The Statesman reports that even with two years to go, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is preparing to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Sepoy Mutiny, which he will refer to in a more contemporary fashion:
Mangal Pandey and his men will live again, and not because of Ketan Mehtas feature film The Rising. The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, has constituted a Group of Ministers to celebrate the Revolt of 1857. Only, the government will regard it as the first war of Indian independence.
That the Centre has started planning the celebrations a couple of years ahead could be borne out of the concern that the Opposition parties, in power in some states, do not steal the thunder and take over the nationalist agenda.
