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Doordarshan launches mega serial on India’s freedom fighters

India’s public television broadcaster, Doordarshan, is to air a 75-episode serial celebrating the country’s freedom fighters over hundreds of years.

The mega serial, Swaraj – Bharat Ke Swatantrata Sangram ki Samagra Gatha, goes to air on 12 August, with an hour-long episode every Sunday night.

It highlights the saga of those who fought for India’s independence, starting with the landing in 1498 of the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, the first European to reach India by sea.

The Hindi-language serial is being dubbed in nine regional languages, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Gujarati, Oriya, Bengali and Assamese as well as English.

Launching the serial on 5 August, the Home Minister, Amit Shah, said: “It is not possible to spread the expression of the essence of India without Doordarshan and All India Radio.”

The Information and Broadcasting Minister, Anurag Thakur, said the two public broadcasters had done a commendable job of reviving the valiant stories of over 550 freedom fighters and enabling the acquaintance of the younger generations with these unsung heroes.

India is currently celebrating the 75th anniversary of its independence from Britain on 15 August 1947.