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Independence
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid rich tributes to noted freedom fighters Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Chandra Shekhar Azad on their birth anniversary, recalling their role in India's Independence. "Remembering Lokmanya Tilak on his birth anniversary. He was a pioneering leader who played a vital role in kindling the spirit of India's freedom movement with unwavering conviction," Modi said on X. Tilak's efforts to popularise the nationalist movement had earned him the title Lokmanya (the leader of people). A scholar, his slogan "Swaraj (independence) is my birthright and I will have it" struck a chord with the masses. Modi added, "He was also an outstanding thinker who believed in the power of knowledge and serving others." Paying tributes to Azad, a revolutionary freedom fighter, Modi said he epitomised unparalleled valour and grit. He said, "His role in India's quest for freedom is deeply valued and motivates our youth to stand up for what is just, with courage and ...
The American Revolution began 250 years ago, in a blast of gunshot and a trail of colonial spin. Starting with Saturday's anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the country will look back to its war of independence and ask where its legacy stands today. The semi-quincentennial comes as President Donald Trump, the scholarly community and others divide over whether to have a yearlong party leading up to July 4, 2026, as Trump has called for, or to balance any celebrations with questions about women, the enslaved and Indigenous people and what their stories reveal. The history of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts is half-known, the myth deeply rooted. What exactly happened at Lexington and Concord? Reenactors may with confidence tell us that hundreds of British troops marched from Boston in the early morning of April 19, 1775, and gathered about 22.5 kilometers northwest on Lexington's town green. Firsthand witnesses remembered some British officers yelled, Thrown
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday called the BJP leaders as the "dwellers of hell" who did nothing for the independence or to uplift the economy and the society. In a scathing attack on the Centre, especially Union Home Minister Amit Shah for his alleged insulting remarks on the architect of Indian constitution B R Ambedkar in the Rajya Sabha recently, Kharge said the BJP government was dumping all the constitutional values. Addressing Congress workers after unfurling the Indian tricolour at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee office, Kharge said Congress made India as an independent country and is striving for its unity. "But the painful matter is that recently our important leaders, especially the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, insulted the Constitution. Amit Shah passed nasty comments on the architect of the Indian constitution," the Octogenarian leader said. Recalling Shah's statement, Kharge said, "I was in the parliament. In the Rajya Sabha he (Shah) said,
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday lamented that India's history books have done injustice to some heroes of the freedom struggle as post-independence narratives were "manipulated" to credit only select individuals. He said that it was imperative to present "unvarnished" historical accounts to ignite patriotic fervour in future generations. The Vice President also called on farmers to work for the resolution of problems through dialogue and understanding. Addressing an event here to mark the 138th birth anniversary celebration of Raja Mahendra Pratap, he said the country cannot nurture its history by bestowing "indulgent, sycophant, credit rating to those who played a role, of course, but not the role which others played. We cannot allow our heroes to be downsized." Referring to farmers, Vice President Dhankhar said, "We have to remember that we don't fight with our own people". "How can one sleep when the problems of farmers are not being resolved promptly?" he said. He .
History is "complicated" and the politics of the day often indulges in "cherry-picking facts" and to a considerable extent that has happened in Tipu Sultan's case, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday. He claimed a "particular narrative" about the former ruler of Mysore has been advanced over the years. In his address at the launch of the book 'Tipu Sultan: The Saga of Mysore Interregnum 1761-1799' here, Jaishankar said there are some basic questions that "confront us all" today as to how much of "our past has been airbrushed", how awkward issues have been "glossed over" and how "facts are tailored for regime convenience". The book has been written by historian Vikram Sampath. The external affairs minister said, "In the last decade, the changes in our political dispensation have encouraged the emergence of alternative perspectives and balanced accounts." "We are no longer prisoners of a vote bank, nor is it politically incorrect to bring out inconvenient truths.
East Timor pulled out all stops for Pope Francis' historic visit to one of the world's youngest and poorest countries to the tune of USD 12 million, drawing rebuke from activists and human rights organisations in a nation where almost half the population lives in poverty. The cost for the two-day visit starting Monday was approved by the government through the Council of Ministers in February, including USD 1 million to build an altar for a papal Mass. Walls were still being dabbed with fresh paint and banners and billboards filled the streets of the seaside capital, Dili, to welcome the pontiff, who earlier visited Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. About 42 per cent of East Timor's population of 1.3 million live below the poverty line, according to the UN Development Programme. Unemployment is high, job opportunities in the formal sector are generally limited and most people are subsistence farmers with no steady income. The country's budget for 2023 was USD 3.16 billion. The ...