Ajay Kumar Led Doordarshan Team First Ever To Cover Bhagwan Birsa Munda'...

Ajay Kumar Led Doordarshan Team First Ever To Cover

Bhagwan Birsa Munda's Birth Place in 1992

15th November is the birthday of India's one of the greatest tribal freedom fighters Bhagwan Birsa Munda. Birsa Munda is regarded as one of the greatest personalities of not only Bihar and Jharkhand but also whole of India. It is the acknowledgement of the great personality that his portrait hangs in the Central Hall of Parliament, the only tribal leader to have been so honoured.

Jharkhand was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15th November 2000 on the Jayanti of Bhagwan Birsa Munda.

The slogan of Birsa Munda threatening British Raj - "Abua raj seter jana, maharani raj tundu jana"(Let the kingdom of the queen be ended and our kingdom be established) - is remembered even today in the areas of Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.

Doordarshan Kendra Ranchi production team under the leadership of Ajay Kumar the then Programme Executive, for the first time, touched the pious soil of Ulihatu - birthplace of Bhagwan Birsa Munda with a view to doing the coverage of the place. The documentary " Aao Chalen Birsa Munda Ke Gaon" not only brought this erstwhile little known but important historical place on state level but national level. It also highlighted the backwardness of the area and also poor & pathetic road connectivity at that time. The team had to face a number of difficulties & challenges while reaching the place in the mid July 1992. Fortunately the then DC Ranchi and the then SDO Khunti Alka Tiwari also accompanied Doordarshan team so that road connectivity & other development projects could be planned to develop this important but otherwise neglected area.

Ulihatu is the bitrhplace of the Great Bhagwan Birsa Munda. Ulihatu is situated in Khunti district of Jharkahand and is around 70 kms from Ranchi. Earlier Khunti was sub division of Ranchi district.

The documentary based on the coverage of Ulihatu and adjoining area was telecast from Doordarshan Kendra Ranchi in the evening of 22nd July 1992 and received appreciation and accolades from all the corners for producing such a historic programme under great stress, difficulty and infra-structural constraints.

It was reported in almost all the newspapers of Ranchi published on 27th July 1992. Invariably all the main news papers congratulated Producer Ajay Kumar and Doordarshan Kendra Ranchi for taking near impossible initiative in 1992 & showing something on 'Ulihatu' for the first time ever on Television - 'Ulihatu' the birth place of Bhagwan Birsa Munda situated in a very remote, harsh, difficult, inhospitable area of Khunti with no road connectivity at that time . It also specially appreciated the commentary by Ajay Kumar for being of the national standard.

Image (C) Dr Ajay Kumar Ojha

Script & Voice : Dr Ajay Kumar Ojha

Video Produced by : Dr Ajay Kumar Ojha