Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav is an initiative of the Government of India to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of progressive India and the glorious history of its people, culture and achievements.
This Mahotsav is dedicated to the people of India who have been instrumental in bringing India thus far in its evolutionary journey and hold within them the power and potential to enable Prime Minister Modi’s vision of activating India 2.0, fuelled by the spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav embodies all that is progressive about India’s socio-cultural, political and economic identity. The official “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav” journey commences on March 12, 2021, which starts a 75-week countdown to our 75th anniversary of Independence and will end post a year on August 15, 2023.
On March 12 1930, the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, started the Salt Satyagraha. On completing 91 years of Salt Satyagraha in 2020, Prime Minister Modi started the Amrit Mahotsav from Sabarmati Ashram by flagging off the padayatra.
Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel completed a 75-km padayatra. Now a National Implementation Committee has been formed under the chairmanship of the Home Minister to decide the outline of this festival.
Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav: The festival timeframe
On August 15, 2022, 75 years of the country’s Independence are going to be completed. Keeping this in mind, one year before the 75th anniversary, i.e., August 15 2021, will start these programs. In which cultural programs showing the celebration of the indomitable spirit of the country will also be organized.
These include music, dance, discourses, and preface reading (each line in different languages representing different country regions). Showcasing the youth power as the future of India, there will be 75 dancers and 75 vocals in the choir. This program will continue till August 15 2023.
Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav: 241 miles will be covered in 25 days like Salt Satyagraha
On the lines of Dandi March, this program will be started with a foot march called Freedom March. This journey will start from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad and will go to Dandi. Eighty freedom fighters, including Mahatma Gandhi, participated in the Dandi Yatra; keeping this in mind, 80 pedestrians have also been included in this Freedom March. This journey of 241 miles will end in 25 days on April 5. On the way to Dandi, people of different groups will join the padayatra. Union Minister Prahlad Singh Patel is leading the first leg of this yatra. Many big leaders of BJP like Giriraj Singh, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, MP Devu Singh Chauhan, MLA Arjun Singh Chauhan have also participated in this.
Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav: Vocal for Local via Charkha
Efforts are being made to promote the ‘Vocal for Local’ campaign through this event. To make it popular, a spinning wheel will be installed near Magan Niwas in Sabarmati Ashram. When a person buys a local product and posts a picture of it on social media using ‘Vocal for Local’, the spinning wheel will spin once with each tweet related to self-reliance.
Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav: States have fixed budgets up to Rs 25 crore
According to ANI, Telangana Chief Minister Chandrashekhar Rao has approved a budget of Rs 25 crore to celebrate the Amrit Mahotsav of Azadi. Along with this, instructions have also been given to install the tricolour at 75 important centres of the state. Furthermore, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh has announced that various programs related to freedom struggle will be organized for 75 weeks in the entire state. In addition, an attempt will be made to give the message of patriotism and show a glimpse of Indian culture.
Meaning of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav
PM Modi said that the Amrit Mahotsav of Azadi means the elixir of the energy of freedom. The Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav means the elixir of inspiration from the freedom fighters. The nectar festival of freedom means the elixir of new ideas. The elixir of new resolutions. The nectar festival of freedom means the elixir of self-reliance.
Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav: This is the meaning of the 75th anniversary of the country
75th anniversary of the country means 75 Years of Thoughts, 75 Years of Achievements, 75 Years of Action and 75th Resolution, which will inspire us to move forward to realize the dreams of independent India.
Why did Amrit Mahotsav start on the 91st anniversary of Dandi in March?
Salt was a symbol of India’s self-reliance. The British attacked India’s values as well as this self-reliance. Mahatma Gandhi felt the country’s pain and understood the pulse of the people in the form of Salt Satyagraha, so that movement became a movement of the people. Therefore, this program is being started on this day so that the dream of a self-reliant India can be fulfilled, and the development of the world should be encouraged by the development of India. The Prime Minister had said this on March 12.
Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav: Historical Significance of Dandi March
Dandi March is also known as Salt Satyagraha. Under British rule in 1930, Indians did not have the right to make salt. They had to use only the salt coming from England. Not only this, but the British had also imposed a manifold tax on this salt. But salt is an essential commodity for life, so Gandhi started this Satyagraha to remove this tax.