JNU to inaugurate tribute wall carrying names of 1,040 freedom fighters

NEW DELHI: The Jawaharlal Nehru University will soon inaugurate a tribute wall carrying names of 1,040 freedom fighters from across India, a senior official from the varsity said on Monday. The wall, which will come up outside the JNU convention centre, will be made open for school kids every month in order to spread awareness among the younger generation about freedom fighters from different states.

The wall, according to Chakra Foundation which is in charge of building it, will be shaped in the form of an "old file" and will have the names of freedom fighters engraved on marble granite plaques, with a statue of 'Bharat Mata' and a 100-feet high national flag placed at its centre. "The construction work to build the tribute wall started 4-5 months back. The wall is almost ready now. It should be inaugurated by February, 2024," the official told PTI.

The wall -- which will be 10 feet in height and 60 feet in length -- will carry information such as the name of freedom fighter, their living years, and the state they were from. At each side of the wall, there will be a pillar with the national emblem of India (symbol of four lions) on top and a QR code that can be scanned to listen or read the stories of each freedom fighter in audio (mp3), visual (mp4), or written format. Students will be able to read these details in 12 different languages through an app specially built for the purpose.

The tribute wall is being built by the Chakra Foundation, a Chennai based NGO, to commemorate these freedom fighters, as India completes 75 years of Independence, another person aware of the development said. As part of the initiative, a tribute wall is being built at 75 different locations across the country including Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, Gujarat, Puducherry, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, he added.

"My idea was to spread awareness about freedom fighters from both Northern and Southern parts of the country among the younger generation and after approval from Centre we could finally begin the work to build the tribute wall starting from Puducherry, Delhi and Kanyakumari," Chakra Rajasekar, the founder of the Chakra Foundation, told PTI. The project is being funded through donations received by the NGO and the names of the donors and those who supported the project will be engraved at the bottom of the tribute wall,Rajasekar said.