Page 69 - SocialHarmony

The Bravery of the Forest People 73

Andaman Nicobar was first accepted as a national monument
during the rule of the Janata Party, when Shri Lal Krishna Advani
was the Minister of Information, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee was
the Foreign Minister and Shri Morarji Desai was the Prime
Minister. This was after twenty-five years of freedom. Veer
Savarkar was a barrister, who was among the first to begin the
armed revolution against the British Government, and who
sacrificed his entire life for the freedom struggle. He and his
brother spent their entire youth in the prison of Andaman
Nicobar. His third brother Narayan languished in the Sabarmati
Prison, while the women of his family struggled to make ends
meet. The picture of such a brave hero should have been
displayed in the Parliament, but those who have monopolized
the freedom struggle rejected this proposal as they believe that
they alone deserve credit for the country’s Independence. The
Gujarat Government made a firm declaration to pay a respectful
tribute to this legendary hero who has been so far neglected, by
putting up his picture in the State Legislative Assembly.
Unfortunately, even at that time, the monopolists of the freedom
movement boycotted the program.

This is the reason for our miserable condition after
independence. So many of our tribal ancestors have sacrificed
their lives for the motherland. However, this sacrifice has never
been acknowledged by our previous rulers who have
monopolized the independence struggle. They have adopted a
policy of keeping these sacrifices under wraps for the last fifty
years. But we have now decided that we shall keep alive the
monument of their heroic deeds – all of us need to come together
and work to make this a reality.

Let me talk about the greatness of the people living in this
area. Maharana Pratap spent some time in Vijaynagar, living in
disguise. Once when he was resting, a gipsy couple came up to
him, asking for water. During the ensuing conversation,
Maharana Pratap casually asked them about their children. They
replied that they had vowed to remain childless till their king
Maharana Pratap recovered his kingdom Mewar from the
Mughals, which came as a huge surprise to the disguised king.