1857 - What 'We Should Not Forget'...

New Delhi, May 8 (UNI) The 1857 uprising against the British rule not only underscored Hindu-Muslim unity but manifested India's pluralist culture, Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh stressed this evening.

Opening a three-day national seminar on '1857- Renaissance of Indian Languages' at Sahitya Kala Akademi, Singh cautioned against forgetting the lessons of history.

The May 8-10 event is intended to highlight the role of 1857 in India's renaissance. May 10 marks the 150th anniversary of the uprising or the first war of independence.

Languages unite human society-- not divide it, Singh told participants in the meet co-sponsored by the Central Institute of Hindi and the National Council for Promotion of Urdu.

He said no matter which language they spoke-- Urdu, Hindi, Bangla, any other-- the 1857 warriors all aspired to a common goal: freedom from foreign rule.

That is what ''we should understand and absorb,'' Singh said.

Speakers, including National Book Trust chairman Bipin Chandra, Kendriya Hindi Shikshan Mandal vice-chairman Ram Sharan Joshi and CIH director Shambhunath, NCPUL director Ali Javed, Indian Council of Historical Research chairman Sabysachi Bhattacharya, emphasised that importance of Hindu-Muslim unity.

Asked afterwads whether he saw a common adversasry to unite the communities as in 1857, Singh said their unity is always desirable.

Prof Bhattacharya explored the link between the 1857 uprising and Indian languages and the common perception about the uprising.

He said it became a metaphor for freedom struggle by its sheer scale and expanse and promoted ''deeper'' unity between Hindus and Muslims-- all of which made it a central point in India's independence struggle.

Over the next three days, the patrticipants will evaluate the effect this renaissance has had on developments in Indian Languages.

The goal: find out how north Indian languages-- Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Kashmiri, Dogri, Rajasthani-- struggled with problems of their own identity in the process of modernising.

UNI