Gujarat: On the historic day of 19th March (today), Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha attended the “Azaadi ka Amrut Mahotsav” celebrations and joined Dandi March at Surya Mandir, Borsad, Gujarat.
During his visit, the LG, according to an official press release paid tributes to the Father of Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. “I bow down to this pious land and thank all my colleagues who are participating in this mass festival,” the LG remarked.
He also paid floral tributes to the ‘Iron Man of India’, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at his birthplace, Karamsad.
While addressing a gathering of marchers, Sinha paid homage to Bapu and all the great freedom fighters, who scripted a new history of Indian freedom struggle.
Before starting the Dandi March from Sabarmati, Bapu had said “I know the path, it is straight and narrow. It is like the edge of a sword and I would be happy to walk on that path”.
With this resolve, Bapu along with his companion freedom fighters embarked on a non-violent journey to achieve freedom through Dandi Yatra, that shook the British rule, the LG added.
He noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 8th March meeting, while drawing the outline of the “Azaadi ka Amrut Mahotsav”, suggested celebrating the 75 years of Independence under the Five Pillars – Freedom Struggle, Ideas at 75, Achievement at 75, Action at 75 and Resolve at 75.
He said that “from the rich saga of freedom struggle to our resolve of 75 years, all of us should celebrate this festival with a sense of duty towards the country and achieving the dream of developed India.
“The five pillars that the Prime Minister has spoken about are the divine path of the ‘Azaadi ka Amrut Mahotsav’ celebrations. In the same five pillars, there is a proclamation of the revolution of development with tradition,” he said.
He called upon the new generation to draw inspiration from the courage and perseverance of freedom fighters, who sacrificed their lives to protect the motherland, and contribute towards nation building.
The LG observed that “though 91 years have passed but the energy of great people who took part in the Independence struggle, their consciousness, formulas for building a new India, morality, qualities, godliness are still paving our way for Aatma Nirbhar Bharat”.
Recalling his visit to Bagoona in Samba, J&K, the birthplace of first recipient of Mahavir Chakra Brigadier Rajinder Singh, during the curtain raiser event of ‘Azaadi ka Amrut Mahotsav’, the LG spoke about the courage displayed by Brigadier Singh and his soldiers while safeguarding the territorial integrity of Jammu and Kashmir.
“With a handful of soldiers, Brigadier Rajinder Singh stoutly fought the Pakistani tribesmen, sacrificing his life in October 1947 to save Kashmir. Like Brigadier Rajinder Singh, Baramulla’s young man Maqbool Sherwani also took on the Pakistani tribes and sacrificed his life,” the LG said.
“We have to work on new ideas for a self-reliant India and to bring glory to India. Let us all work on fulfilling our obligations for the future of golden India of 2047,” concluded the LG.
