On Monday PM Modi named the twenty-one unnamed largest islands of Andaman and Nicobar after the twenty-one Param Vir Chakra awardees in a ceremony on the occasion of Parakram Diwas. During the program, the model of the National Memorial honoring Netaji that will be built on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep, earlier known as Ross Islands was also unveiled by the Prime Minister via video conference.Â
Home Minister Amit Shah was also present at the ceremony in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The largest unnamed island was given Major Somnath Sharma’s name in honor of the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, who died in combat on November 3, 1947, while battling Pakistani infiltrators close to Srinagar Airport.
The second awardee of the Param Vir Chakra is named after the second largest unnamed island, and so on.
This action will serve as a lasting memorial to our heroes, some of whom gave their lives to preserve the integrity and sovereignty of the country.
“Today, the 21st century is seeing how the country is remembering the same Netaji Subhash, who was tried to be forgotten after independence,” PM Modi said.
“Declassifying the Netaji-related documents has been demanded for many years. The nation also gave this work its complete devotion”, he added.
The PM says that visitors now travel to the islands of Andaman and Nicobar to study and experience Indian history.
Addressing the event, the prime minister also said that the names of the 21 islands convey a number of messages. The message is one of Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat; it is a message of the courage of our armed forces. According to him, the sentiment of “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” ignites the spirit of Bharat Mata and India First in a manner similar to how an ocean connects various islands.
During the Prime Minister’s visit to the island in 2018, Ross Islands was renamed as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Dweep in recognition of Netaji and the historical significance of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Shaheed Dweep and Swaraj Dweep were also given to Neil Island and Havelock Island, respectively.
In 2021, the government declared January 23 as Parakram Diwas to mark the anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s birth.
The 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees, the 21 Indian heroes after whom the islands have been named are:
Major Somnath Sharma; Subedar and Hony Captain (then Lance Naik) Karam Singh, MM; 2nd Lt. Rama Raghoba Rane; Nayak Jadunath Singh; Company Havildar Major Piru Singh; Capt GS Salaria; Lieutenant Colonel (then Major) Dhan Singh Thapa; Subedar Joginder Singh; Major Shaitan Singh; CQMH. Abdul Hamid; Lt Col Ardeshir Burzorji Tarapore; Lance Naik Albert Ekka; Major Hoshiar Singh; 2nd Lt. Arun Khetrapal; Flying Officer Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon; Major Ramaswamy Parameswaran; Naib Subedar Bana Singh; Captain Vikram Batra; Lt Manoj Kumar Pandey; Subedar Major (the RifleMan) Sanjay Kumar; and Subedar Major Retd (Hony Captain) Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav.
Netaji, who was born on January 23, 1897, was a significant figure in the Indian independence movement.
The Azad Hind Fauj was founded by Subhash Chandra Bose. Although Bose’s death in a plane crash in Taipei on August 18, 1945, is controversial, the Central government confirmed that he had passed away in a 2017 RTI (Right to Information).
The Prime Minister unveiled the hologram statue of Netaji at India Gate in Delhi last year in honor of the 125th anniversary of the freedom fighter’s birth.
