‘Sagra Pran Talmalla’ completes 115 years: Home Minister Amit Shah said – Veer Savarkar’s ‘Sagra Pran Talmalla’ is the pinnacle of expression of patriotism

New Delhi. Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah today addressed a cultural program organized in Vijaypuram on the completion of 115 years of the poem ‘Sagra Pran Talmala’ written by Swatantraveer Savarkar. On this occasion, many dignitaries including Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat and Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands Admiral (Retd) DK Joshi were present.

On this occasion, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that Andaman and Nicobar Islands have today become a place of pilgrimage for all Indians because here Veer Savarkar spent the most difficult time of his life. He said that this place is also associated with the memory of another great freedom fighter of our freedom struggle, Subhash Babu. He said that when Azad Hind Fauj tried to liberate India, it first liberated the Andaman Nicobar Islands in India where Subhash Babu had stayed for two days. Home Minister Shah said that it was Subhash Babu who had suggested naming this island group as Shaheed and Swaraj, which Narendra Modi implemented by becoming the Prime Minister. He said that Andaman and Nicobar is not an island group but a sacred land created by the combination of sacrifice, tenacity, dedication and intact patriotism of countless freedom fighters. He said that today is a big occasion that the life-size statue of Veer Savarkar ji has been inaugurated on this very holy land and this inauguration has been done by the hands of Mohan Bhagwat, the Sarsanghchalak of the organization which truly worked to carry forward the ideology of Savarkar ji. He said that this land and the memory of Veer Savarkar ji are also sacred and the unveiling of this statue by the hands of Mohan Bhagwat makes it memorable like icing on the cake.

Amit Shah said that this statue inaugurated today will remain a symbol of Veer Savarkar’s sacrifice, determination and unwavering dedication towards Mother India for many years. He said that this statue will give a message to the coming generations for many decades to take inspiration from the life of Savarkar ji. He said that it is going to be a great place for our youth to imbibe the call given by Veer Savarkar. Home Minister Shah said that this will become a great place to hand over to the youth the message of courage of Veer Savarkar, the message of duty towards the motherland, his qualities of determination, national unity, security and the vision of a prosperous nation. He said that Veer Savarkar’s ‘Sagra Pran Talmalla’ is the pinnacle of expression of patriotism. He said that one sentence of Savarkar is very important for his followers that bravery is not the absence of fear but the victory achieved over fear. Those who do not know fear are always brave, but true heroes are those who know fear and have the courage to defeat it and Veer Savarkar has lived this sentence.

He said that today a coffee table book has also been released here and an attempt has been made to include all the qualities of Veer Savarkar in it. He said that many people who carried forward the ideas of Veer Savarkar have also been honored here today. He said that just as no one can bind the ocean, in the same way it is very difficult to preserve the qualities and height of Savarkar ji’s life and his multidimensional personality in a book, film or poem. He said that many efforts at different levels have given the coming generations a great way to understand Savarkar ji. He said that a person’s existence is not formed only by his body but also by the ideology he follows, the culture that the soul considers superior and the actions of the person and only India can recognize these three qualities of Veer Savarkar ji.

Amit Shah said that today there is no need to sacrifice for the country but there is a need to live for the country and only then we can create the India of Savarkar’s imagination. He said that if our youth want to create the India of Veer Savarkar’s imagination, then their aim should be to create a safe and most prosperous India by living life as per the inspiration of Savarkar in their field of work. He said that if we look carefully at the life of Savarkar, it seems that such a person will not come to earth again for centuries to come. He said that Savarkar ji was a writer, fighter, born patriot, a great social reformer, a great writer and poet. He said that Savarkar was an expert in both prose and poetry and there are very few such litterateurs. Home Minister Shah said that there are more than 600 such words which Veer Savarkar ji has given in our dictionary to complete our languages.

The Home Minister said that the life of Veer Savarkar was one of strong faith in Hindutva, which was both modern and carried the traditions along with them. He said that this country never respected Savarkar ji for the contribution he made in eradicating untouchability. He said that Savarkar ji worked to fight against all the evils of Hindu society at that time and moved ahead despite facing opposition from the society. He said that Veer Savarkar did the work of sacrificing himself. He said that no one can be a greater patriot than Savarkar ji, who created literature to glorify the motherland even after getting two life sentences.

Amit Shah said that the thinking of cultural nationalism, on the basis of which the government is running today under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, Veer Savarkar had done the work of laying its foundation and interpretation. He said that a collective identity that stems from the cultural values, traditions and history of the Indian subcontinent was pioneered by many people, among whom its most ardent follower was Veer Savarkar. He said that the British had tried to impose the burden and mentality of slavery on our country forever through education, that is why the British had named the freedom struggle of 1857 as a revolution. Veer Savarkar was the only person who carried forward the true spirit of the country by naming the freedom struggle of 1857 as a freedom struggle instead of a revolution.

The Home Minister said that today we are free and after a long journey the country has reached here today. He said that the government has been working under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi for the last 12 years. He said that when the country completed 75 years of independence, Prime Minister Modi took five vows and one of them was to eliminate all memories of the period of slavery and move the country forward. He said that by August 15, 2047, let us all together create a great India which ranks first in the world in every field and this call of Prime Minister Modi has today become the resolve of 140 crore people. Amit Shah said that when 140 crore people move in the same direction, we move 140 crore steps forward. He said that this strength will create a great India and India will be safe, prosperous, cultured and educated. He said that the likeness of Veer Savarkar has not been given by any government but by the people of the country.