India is yet to have an authentic history of the national freedom movement, said Governor R.N. Ravi at Netaji Subash Chandra Bose’s 126th birth anniversary celebrations at the Raj Bhavan, Chennai, on Monday.
After the British left India, Independence Day and Republic Day celebrations centred around only some names and unfortunately Netaji was forgotten, Mr. Ravi said. “When we started celebrating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, our Prime Minister made it a point to discover unsung heroes. Because a nation that forgets its martyrs and fighters, an ungrateful nation, cannot grow. And Bharat, certainly, is not ungrateful,” he said.
According to him, contributions of those who fought the British with arms were slowly forgotten and he stressed on the importance of documenting the stories of Indian National Army (INA) veterans.
Anandrao V. Patil, Principal Secretary to Governor; Lakshmi Krishnan, Madhavan Pillai, and Vekho Swuro, INA veterans; Rajendran, retired IAS officer; and Sonamuthu, freedom fighter, were present.
Dr. Rajendran, speaking about Bose’s association with Tamils, said Netaji’s close relations with Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar made the former popular throughout Tamil Nadu. “Every State will have an equal claim of closeness to Bose,” he said.
The Governor felicitated N. Ravi, Chairman, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Chennai Kendra, and INA veterans on the occasion.
Members of the Nethaji Nava Bharat Foundation, UINAFAA, Gwalior, All India Azad Hind Fouj Association, All India Freedom Fighters and Legal Heirs Association, All India Freedom Fighters’ Successors Organisation, Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar Ninaivalaiam, Kamuthi, and Centre for South Indian Studies, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, participated in the celebrations.
