PM Modi to open Ropuiliani tribal freedom fighters museum on Nov 15

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Ropuiliani Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum at Kelsih, near Aizawl, through a virtual programme on November 15, officials said on Tuesday.

The date is Janjatiya Gaurav Divas (Tribal Pride Day), marked every year on the birth anniversary of tribal leader Birsa Munda.

Governor reviews the site

Mizoram Governor General V.K. Singh (Retd) visited the complex on Tuesday to review preparations and the work still pending, according to All India Radio and IANS. He called the museum an important tribute to Mizo freedom fighters and said it should be developed into a world-class facility that can draw visitors from across the country and abroad.

The Governor asked officials to finish the remaining work using local materials and to make sure the design and theme stay true to Mizo culture and tradition. Chief Secretary (in-charge) K. Lalthawmmawia and Art and Culture Secretary Zodingpuii were among those present.

What the complex includes

The museum has been built by the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs, which officials said sanctioned Rs 25.59 crore for it. Apart from the main museum building, the complex has:

• an open-air theatre
• a traditional hut and a heritage walk
• a Birsa Munda Tribal Pride Garden
• a cafeteria, staff quarters and other facilities

Kelsih is a village in the Aibawk block of Aizawl district and is being promoted as a recreation spot.

The ministry is setting up 11 such museums in 10 states to remember tribal uprisings against British rule. Another is coming up at Tamenglong in Manipur.

Who was Ropuiliani

Ropuiliani was a Mizo chieftainess who took charge of Denlung after the death of her husband, Chief Vandula. She refused to accept British authority in the Lushai Hills, resisting taxes, forced labour and colonial control over Mizo villages.

The British captured her and her son Lalthuama in 1893. She was held as a prisoner and taken to Rangamati in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, where she died in captivity in January 1895. She is remembered in Mizoram as a symbol of resistance, especially as a woman leader who stood up to colonial expansion.