'Azadi Ki Amrit Kahaniyan': Short video series showcasing inspiring stories launched by Anurag Thakur

New Delhi: As part of the celebration of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur on Tuesday launched ‘Azadi Ki Amrit Kahaniya’, a short video series created in collaboration with OTT platform Netflix. Present at the occasion were Minister of State, Dr L Murugan, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Apurva Chandra, and Head of Global TV, Netflix, Bela Bajaria. ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 12 March, 2021. Women change makers Basanti Devi, Padma-award winning environmentalist from Pithoragarh known for her contribution towards revitalizing the Kosi river; Anshu Jamsenpa, a Padma Shri awardee for being the first woman in the world to summit Mount Everest twice in five days in 2017 and Harshini Kanhekar, the first female firefighter in India, were also present at the launch, read a statement from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Anurag Thakur said that the ministry has been a vital part of Amrit Mahotsav celebrations with various initiatives. The idea of Azadi is intertwined with women emancipation in India and the minister remarked that the term Azadi or freedom holds a wider connotation for women who have to fight stereotypes and taboos in the society as well. He added that emancipation of women was the hallmark of emancipation index of a society. On the collaboration, Thakur said “this initiative aims to bring out inspiring stories of Indians and these stories shall motivate and empower more people to achieve their goals”. He added that this was a long term partnership where different themes and diverse stories will be highlighted. “Netflix will be producing twenty five videos on themes including women empowerment, environment and sustainable development and other days of significance. Netflix will produce two-minute short films for the Ministry which will be shared on social media platforms and telecast on Doordarshan network”, Thakur stated. Further, Thakur elaborated on the multiple dimensions of this partnership and said Netflix and the ministry will continue to organise training workshops and master classes to encourage film makers in India to create inspiring content on various topics under ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’. “Netflix and ministry will partner to develop a creative ecosystem by organizing training programs for post-production, VFX, animation, music production among others and will be organized on ground and virtually”, he said. He lauded the remarkable achievements of the three women on the dais and said their stories will inspire people across the country. He also expressed hope that after this collaboration film makers from across the world will come to India to make films and documentaries for not just the Indian audience but to showcase it to the entire world. He stated that the partnership between the ministry and Netflix was only a beginning and will not be limited to ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’. Bela Bajaria, Head of Global TV, Netflix, said that India was one of the most vibrant entertainment industries in the world and India was remarkably well placed in times of internet entertainment. “Netflix is excited to be part of a time when stories from India are being exported to the world and the best Indian stories are being discovered and loved on a global stage”, she said. Commenting on the partnership with the Information and Broadcasting ministry, Bajaria said that “Netflix is proud to partner with MIB to celebrate and acknowledge the evolution of India over past 75 years by celebrating its beautiful art, culture and storytelling”. She further added that it was “in pursuance of this partnership Netflix has created a series of short videos based on real life stories aimed to celebrate achievement of people from all corners of India”. Speaking about the first set of videos in the series, Bajaria said that these stories are of incredible women who have fought against the odds to achieve their dreams. Netflix’s commitment to India is strong and growing and Netflix will continue to find the country’s finest stories and share them across teh globe, she added. ‘Azadi Ki Amrit Kahaniyan’ videos will be available on various social media channels of the ministry and Netflix, as well as broadcast across the Doordarshan network. They will also soon be made available in other languages like Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, English and Malayalam to ensure that the stories are seen and heard by people across the nation, the ministry statement read. The initiative brings out beautiful stories of inspirational Indians on various themes including women empowerment, environment and sustainability, and others. The diverse set of stories seek to motivate and empower Indians from every corner of the country. The Seven Changemakers also include Poonam Nautiyal, a healthcare worker who walked miles across Bageshwar district in Uttarakhand to vaccinate everyone; Dr Tessy Thomas, the first woman scientist to head a missile project in India; Tanvi Jagadish, India’s first competitive woman stand-up paddleboarder and Aarohi Pandit, the world’s youngest and first woman pilot to cross the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean solo in a light-sport aircraft. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.