Guwahati, Dec. 28: Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan and Assam governor P.B. Acharya were among many who paid tribute to freedom fighter Rani Gaidinliu at a daylong programme here.

'I have read about Ranima Gaidinliu. Since childhood she had developed love for own culture and people, and carried on the freedom struggle for which she was imprisoned by the British,' said Mahajan.

'During Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure, the government instituted a series of awards, Stree Shakti Puraskar, to recognise women power. One of those awards was named after Gaidinliu,' said Mahajan.

'We need to strengthen the country by the ideologies and determination she had shown us,' Acharya said.

The programme was organised at the playground of College of Veterinary Science, Khanapara, by the National Committee for Birth Centenary Celebration of Ranima Gaidinliu.

'The aim of organising the programme is to recall this great lady who is a source of inspiration for many. Despite her enormous contribution to the nation, not many know about Gaidinliu,' a member of the committee said.

The committee has decided to organise a series of events throughout the year in places like Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Pune to let the nation know how hard Gaidinliu fought to overthrow the British.

Gaidinliu was born on January 26, 1915, in the Zeliangrong community in the then princely state of Manipur. For political and cultural liberation, she fought against the imperial power.

Thirteen-year-old Gaidinliu became a force to reckon with in Manipur, Nagaland and parts of Assam.

However, she was caught and sentenced to life imprisonment. She was in Guwahati jail for one year, Shillong jail for six years, Aizawl jail for three years and Tura jail for four years and released only at the time of Independence.