Champaran Satyagraha anniv: Nation that forgets its history, loses its geography, says governor

Motihari: Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Tuesday called for protecting the memories of the Champaran Satyagraha, launched by Mahatma Gandhi on April 15, 1917 — a turning point in the freedom movement of our country — stating that the nation which forgets its history, loses its geography.
He was addressing a seminar on the 108 anniversary of the Champran Satyagraha, organised jointly by Mahtma Gandhi foundation and Krishi Vigyan Kendra at the local Gandhi Sabhagar.
He said it was among the farmers of Champaran, exploited by a tyrannical imperialistic order, that Gandhi first experimented his non-violent agitation. "The seeds of the satyagraha planted by Gandhiji in the fertile soil of Champaran, trampled for decades by feudal lords forcibly supplanting the production of food by indigo for textile mills in foreign lands, sprouted and spread across the country into the largest peaceful freedom movement in the history of humankind. Gandhi introduced non-violence as an effective tool of social change. Love had been used earlier too for bringing about change in individual human behaviour but Gandhiji used this force for social change," he said, adding Champaran is a "tirth" (holy place) and mirror of the freedom movement.
"We have to preserve the memories of the national movement because we were slaves for a very long time. Other countries remained slaves for half the time we did, still their language and culture vanished," he said, voicing for preservation of India's history.
Earlier he visited the local Charkha park and Satyagraha memorial pillar premises and paid floral tributes there. This function was presided over by MP Radha Mohan Singh.