Varanasi: A 74-year-old tree, which was jointly planted by teachers and students of Benaras Hindu University (BHU)on Republic Day in olden times, bears testimony to a bygone era that spoke of efforts to build the nation.
On Republic Day, a professor of the Journalism Department at Benaras Hindu University, Bala Lakhendra said, "The BHU played a very important place in the freedom movement. Rajendra Prasad Lahiri, who through his charismatic leadership motivated many freedom fighters from across the country, used to come here. It also has a long history. When the Quit India Movement began in 1942, Dr S Radhakrishnan motivated students to participate in freedom struggle."
He continued, "After India got Independence, we announced our desire to celebrate Republic Day on January 26, 1950. Then the teachers, students and employees of the BHU enthusiastically participated in the movement. A Sita-Ashoka sapling was planted on that campus. Today, after so many decades, the plant is continuously growing."
He said children go there, take a resolution and remember their ancestors and freedom fighters. Standing under the Jan Tantra tree, they pledge to protect the Constitution. "We must follow the path prescribed by the Constitution. We will make this country a strong and developed nation as well as a new nation,"he said.
Speaking about Sita, Lakhendra said she was such a woman, who not only the embodiment of moral character who never allowed herself to lose her chastity in adverse circumstances but also taught the lessons in renunciation, penance and sacrifice.
He said that Sita Ashoka is a different tree of medicinal value. "Sita in itself is a powerful signature of Indian culture. That is why our ancestors of that time thought that her namesake tree would inspire our daughters to be like her. This was especially the thought of Madan Mohan Malviya, when the university was established in 1916. In 1947, the female literacy rate was very low. Sita has awakened a new consciousness for the education of her daughters. This tree must have been planted for this very purpose," he summed up.
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