Cellular Jail, Port Blair
New Delhi: Port Blair will be renamed Sri Vijaya Puram. The decision to rename the capital city of Andaman and Nicobar Islands was announced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah today.
In a post on the microblogging site, ‘X’, the Union Home Minister said, the decision to rename the historic town was “inspired” by the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, “to free the nation from the colonial imprints”.
Modi today emphasised that the name Sri Vijaya Puram pays tribute to the heroic people of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and symbolizes a break from colonial legacies.
“The name Sri Vijaya Puram honours the rich history and heroic people of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It also reflects our commitment to break free from the colonial mindset and celebrate our heritage,” Modi stated.
Shah said that while the earlier name had a colonial legacy, “Sri Vijaya Puram symbolises the victory achieved in our freedom struggle and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands’ unique role in the same”.
Shah noted that the Andaman and Nicobar Islands had an unparalleled place in India’s freedom struggle and history. “The island territory that once served as the naval base of the Chola Empire is today poised to be the critical base for our strategic and development aspirations,” he stated.
Shah also pointed out that Andaman and Nicobar was also the place that hosted the first unfurling of the Tricolour by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. He also recalled that in the Cellular Jail there, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and other freedom fighters were imprisoned and tortured during the struggle for an independent nation.
– global bihari bureau
