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Indian freedom fighters plan to set up museum in Mumbai

DUBAI — A group of Indian freedom fighters is planning to set up a national museum in Mumbai to depict the sacrifices made by millions of their compatriots.

The Rs400-million project, National Museum of Indian Freedom Movement, will have the active participation of Gulf-based NRIs, says Dr Licy Bharucha, Managing Trustee of the proposed museum.

Dr Bharucha, who is in Dubai to meet some of the prospective patrons for this venture, said the project seeks to preserve for posterity all relevant records and archival materials under one roof.

“It is an attempt to revive the basic ideals of the freedom struggle such as truth, non-violence, communal harmony, love and peace. There is also an urgent need to identify and record the reminiscences of a handful of surviving freedom fighters and salvage the audio-visual artefact from various parts of India,” she said.

The Maharashtra government has agreed to provide all assistance for the project.

The main features of the museum will include a permanent national integration training centre, skills-orientated training centre for rural youth, and an oral history section devoted to reminiscences of surviving freedom-fighters.

“The museum will have pavilions for each state depicting their roles in India’s freedom struggle. The harmony forest in the museum will consist of trees from all the states and different parts of the world where people fought for freedom. The museum will conduct daily film shows on various aspects of freedom struggle and related topics, and a library and archives will stock valuables and books related to the Indian freedom struggle,” said Dr Bharucha, adding that they have started their international support campaign in Dubai.

The museum, Dr Bharucha said ,will have a dedicated department for conducting research on non-violence and it will conduct tours for children and youths to important places of Indian freedom struggle.

The museum will have a prayer hall where all sections of the society can pray in different languages and this is aimed at promoting the religious harmony and the slogan of Unity in Diversity, she pointed out.

The museum will also have a separate section for studies on different peace movements in the world.