Introduction
Project Veer Gatha was instituted under Gallantry Awards Portal (GAP) in 2021 as part of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to commemorate India’s 75th year of Independence. It aimed to disseminate the details of acts of bravery of the Gallantry Awardees and the life stories of India’s brave hearts among the students so as to raise the spirit of patriotism and instill amongst them values of civic consciousness.
The Project provides a platform to the school students across the country to undertake creative projects based on gallantry award winners. As part of this, the students framed different projects through various media like art, poems, and essays on these gallantry award winners and best projects are awarded at national level by Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Education.
The project has been coterminous with Republic Day Celebrations each year. Veer Gatha has been a phenomenal success with 8 lakhs participation in Veer Gatha 1.0 conducted in 2021-22, 19.5 lakhs in Veer Gatha 2.0 conducted in 2022-23 and 137 lakhs in Veer Gatha 3.0 conducted in 2023-24. The Hon’ble Raksha Mantri and Hon’ble Minister of Education had last year commended Veer Gatha as ‘heralding of a revolution amongst the students of India’.
The Vision
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has articulated a visionary approach to nation-building. He passionately called for nation-building to evolve into a collective national movement, urging every individual to be actively associated with it. As has time and again reiterated— For India, “This Amrit Kaal is ongoing” and “this is the period in the history of India when the country is going to take a quantum leap”.
In alignment with the Prime Minister’s vision, the Ministry of Defence has conceived Project Veergatha under the aegis of the Gallantry Awards Portal, the foremost online platform of MoD. The Gallantry Awards Portal is being run by a dedicated team under the Centre for Military History and Conflicts Studies of the United Service Institution of India, India’s oldest think tank which was established in 1870.
Unprecedented Participation
This year Veer Gatha 4.0 for the 2024-25 saw a total of entries of 176 lakh school students from all 36 States and UTs which is more than the population of a large number of countries.
At the School Level various projects and activities were conducted from 16 September to 31 October 2024. Project Veer Gatha 4.0 presented a variety of thought-provoking topics for essay and paragraph writing. Students had the opportunity to write about their chosen role models, particularly focusing on Gallantry Award recipients.
They were also encouraged to explore the inspiring lives of freedom fighters such as Rani Laxmibai, the 1857 First War of Independence, and the significant role of Tribal Uprisings in India’s Freedom Struggle.
This diverse array of topics not only enhanced the quality of the entries, but also deepened participants’ understanding of India’s rich historical and cultural legacy.
The project involved schools conducting activities at the local level, nationwide interaction programmes by Gallantry awardees (both offline and online), and the submission of top entries via MyGov portal. The Ministry of Defence bridged the gap between the armed forces and the civilian population by organizing the interactions of the children with the gallantry awardees in various schools across the country. Interactive session has been a commendable part of the project where students get to interact live with the with gallant heroes they have heard of or read about. Their engagement extended beyond physical visits, with many armed forces members connecting with schools through video conferencing, narrating their stories of bravery to inquisitive young minds and providing them with a unique source of both inspiration and education, offering first- hand narratives of courage and sacrifice.
The school-level activities concluded on 31 October 2024. Following evaluations at the State and District levels, nearly 4,029 entries were submitted for national-level evaluation, where top 100 entries were selected as SUPER-100 winners. They were divided into four categories with 25 winners each: Preparatory Stage (Grades 3-5), Middle Stage (Grades 6-8), Secondary Stage (Grades 9-10), and Higher Secondary Stage (Grades 11-12).
With 45 lakhs student participation, Uttar Pradesh achieved the top spot in the number of student’s nomination in Veergatha 4.0. UP not only crossed its last year’s figure of 39 lakh but also surpassed Delhi, which had the highest nominations from students last year. Delhi secured the second position with 18 lakh nominations, followed by Bihar with 13 lakhs. UP has set a new standard in the Veergatha Project, not only enhancing students’ respect for bravery but also fostering their creativity and motivation.
The remarkable achievement of the SUPER 100 winners is exemplified by the impressive strength of 66 girl students. Maharashtra lead the pack with 8 girl students, closely followed by Bihar and Gujarat with seven each and then Karnataka had six. All the five winners from Manipur were girls, a remarkable achievement for the state. The entries received are also reflective of socio-linguistic diversity of the country with entries in Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, Gujarati, Odhia, Assamese, Tamil, Malayalam, Telegu, Kannada and Marathi, in addition to Hindi and English, underscoring the richness of India’s cultural and linguistic tapestry.
The success of this competition owes much to the indispensable roles played by State and District Nodal Officers in steering the project to its completion. Amidst all these achievements, it’s crucial to acknowledge the commendable contribution of teachers, principals, the gallantry award winners from Indian Army, Navy and Airforce who have interacted with the students all across the country for their encouragement and motivation to the children to create exceptional works. Whether in the remote villages of Ladakh, the inaccessible regions of Andaman-Nicobar, the North-Eastern region, or the Southern part of the country, these officers exhibited unwavering determination.
The commitment of various stakeholders displayed throughout the event reflects their shared commitment to excellence and teamwork.
Felicitation Ceremony
The felicitation of the SUPER 100 winners was done jointly by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Defence on 25 January. Each winner was awarded a cash prize of Rs. 10,000. There were also four winners in each category at the District level and eight winners at the State/UT level who were felicitated at District & State/UT level.
During the event, Param Vir Chakra Awardee Subedar Major Sanjay Kumar shared his inspiring experience from the 1999 Kargil War, urging students to embody the values of bravery, selflessness and integrity in their lives. “True bravery lies not only in combat but in standing up for what is right in everyday life,” he said, inspiring the young participants.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Education Shri Dharmendra Pradhan emphasised that initiatives like Veer Gatha educate school students about the valour and sacrifices of the brave gallantry award winners while nurturing the creativity of young minds. He also noted that this initiative would help instill values of patriotism, grit, and national pride, inspiring students to contribute to the nation’s progress.
While Shri Rajnath Singh in his address made special mention of a Class 10 student named ‘Nemneineng’ from Manipur, who had lost her parents when she was a child. He commended her perseverance for not giving up her studies despite numerous difficulties and securing a place among the winners. He asserted that a hero works for the upliftment of the nation; whose work gives a new direction to the society. He stated that ‘India’s youth are our future heroes and they will play a major role in realising the PM’s vision for ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047’.
Conclusion
The project which is a remarkable collaboration between the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Education aims at raising the awareness of Gallantry awardees’ acts of bravery and the life stories of these heroes. The project continues to nurture patriotism and civic values, inspiring young minds to celebrate the heroic acts of India’s Gallantry Awardees.
The journey of Project Veer Gatha from Edition 1 to 4 has been unprecedented, expanding the reach of the competition and its scope across the length and breadth of the country.
The participation 176 lakh students from around 2.31 lakh schools indicates the incredible momentum widespread impact and success of this initiative. The bar is being raised substantively each year in not only the number of students participating but also in the quality of their submissions and enthusiasm in participation and I doubt if there is any such competition held for schools across the globe. National pride undoubtedly remains the most crucial aspect for the development of any country.
Monika Choudhary is Research Assistant at the Centre for Military History and Conflict Studies, United Service Institution of India. She holds Master’s degree in National Security Studies and has worked at National Maritime Foundation. She is currently working on the Gallantry Awards
Portal Project. She specialises in research focused on West Asia and threats emanating from the Western Indian Ocean.
