India rectifying past mistakes, celebrating unsung heroes: PM

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said India was correcting its past mistakes by celebrating its heritage and remembering its unsung bravehearts who were lost in the pages of history written as part of a conspiracy during the colonial era.

Addressing the 400th birth anniversary celebrations of legendary Ahom general Lachit Barphukan, Modi said the history of India was not just about slavery but also about its warriors and it was important that the collective sense of history was not limited to a few decades or centuries.

"The history of India is not just about slavery. The history of India is about emerging victorious, it is about the valour of countless greats. India's history is about standing against tyranny with unprecedented valour and courage," he said.

The prime minister said unfortunately even after Independence, the history that was written as part of a conspiracy during the colonial era continued to be taught.

"After independence there was a need to change the agenda of foreigners who made us slaves, but it did not happen. The stories of fierce resistance to tyranny in every part of the country were wilfully suppressed," Modi said.

He said there were countless stories of victory over tyranny during the long period of repression.

"The mistake of not giving those events in the mainstream is being rectified now," he said.

Modi also recalled how Barphukan had kept national interest above blood relations and did not hesitate to punish his close relative.

"Lachit Barphukan's life inspires us to rise above the dynasty and think about the country. He had said that no relationship is bigger than the country," he said.

Barphukan was the famous General of the Royal Army of the Ahom Kingdom of Assam who defeated the Mughals and successfully halted the ever-expanding ambitions of the Mughals under Aurangzeb, Modi said.

The prime minister said the unmatched bravery of the land of Assam and the northeast was evident as they had repulsed the invasions of Turks, Afghans and Mughals.

"Even though the Mughals had captured Guwahati, it was bravehearts like Barphukan who won independence from the clutches of tyrannical rulers of the Mughal empire. Barphukan's bravery and fearlessness is the identity of Assam," he said.

Modi said in the history of human existence numerous civilisations that walked the earth seemed imperishable, but the wheel of time brought them down to their knees.