by the British authorities. She became a political prisoner but at the same time had emerged a veteran leader of the resistance movement.
Rani Gaidinliu identified her people’s struggle with the wider Indian freedom struggle. For her, the Naga people’s journey to freedom was part of India’s wider movement for freedom. She also spread the message of Gandhiji in Manipur region.
During long years of incarceration Ranima had become popular and the issue of her imprisonment was raised in the British House of Commons. She was released from jail after 14 years when India won independence in 1947. She remained true to her convictions and continued to work for the protection of traditional Naga customs, beliefs and traditions within the Union of India. She withstood serious threats from armed insurgents which forced her to go underground in 1960. Her adversaries could not weaken her resolve. She was committed to her cause with little care for personal safety. She came overground on 16 January 1966. She was welcomed by the people of Zeliangrong.
Leaders of various political parties at the national level had great regard for her work and her contribution to the common good. Her visits even to remote areas became legendary. Men and women, young and old, gathered simply to have a glimpse of her. She showed how it was possible to have pride in village customs and traditions and in Naga culture and at the same time to be true to India. She was the State President of All India Freedom Fighters’ Association (Nagaland), Founder and President of Zeliangrong People’s Convention and Patron of Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Parishad till her death.
Rani Gaidinliu was also associated with organizations such as Kalyan Ashram, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Vidya Bharati. She interacted with many prominent leaders. She met M S Golwalkar of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in Guwahati in the early seventies. Bala Saheb Deshpande of Kalyan Ashram met her at Kohima in 1978. She also toured the country extensively during her lifetime. In January 1979 she visited Varanasi and from there went to Allahabad to attend the 2nd World Hindu Conference organized by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. She also visited the Sangam and took a dip in the Ganga.
Ranima passed away on 17th February, 1993. She left behind a vibrant legacy and instilled in the Zeliangrong people pride in traditional practices. Her life of struggle and her integrity marked her out as a figure we should all learn from and who can still inspire positive values in public life.
Rani Gaindinliu became a legend in her own lifetime.
Honours for Rani Gaidinliu
Freedom Fighter Tamrapatra, 1972; Padma Bushan, 1982; Vivekananda Sewa Samman, 1983; Birsa Munda Award, 1996; and Postal Stamp, 1996.
Government of India instituted Stree Shakti Puruskar in honour o five eminent women in Indian history which included Rani Gaidinliu, 2000. The Hindustan Shipyard Ltd. Launched an in-shore patrol vessel named ‘Rani Gaidinliu’ for the Indian Coastal Guard at Visakhapatnam, 6 November 2010.
Courtesy: Ministry of Culture, Govt of India & PIB
.JPG)
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