Rajdhani College hosts conference on Birsa Munda’s legacy

Rajdhani College, University of Delhi, in collaboration with the Chhatra Kalyan Nyas (CKN), organised a national conference titled ‘Dharati Aba Birsa Munda Philosophical Foundations of Resistance, Cultural Renaissance, and 150 Years of Tribal Identity in Modern India’ at Maharishi Kanad Bhawan, North Campus. The event witnessed participation from over 200 teachers, researchers, experts and students from across the country.

The college principal, Darshan Pandey, highlighted the significance of Birsa Munda’s legacy. Referring to his contributions, he said, “Birsa Munda is an immortal figure who showed millions of Indians the path of protecting and respecting the earth, nature and culture.” He said Birsa raised his voice against the British government’s “cultural dominance, revenue policies, and exploitation of resources”, giving the powerful call for protecting ‘jal’, jungle and ‘zameen’.

The conference was inaugurated by Kiren Rijiju, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, who described Birsa Munda’s legacy as a guiding force for contemporary society. “Birsa Munda’s life is a guiding beacon of inspiration for tribal empowerment, cultural identity, and national unity,” he said.

Ashish Sood, Minister of Education, emphasised the need to strengthen research on tribal history and indigenous knowledge systems in higher education. Ashish Chauhan, national organising secretary, ABVP, spoke about the crucial role of tribal communities in Indian civilisation.

A major highlight of the conference was the series of technical sessions, in which scholars from across the country presented 71 research papers. The topics ranged from tribal identity, environmental justice and land rights to cultural revival and philosophical interpretations of Birsa Munda’s Ulgulan movement.

Conference convener Suman Meena termed the event a “historic academic event that brought scholars, policymakers and youth together on one platform”, and expressed gratitude to the participating institutions and ICPR for their support.