26-part animated series on Goa’s history announced
Minister for Archives and Archaeology Subhash Phal Dessai with MLAs and officials at the Lohia Maidan, Margao on Goa Revolution Day.
Photo Credits: Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
Paying rich tributes to the freedom fighters for their sacrifices in the liberation of Goa from Portuguese rule, Minister for Archives and Archaeology Subhash Phal Dessai said on Wednesday that the State heritage policy will protect all historical monuments, including the Azad Maidan, Lohia Maidan, the Cuncolim Chieftains Memorial, Betul Fort, etc., for posterity.
He further announced that the Department of Archives headed by him will come out with 26 animated web series of 40-minute duration, which will put the entire history of Goa in the right perspective to inspire the younger generations.
Speaking at the official function of Goa Revolution Day at the historic Lohia Maidan in Margao, from where the great Indian nationalist Dr Ram Manohar Lohia, with his friend Dr Juliao Menezes, had given a call for the liberation of Goa, Phal Dessai paid tributes to the freedom fighters for their struggle against the Portuguese for conversions, inquisitions, atrocities on the local populace, etc.
“The people of Cuncolim had challenged the Portuguese, culminating in the 1583 Cuncolim revolt, but then the freedom movement slowed down, only to be given a boost by Dr Lohia. Dr Lohia came down to Goa at the invitation of his friend Dr Juliao Menezes to launch the freedom movement. Since then there’s been no turning back, as the movement for freedom only grew louder and gained momentum, culminating in the liberation of Goa in 1961,” he said.
Elaborating on the heritage policy, the Minister said that the policy will take care of and protect all monuments which do not fall under the ambit of monuments that are 100 years old or more.
“As per the existing policy, monuments with history dating back to 100 years or more are documented and protected. The heritage policy will protect the monuments having historical importance but not falling under the category, since their history dates back to less than 100 years,” he added.
Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, Navelim MLA Ulhas Tuenkar, Margao Municipal Chairperson Damu Shirodkar, Abhishek Ranjan, District Collector Egna Cleetus, District Police Chief Tikam Singh, freedom fighters, Avinash Shirodkar, students and citizens attended the programme.
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Govt to set up panel for picking historical sites as museums
MARGAO: Minister for Archives and Archaeology Subhash Phal Dessai on Wednesday said the government will soon constitute a panel to examine the process of declaring places of historical importance as museums, following consultations with stakeholders.
Responding to media queries regarding the proposal to notify the house of Dr Juliao Menezes as a museum, Phal Dessai stated that the government is open to such initiatives, provided there are no disputes and the concerned families are willing to cooperate.
“If the family comes forward to support the government in converting the historical places such as ancestral houses of freedom fighters into museums, we can do so immediately. But if there is any dispute, the panel will study the matter and take a call after taking the stakeholders into confidence,” he said.
