By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR:Union Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan has written to Union Culture Minister Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat requesting him to organize a grand national-level commemoration program in the national capital Delhi on the occasion of the birth centenary of India’s youngest martyr Baji Rout. Shri Pradhan has made some important suggestions through the letter to commemorate the immense courage and sacrifice of Shaheed Baji Rout and to instill a sense of patriotism among the youth.
He mentioned in the letter that Baji Rout, who was born on October 5, 1926 in Nilakanthapur village of Dhenkanal, was martyred at the age of just 12 after bravely refusing to let the British army cross the river. His great sacrifice at Nilakanthapur Ghat on October 11, 1938 gave a new twist to the patriotism movement and also strengthened the national freedom struggle. The supreme sacrifice that Baji Rout made is a unique symbol of patriotism and moral strength. Martyr Baji Rout is not only a regional hero of Odisha, but he is an immortal symbol of ‘youthful patriotism’ and a national icon for the whole of India.
The birth centenary of India’s youngest martyr, Baji Rout, will be celebrated on 5 October 2025 and his centenary celebrations will be held throughout the year till 5 October 2026. The Chief Minister of Odisha has also announced to celebrate this centenary officially at the state level in collaboration with the Shaheed Baji Rout Memorial Foundation. In this context, to make the historical occasion memorable, Shri Pradhan has proposed in a separate cover letter to organize a ‘National Students and Youth Conference’ titled “Shaheed Baji Rout’s Immortal Story: Inspiring Youth Power for Nation Building”.
He said that seminars, debates, exhibitions, speeches, essay writing, cultural performances and various competitions based on unsung freedom fighters in history should be included at school, college and university levels. The main objective of this program is to create awareness among the students and youth of the country about the patriotism of Baji Raut and to instill a sense of responsibility towards the motherland in them. Now that this program is being held at the national level under the Union Ministry of Culture, it will help in bringing together youth and students from every corner of the country.
