By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR: Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh along with Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan felicitated ‘Super-100’ winners of Project Veer Gatha 3.0, in New Delhi on January 25, 2024. A cash prize of Rs 10,000, a medal and a certificate were given to each of the 100 winners.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister for Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, termed ‘Veer Gatha’ as a unique programme which inspires the young generation about the sacrifices made by the Brave hearts.
He expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for envisioning ‘Project Veergatha’ which has become a big platform in introducing the present generations to the bravery and sacrifice of the Indian army. He also thanked Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh for making the inspirational traditions like Veergatha a success for the new generation.
He commended the efforts of the Ministries of Defence and Education in making Project Veergatha a powerful medium to strengthen the spirit of patriotism, sense of duty and nation-building in the ‘Amrit Peedhi’. Applauding the participation of 1.36 crore students in Veergatha 3.0 he hoped that this inspiring tradition would be expanded to include every student of India.
Shri Pradhan also said that the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047 will only be achieved when the sense of duty and responsibility for nation-building will awaken in everyone. Today when we are entering a new age, a young country like India has the responsibility of the entire humanity, Shri Pradhan mentioned. The Veergatha competition provides an opportunity to revive India’s heritage, and values and exemplify the heroic acts of its people post-independence, he added.
It was a memorable moment when, for the first time in his tenure as the Raksha Mantri, Shri Rajnath Singh handed over the podium to one of the winners Sushri Barnali Sahu, a student of Class 11, DAV Public School, Cuttack, Odisha to address the gathering on his behalf, a gesture that struck a chord with the students assembled for the event.
Through the voice of Ms Sahu, Raksha Mantri stated that the country’s youth will play a key role in realising Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of transforming India into ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047. “Youth is the most important asset to shape the future of the country. They will shoulder the responsibility of a developed nation,” she said.
Voicing his views through Ms Barnali, Shri Rajnath Singh said, “Project Veer Gatha was an endeavour to introduce the bravehearts of the nation to the youth and take the tales of valour by these young minds. The project was launched with the combined efforts of Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Education to strengthen the values of ‘Nation First’”.
He referred to the recent addition of a chapter on National War Memorial and the brave heroes who gave their supreme sacrifices in the NCERT curriculum of Class VII. “Our mission is to raise awareness among children about the bravery of our soldiers. We want them to imbibe valour and courage,” He said and added ‘What I hear, I forget. What I see, I remember. What I do, I understand’, describing it as an accurate way of learning.
Shri Rajnath Singh said: Today, the youth, who wish to fly high, have an open sky of aspirations. It is our duty to encourage these nation builders”.
Before handing over to the podium, the Raksha Mantri, while interacting with students, shared insights on ‘spiritual strength’. He described physical, mental/intellectual and spiritual strength as the three facets crucial to achieve victory or any desired result in life. Only a spiritual person attains bliss, he said, adding only people with large hearts can be spiritually oriented.
The event also witnessed Param Vir Chakra awardee Subedar Major (Honorary Captain) Yogendra Singh Yadav (Retd) narrating his real-life story of the Kargil war where he overcame all odds and played a crucial role in India’s historic victory. He urged the children to draw inspiration from the valiant soldiers who defend their nation by making supreme sacrifices.
Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane and other senior officials of Ministry of Defence & Ministry of Education were present on the occasion.
Building on the recommendations of the Raksha Mantri, Veer Gatha 3.0 underwent a notable expansion of recognising 100 winners at National Level as against 25 winners in the first two editions. An enhanced feature of recognising winners at multiple levels – National, State, and District, was introduced. This strategic expansion ensures a more comprehensive celebration of bravery, spanning various fields and fostering a deeper appreciation for the diverse acts of valour across the nation.
This third edition was held between July 13 to September 30, 2023, wherein a record 1.36 crore students from 2.42 lakh schools pan-India shared their inspirational stories in terms of essays, poems, drawings and multimedia presentations. After series of evaluations under various rubrics for assessment at State and District level, nearly 3,900 entries were submitted for national level evaluation. The national level evaluation committee appointed by the Ministry of Education selected the top 100 entries. Twenty-five (25) winners from each category – Class 3rd to 5th, Class 6th to 8th, Class 9th to 10th, and Class 11th to 12th were selected.
The remarkable achievement of the Veer Gatha 3.0 is exemplified by the impressive strength of 65 girl students among the ‘Super-100’. Odisha led the pack with eight girl students, closely followed by Bihar with seven, while Jammu and Kashmir and the north-eastern region of Manipur had two and five noteworthy girl student winners respectively. Notably, the winning entries reflect linguistic diversity, featuring Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati, Assamese, Tamil, and Marathi, in addition to Hindi and English, underscoring the richness of India’s cultural and linguistic tapestry.
