Union Home Minister Amit Shah today laid the foundation stone of the Rs 25 crore Rani  Gaidinliu  Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum in Manipur,  a forgotten daughter of the Naga hills who is  revered  as Rani Jhansi  of   Northeast. 

This Museum  in the Northeast with its troubled history has come as recognition of tribals  contributions to the  freedom movement of the country. It  seeks to cement  emotional and cultural ties among people not only of the Northeast but also of the entire natives of the Himalayan states from  Manipur to Udaipur in Lahaul and from Kohima to Kashmir. 

Rani of Manipur Museum has come hot on the heels of Bhagwan Birsa Munda  Tribal Freedom fighters memorial in Ranchi opened  by  Prime Minister Narender Modi  dedicated as a tribute to  India's leading  tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda on his birth anniversary celebrated  as  the first ever Janjatiya Gaurav Divas in the country on November 14. Incidentally, the day is also celebrated as Children Day after the birth anniversary of India's first Prime Minister Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru.   

The Museum project  is also BJP’S attempt to woo tribals  as it has come at a time when Manipur is going to polls along with Uttarakhand and Goa soon. 

Rani Ma Gaidinliu  born in a  small nondescript village of Nungkao in Manipur   needs no introduction as far as Northeast is concerned. She was awarded Padamvibhushan in 1982, tamrapatra in 1972 and Swami Vivekanand seva award for her service to the nation. 

But the legendary freedom fighter is  unknown among new generation and the elites of mainstream India. 

It is not that Rani of Manipur is stranger to the social media world. Her images and small movies and some stories of her valour and leadership and  her fervour for  Freedom are available on social media and are popular among her tribal fans, said  her admirers. 

Rani was the main anchor of the religious movement Hareka that she later turned into a political  freedom and spiritual  movement against the exploitative policies of the colonial British in her bid to drive them away from  Manipur and Naga hills. 

Fearing her growing popularity and Freedom fighting spirit and  leadership, Rani Gaidinliu was jailed for long 14 years by the colonial British. She died in 1993. 

Paying tributes to her contribution towards Freedom fight movement Amit Shah while addressing  the gathering in Manipur virtually from Delhi  said the Rani Gaidinliu  Museum is the country's tributes to  the Tribal Freedom fighters of Northeast and the entire Tribal population of India.

The natives of India bore the major brunt during Freedom struggle and this is recognition of their contributions to development and Freedom of the motherland, he said at the virtual ceremony attended by Chief Minister of Manipur N Biren Singh and his ministerial colleagues and locals present  at site in Manipur where museum is being built.

Shah said Prime Minister  Narender Modi has called Rani Gaidinliu as Rani Ma and the Museum aims at promoting Tribal culture  and attracting the youth of the Northeast to the rich tribal legacy  making them as stakeholders in development of the country.

India is celebrating 75 years of independence as Azadi ka Amrut Mahautsav and Prime Minister has earmarked Rs 175 crore for the purpose, he said. 

(Kuldeep  chauhan is Editor and Administrator HimbuMail  a voice of Himalayan people)