Delhi’s emergence as India’s capital was shaped by its strategic location, imperial legacy, and colonial administrative needs. Declared the capital in 1911 during the Delhi Durbar, the city evolved into New Delhi through planned colonial architecture and governance structures, and later retained its central role after Independence, symbolising continuity of power and national administration.
Click to View MoreBengal played a pioneering role in the Indian National Movement by shaping its ideological foundations, organisational structure, and methods of struggle. From the Bengal Renaissance and Swadeshi Movement to revolutionary activism, mass mobilisation, and cultural nationalism, the region acted as the vanguard of anti-colonial resistance. Bengal’s leaders, institutions, and movements profoundly influenced the direction and character of India’s freedom struggle.
Click to View MoreC. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji) was a prominent freedom fighter, close associate of Gandhi, and the only Indian to serve as the Governor-General of India. A lawyer-turned-nationalist, he played key roles in major movements, led the Vedaranyam Salt March, and proposed the Rajaji Formula to break the Congress–Muslim League deadlock. After independence, he served as West Bengal’s Governor, Union Home Minister, and Chief Minister of Madras. Disillusioned with socialism, he founded the Swatantra Party, advocating economic freedom and limited state control. A respected writer and thinker, Rajaji left a legacy of moral leadership, political pragmatism, and intellectual clarity.
Click to View MoreThe Assam Movement (1979–1985) emerged from fears of demographic change, cultural dilution, and political marginalisation due to migration from Bangladesh. It culminated in the Assam Accord of 1985, which fixed 24 March 1971 as the cut-off date for identifying illegal migrants and promised safeguards for Assamese identity under Clause 6. However, challenges such as documentation gaps, political sensitivities, and lack of consensus on defining “Assamese” have hindered implementation, making the Accord an unfinished agenda that continues to shape Assam’s identity politics and citizenship debates.
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Vande Mataram, written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in 1875, emerged as a powerful cultural symbol of India’s freedom struggle. First sung by Rabindranath Tagore in 1896, it inspired patriotism and unity among freedom fighters. Adopted as the National Song in 1937 and reaffirmed in 1950, it continues to represent national pride, sacrifice, and devotion to the motherland, holding an honoured place in India’s historical and cultural identity.
Click to View MoreThe Mahad Satyagrahas of 1927, led by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, transformed a struggle for access to water into India’s earliest assertion of human rights and dignity. By challenging caste-based exclusion and burning the Manusmriti, the movement laid ethical foundations for equality, fraternity, gender justice, and constitutional morality. Its legacy shaped crucial constitutional principles, particularly Article 17, and continues to inform contemporary debates on democracy, rights, and social justice in India.
Click to View MoreDr. B.R. Ambedkar was a jurist, reformer, economist, and the chief architect of India’s Constitution who dedicated his life to securing equality and dignity for the marginalised. Rising from caste oppression, he shaped India’s democratic framework through fundamental rights, social justice provisions, labour reforms, and economic ideas that influenced institutions like the RBI. His conversion to Buddhism symbolised liberation from caste tyranny, and his legacy continues to guide movements for rights and inclusion. His death anniversary, observed as Mahaparinirvan Diwas, reflects the belief that he attained ultimate spiritual and social fulfilment.
Click to View MoreNavy Day is celebrated on December 4 to honour Operation Trident (1971), when the Indian Navy’s missile boats attacked Karachi harbour, sinking Pakistani ships without suffering losses, marking a turning point in the Bangladesh Liberation War.
Click to View MoreThe Durand Line, drawn in 1893 between British India and Afghanistan, remains a deeply contested boundary due to questions of legitimacy, ethnic divisions and competing territorial claims. Pakistan treats it as its formal international border, while Afghanistan—under successive regimes—refuses to recognise it. This unresolved dispute fuels cross-border militancy, strains Af-Pak relations, and contributes to wider regional instability, with implications for India’s security and strategic engagement in Afghanistan and Central Asia.
Click to View MoreSirpur in Chhattisgarh is a 5th–12th Century multi-religious archaeological landscape featuring Hindu, Buddhist and Jain monuments, including the renowned Lakshmana Temple and Surang Tila complex. As the early-medieval capital of Dakshina Kosala, it showcases advanced urban planning, monastic architecture and a unique riverine cultural setting along the Mahanadi. With well-preserved archaeological integrity and major government initiatives to improve conservation, accessibility and interpretation, Sirpur strongly meets UNESCO’s criteria of outstanding universal value and stands as a compelling candidate for World Heritage inscription.
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Batukeshwar Dutt was a committed Indian revolutionary best known for carrying out the 1929 Central Legislative Assembly bombing with Bhagat Singh to protest British repression. A member of the HSRA, he spent long years in jail, joined hunger strikes for prisoner rights, and participated again in the Quit India Movement. Despite his courage and sacrifices, he lived in hardship after independence and remains one of the most overlooked heroes of India’s freedom struggle.
Click to View MoreThe press in India has played a pivotal role from the freedom struggle to the modern democratic era. During colonial times, newspapers shaped nationalist consciousness, mobilized masses, and exposed British policies despite severe censorship. After Independence, the press expanded with constitutional protections, institutional reforms like the PCI, and growing diversity across languages and mediums. Today, the media continues to be essential for transparency and accountability but faces challenges such as misinformation, political pressure, commercialization, and threats to journalist safety. A strong, ethical, and independent press remains vital for sustaining India’s democracy.
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