Seminar exhibition bring focus on military heritage of undivided Bihar region

Patna, Mar 22 (PTI) From military might of the Mauryan Empire to the heroic tales of the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny, a two-day seminar and exhibition hosted at the Danapur Cantonment near Patna has brought the spotlight on the glorious military heritage of the undivided Bihar region.
    The event held on March 21-22 at the Bihar Regiment Centre (BRC) coincides with the ongoing celebration of Bihar Diwas being marked in Patna on Saturday.
    Themed on 'Military Heritage and Culture of Bihar and Chhota Nagpur', it was jointly organised by the BRC and Delhi-based defence think-tank USI, under 'Project Udbhav', an initiative that seeks to revisit and celebrate India's rich heritage in strategic domain.
    The opening ceremony was graced by Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, who paid homage to the bravehearts in his keynote address, and urged students and soldiers to learn from the heroic tales of the brave land of Bihar.
    Thematic sessions were held on both days complemented with an exhibition with contribution from the BRC and three other Patna-based agencies, which displayed images of archival documents related to the ancient Magadh Empire, the East India Company (EIC) and the military affairs during the British Raj.
    The region of Bihar and Chhota Nagpur (currently in Jharkhand), has for multiple centuries, consistently contributed to India's strategic thought, corpus of political and military treatises, and military manpower, the USI said, emphasising the concept behind the event.
    The seminar included sessions on geopolitical characteristics, early empires such as the mighty Mauryan Empire led by Emperor Ashoka, Kautilya's Arthashastra, EIC in Chhota Nagpur, the 1857 Uprising in Danapur (then Dinapore), and the Bihar Regiment's journey and contribution to the nation.
    Major General Jai Singh Bainsala, Colonel of the Bihar Regiment, also attended the inaugural session of the event.
    The exhibition 'Echoes of Valour' displayed documents contributed by the BRC, the Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library, Bihar State Archives (BSA) and some archival documents drawn from private collections of Aditya Jalan of Patna City.
    A senior official of BSA, told PTI that several panels showcased images of documents ranging from the period of the First War of Independence in 1857 to 1943, the year the World War II was underway, from its collections.
    These included images of archival documents of 1859 containing the list of persons who have taken prominent part in the rebellion; Dinapore Rifle Range (1873); and formation of a police battalion in Bihar & Orissa (1918).
    The private collections showcased images of documents related to World War I and World War II, war propaganda material carrying military-themed cartoons, pamphlets related to military events hosted in Patna, among other images presented on various panels.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)