Mangaluru ; To inculcate a spirit of patriotism among youth and to create awareness about freedom fighters especially revolutionary leaders who have been forgotten by the people, Rashtra Gaurava Samrakshana Parishat (RGSP), in association with Patriotism Forum of SDM College of Business Management PG Centre for Management Studies and Research, on Wednesday, released an unique calendar of revolutionary leaders.

Briefing reporters, after releasing the calender, RGSP President T N Ramakrishna said two sets of patriotic calenders have been released for 2015. The first set of patriotic calender is jointly dedicated to the memory of revolutionary freedom fighter Udham Singh’s martyrdom platinum jubilee year (75 years), and the centenary year of Komagata Maru struggle and the second set of patriotic calender is published to commemorate the sesquicentennial birth anniversary year (150 years) of veteran freedom fighter founder of Punjab National Bank and Lion of Punjab Lala Lajpat Rai.

He said that about 1,000 copies of the calenders will be distributed to schools, corporates, colleges, libraries and to individuals. RGSP will also organise series of lecturers in at least 150 schools and colleges across Karnataka to educate students about the contributions of Lala Lajpat Rai, Udham Singh and the Komagata Maru Struggle and planning to reach to over one lakh students and 2,500 teachers and lecturers directly.

He said these kind of initiatives are taken up to make people especially students aware about the sacrifices and contributions of revolutionaries for our country. Since 2009, through the calendar the contribution over 225 revolutionary freedom fighters are depicted through these 12 calenders and in the next three years, 125 more revolutionary freedom fighters will be depicted through six more calenders taking the total number of revolutionary freedom fighters published through patriotic calender by RGSP to 350.

“The works of many revolutionaries are not known. We refer to all sorts of books and collect information on the revolutionaries. We also speak to freedom fighters to get to know about the contribution of the revolutionaries,” added Ramakrishna.

The calender said that the Indian government had laid a Komagata Maru memorial at Budge Budge in 1951. During the centenary year of the Komagata Maru struggle, the Canada government had released a commemorative stamps. The India government had renamed Budge Budge railway station after Komagata Maru and commemorative coins of Rs 5 and 100 during the centenary year.

The other set of calender on Lala Lajpati Rai provides details on Rai as an educationist, advocate, journalist, social reformer, ad Rai in foreign countries especially the USA, Sri Lanka, Britain, Japan, France and Burma, Switzerland.

He said that the RGSP is planning to sensitise tour operators while planning the tour to visit historical places related to Indian freedom struggle in Japan, Singapore, London, Russia and Philipines.

The RGSP is also planning to conduct a seminar on Lala Lajpathi Rai in New York , to commemorate his stay in the US for six years during freedom struggle. SDM College of Management Director Prof K Devaraj and others were present.