Agartala: A collection of 45 sculptures, created over two months of hard work at Nazrul Kalakshetra in the heart of Agartala city, now stands as a means to revisit the often overlooked historical events of the freedom struggle.
The freedom fighters of Tripura and other northeastern states, who barely received credit for the sacrifices they made, are being honoured through this initiative.
Speaking to EastMojo, Suman Majumder, Executive Member of Lalit Kala Akademi Tripura Centre, said, “All the sculptures are ready for installation and display. The state government has assured us that they will soon allocate a space where all the busts will be installed, along with brief notes about the contributions of the unsung heroes of the Northeast region.”
According to Majumder, this initiative to bring the heroes to life through the medium of art aims to ensure that the people of the state learn about their contributions to the great freedom struggle.
“Among the 45 unsung heroes, approximately 36 to 37 belong to Tripura. The rest hail from other northeastern states as well,” added Majumder.
To name a few, the list includes busts of the first Chief Minister of Tripura, Sachindra Lal Singh, Left leader Birendra Chandra Dutta, former Chief Sukhamoy Sengupta, Hari Ganga Basak, Rabindra Nath Chakraborty, and Ratan Mani Noatia.
In addition, statues of the great Army Generals of the Tripura kingdom, Rai Kachak and Rai Kasam, have also been created.
A detailed social media post written by former Deputy Chief Minister of Tripura, Jishnu Dev Varma, revealed that both Army Generals had fought fierce battles to restore the glory of the princely state.
According to Dev Varma, five centuries ago, Rai Kachak of the Reang Community fought against the Arakans to retrieve the idol of the revered mother Tripura Sundari, which was later installed in the temple at Udaipur. His valor earned him respect from all quarters of society, and in the royal history of Tripura, Rai Kachak is considered one of the towering war heroes.
On the other hand, Rai Kasam took the leading role in defeating the Pathan invader Hussain Shah and saved Tripura.
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In modern times, people like Biren Datta, Sukhamoy Sen, and Sachindra Lal Singh took leading roles in the Indian freedom struggle in areas like Brahmanbaria and Comilla, which are now part of Bangladesh.
“While there is no recorded significant event related to the freedom struggle in Tripura, people who witnessed that period said that many freedom fighters used to visit Tripura frequently to avoid arrests and the atrocities meted out by the British,” said veteran journalist Sekhar Datta.
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