Governor RN Ravi paying tribute to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose on his 126th birth anniversary at Raj Bhavan on Monday. , Photo Credit: M. Karunakaran
Speaking at the 126th birth anniversary celebrations of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose at Raj Bhavan, Chennai on Monday, Governor RN Ravi said that India is yet to have an authentic history of the national freedom movement.
Shri Ravi said that after the British left India, Independence Day and Republic Day celebrations centered around only a few names and unfortunately Netaji was forgotten. “When we started celebrating the elixir of independence, our Prime Minister made it a point to search for the unsung heroes. Because a nation which forgets its martyrs and fighters, an ungrateful nation cannot grow. And Bharat, of course, is not ungrateful,” he said.
According to him, the contribution of those who fought the British in arms was slowly being forgotten and he stressed on the importance of documenting the stories of Indian National Army (INA) veterans.
Anandrao V. Patil, Principal Secretary to the Governor; Lakshmi Krishnan, Madhavan Pillai, and Vekho Swuro, INA veterans; Rajendran, retired IAS officer; and Sonamuthu, a freedom fighter, were present.
Speaking about Bose’s association with Tamils, Dr. Rajendran said that Netaji’s close relationship with Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar made the former popular across Tamil Nadu. “Every state would have an equal claim of proximity to Bose,” he said.
On this occasion, the President of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Chennai Center N. Honored veterans of Ravi and INA.
Members of Netaji Nava Bharat Foundation, UNAFA, Gwalior, All India Azad Hind Fauj Sangh, All India Freedom Fighters and Legal Heirs Association, All India Freedom Fighters Succession Organisation, Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar Ninaivaliyam, Kamuthi, and Center for South Indian Studies, attended the function. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.