In Sri Vijayapuram on December 12, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah lauded the freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, calling him both a writer and a warrior who laid the groundwork for “Cultural Nationalism.”
At a ceremony marking 115 years since the release of Savarkar’s poetry collection Sagara Prana Talamalla, Shah urged parents to pass his ideas on to their children.
He credited Savarkar with setting the tone for “Cultural Nationalism,” a principle that now guides the government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Flattering Savarkar as a patriot, prophet, social reformer, poet, and author, Shah noted how rare it is for a writer to master both prose and verse.
“I’ve read his writings in depth, and even now I can’t decide whether he was a better poet or a writer—he excelled in both,” he remarked. “Later, he became an impressive linguist, adding more than 600 new words that enriched our language.”
Reflecting on the unveiling of the statue by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Shah said it stands as a symbol of the sacrifice, determination, and devotion shown by Veer Savarkar while imprisoned in the Cellular Jail.
“The statue will inspire generations for decades, conveying his courage, duty to the motherland, steadfastness, and vision for national unity, security, and prosperity,” he added.
Shah recalled that before independence, prisoners sent to the Cellular Jail were forgotten by their families, and nobody expected any of them to return.
“Today this place has become a pilgrimage site for all Indians because of Veer Savarkar’s time here,” he said.
He also highlighted the connection with Netaji Subhas Babu, who liberated the Andaman‑Nicobar Islands earlier, stayed briefly in the jail, and suggested names such as “Shaheed” and “Swaraj”—ideas that Prime Minister Modi has since embraced.
“The Andaman‑Nicobar Islands are a sacred land of penance where freedom fighters from across India laid down their lives,” Shah noted.
He added that people from every province were hanged on the gallows here, and the unveiling of Savarkar’s statue by Dr. Mohan Bhagwat, the sarsanghchalak of the RSS that truly promotes Savarkar’s ideology, makes it eternally memorable.
“This land, this memory of Veer Savarkar, and the statue unveiled by Bhagwat’s hands will forever remain etched,” he concluded.
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