The portraits of 21 Param Vir Chakra recipients are soon going to don the walls of universities across the nation. 'The Wall of Heroes' is the centre's idea to infuse nationalistic feelings among the students.
This is being done as part of the Vidya Veerta Abhiyan (Wisdom and Warrior Campaign) by the Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry to remind the students of the warriors who displayed courage and bravery for the nation. It was conceived as "a humble attempt to inculcate patriotism in the students" by BJP leader Tarun Vijay.
It was reportedly a group of ex-servicemen who first proposed this idea at a time when there was debates on nationalism and rows on sedition charges during a campus event where it was alleged that anti-national slogans were used.
This is not the first in the series of moves aimed at instilling 'patriotism' among students - central university vice chancellors agreed to install the national flag on campuses last year.
The universities have the freedom to choose on which wall they would like to have the photographs, as long as they "are easily seen by students and visitors".
“We have reached out to 1,000 universities across the country and everyone has been very supportive. It is a positive campaign to tell the youth of the country about our real heroes, who laid down their lives for us. Nobody is above them,” said Mr. Vijay to the Economic Times.
A senior HRD official told the Press Trust of India (PTI) that the HRD minister Prakash Javadekar will be launching the campaign in various universities across India, starting with Jawaharlal Nehru university (JNU), Delhi University (DU), Jamia Millia Islamia and Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi followed by Mumbai university, Kerala University and so on.