Janjatiya Gaurav Divas

India celebrates Janjatiya Gaurav Divas (Tribal Pride Day) on November 15 every year to commemorate the birth anniversary of the tribal freedom fighter and anti-colonialist Birsa Munda, born in 1874. The year 2024-25 is being celebrated as Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh to commemorate 150 years of his birth. As part of the countrywide, yearlong celebrations, the fortnight November 1-15 is being celebrated in a special way to honour the sacrifices and struggles of Birsa Munda and other Indian tribal leaders in India’s anti-colonial struggle and to celebrate the rich diversity of the country’s tribal cultures and heritage.

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs runs various schemes promoting tribal histories and cultures. As part of the ongoing Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh celebrations, many workshops, events, and cultural performances are being held across the country. One of the major initiatives of the Government is also establishing 11 museums to commemorate the contributions of our historical tribal freedom fighters.

Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum Initiative

Tribal leaders of India played a pivotal role in resisting oppressive British rule and the feudal system. Many of these uprisings, revolts, and movements remain underrepresented in mainstream Indian history even though these movements have gone a long way in shaping the India of today. The Government has decided to set up museums to preserve, document, and disseminate information on tribal leaders, and enlighten the public about these movements.

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, under the scheme Support to Tribal Research Institutes, provides funds to state governments for establishing these tribal museums.

Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Memorial & Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum

The Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Memorial & Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum in at Raipur in Chhattisgarh, which was recently inaugurated on 1st November by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, depicts the struggles of Chhattisgarh’s tribal communities against colonial rule.

Narayan Singh of the Binjhwar tribe was the zamindar of Sonakhan in the Raipur district of Chhattisgarh. In 1856, when a famine struck Odisha due to the hoarding of food grains by the British, he broke open the locks of British grain stores to feed the starving people. The British arrested him and imprisoned him in Raipur Jail. Veer Narayan Singh escaped from there and formed his own army.

On November 29, 1856, British forces were defeated by Narayan Singh’s troops. However, the British later returned with a larger force, and Narayan Singh was captured. On December 10, 1857, he was brutally executed at a crossroads.

Bhagwan Birsa Munda Tribal Freedom Fighter Museum

Bhagwan Birsa Munda Tribal Freedom Fighter Museum, Ranchi, Jharkhand, was inaugurated on November 15, 2021, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Born in Ulihatu village, Jharkhand, Birsa Munda led the Ulgulan or “Great Tumult” (1899 - 1900), a fierce movement for tribal self-rule and the restoration of Khuntkatti (community land rights). As a spiritual reformer and freedom fighter, he united the Munda tribes against British land laws and feudal exploitation. Known as Dharti Aaba (“Father of the Earth”), Birsa Munda envisioned a moral, self-governed society free from colonial influence. He was captured and martyred in Ranchi Jail at the age of 25.

Badal Bhoi State Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum

Badal Bhoi State Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum, inaugurated on November 15,2024, in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh.

Badal Bhoi was born in 1845 in Chhindwara district. Under his leadership, thousands of tribals staged a demonstration at the Collector’s bungalow in 1923. The protest was met with a lathi charge, and Bhoi was arrested. A few years later, in August 1930, he was again arrested by the British authorities at Ramakona for breaking forest laws. He spent his final years in prison and was reportedly poisoned by the British in 1940.

Raja Shankar Shah and Kunwar Raghunath Shah Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum

Raja Shankar Shah and Kunwar Raghunath Shah Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum, inaugurated on November 15, 2024, in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.

Raja Shankar Shah and Kunwar Raghunath Shah, descendants of King Nizam Shah of the Gond Kingdom, actively opposed British rule during the events of 1857. Despite their commitment to non-violence, these skilled poets utilised their verses as a powerful means to resist the British influence. Raja Shah, along with his son Kunwar Raghunath Shah, was captured and executed by the British on September 18, 1858.

Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh Celebrations

This special fortnight of Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh is being celebrated nationwide to showcase tribal identity, indigenous knowledge systems, and raise awareness about government initiatives for tribal empowerment.