While life stories of freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad and Subhas Chandra Bose continue to inspire millions, not many are aware of the tales of revolutionaries from tribal communities who played just as significant a role in the country’s struggle for Independence.
To shine a spotlight on such revolutionaries, a unique museum has been set up in Chhattisgarh’s New Raipur earlier this year. From life-sized sculptures depicting key moments of the freedom struggle to documents like hanging orders, and from artefacts such as weapons used by the mutineers to inspiring films on their lives, the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Memorial & Tribal Freedom Fighter Museum is aimed at giving a complete experience to those wishing to know more about tribal revolutionaries.
Situated in Sector 24 and spread across 9.75 acres, the museum was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 1.
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Sonmoni Borah, Principal Secretary, Tribal Development Department, told The Indian Express, “The digital experiences, the sword used against the British by Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh, the Veer Narayan Singh Memorial and a digital experience of the famous Maa Danteshwari Temple in Dantewada make the museum an unmissable experience.”
Built at a cost of Rs 53.13 crore, the project has been implemented by the tribal welfare department. It showcases untold atrocities faced by the tribal communities between 1774 to 1939 as the visitors make a journey through 16 galleries housing hundreds of sculptures.
The main entrance of the museum is decorated with wooden carvings from Sarguja region and displays names of 200 tribal freedom fighters.
The museum has hundreds of sculptures depicting scenes from the freedom struggle as well as daily life of tribals. (Image source: Tribal welfare dept)
The courtyard has a life-size statue of Birsa Munda whose birth anniversary on November 15 is celebrated as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas (Tribal Pride Day).
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The reception hall has over a dozen digital screens, some of which show animated video stories, and a mini-theatre where a short movie compiling the life stories of tribal leaders like Veer Narayan Singh, Gaind Singh, Gundadhur and Ramadhin Gond is played.
In contrast to the bright reception room, the galleries are dimly lit and have life-like statues of tribal people from different parts, showcasing their culture, beliefs, faiths, art and skills. These include the culture of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) such as Kamar, Baiga, Abujhmadia, Pahathi Korwa and Birhor. Their sculptures, paintings and daily use items have also been put up on display.
The highlight of the museum, though, are statues portraying a dozen revolutionary stories in which atrocities during the Maratha rule and Mahatma Gandhi’s visit to Dhamtari during the freedom struggle also find a mention.
“One such interesting story is about Captain Blunt from the East India company, who tried to enter Bastar in 1795 but the local tribes —Gond, Koya, Dorla and Madias — armed with traditional weapons attacked and forced him to retreat,” said Anil Virulkar, Assistant Director at Tribal Research and Training Institute (TRTI).
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Another gallery tells the story of Veer Narayan Singh who rebelled against the British who refused to provide grains from their godowns to the hungry and poor tribals.
“We have developed an app ‘Adi Vani’ on which translations to Gondi and Halbi are possible. We have also made small films and videos in local languages such as Chhattisgarhi, Gondi, Halbi etc to be shown in an immersive dome and other digital platforms in the museum,” said Hina Netam, Director of TRTI.
