Port Blair: The Andaman and Nicobar Islands will host Vice-President of India C. P. Radhakrishnan on August 8 and 9, with his two-day visit set to centre around the islands’ powerful legacy of India’s freedom struggle and a series of national commemorative programmes. The visit, which comes ahead of Independence Day, will combine tributes to the freedom fighters of the Cellular Jail with patriotic programmes under the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga Abhiyaan’, besides a visit to the historic Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island.
According to a Press Information Bureau (PIB) release, the Vice-President will arrive in Sri Vijaya Puram on August 8 and begin his engagements at the Cellular Jail National Memorial, one of the most enduring symbols of India’s freedom struggle. During his visit to the national memorial, Radhakrishnan will pay homage at the Martyrs’ Column and offer his respects at the Swatantrata Jyoti. He will also visit the cell associated with Veer Savarkar, before attending the iconic Light and Sound Show, which narrates the history of the freedom movement in the islands and recalls the extraordinary sacrifices of the political prisoners incarcerated in the Cellular Jail.
The Cellular Jail, constructed by the British as a high-security prison for political prisoners, has acquired a special place in India’s national memory because of the hardships endured by freedom fighters who were transported to the remote islands. The memorial today stands as a reminder of the price paid for Independence.
The Vice-President’s visit to the Cellular Jail is therefore expected to provide a particularly significant backdrop to his two-day programme, linking the sacrifices of the freedom movement with the national celebrations leading up to August 15.
Flag-hoisting at Flag Point:On August 9, Radhakrishnan will participate in the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga Abhiyaan’ by hoisting the National Flag at the historic Flag Point in Sri Vijaya Puram. The programme is expected to underline the campaign’s message of collective participation in celebrating the national flag and strengthening the spirit of patriotism among citizens.
The Flag Point itself carries historical resonance for the islands. It is associated with the national movement and the long maritime history of the Andaman Islands, making the Vice-President’s flag-hoisting there particularly symbolic. Later, he will attend the State Function, “Tiranga Concert on Vande Mataram”, at the auditorium of the Dr B.R. Ambedkar Institute of Technology (DBRAIT). The programme is expected to bring together music, culture and the patriotic spirit of the Independence Day celebrations.
The Vice-President’s visit also comes at a time when the national focus is increasingly being placed on remembering the freedom movement while inspiring younger generations to contribute to nation-building. Radhakrishnan has, in recent public addresses, emphasised the responsibility of the youth in shaping a developed India by 2047.
In the afternoon on August 9, the Vice-President is scheduled to travel to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island, adding another major chapter of the islands’ freedom struggle to his itinerary. The island, formerly known as Ross Island, occupies a distinctive place in the history of the Indian freedom movement because of its association with Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and the Indian National Army (INA). Netaji visited the Andaman Islands in December 1943 and hoisted the Tricolour there, an event that remains an important milestone in the history of India’s struggle for Independence.
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The visit is also significant in the context of the Union Government’s efforts to foreground the historical contribution of Netaji and the INA. The government has commemorated Netaji’s birth anniversary as Parakram Diwas and renamed three islands in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago after prominent freedom fighters. Radhakrishnan himself has previously invoked Netaji’s vision of a strong and self-reliant India while addressing programmes connected with the freedom fighter’s legacy.
The Vice-President’s two-day programme thus brings together three powerful symbols of the national movement in the islands — Cellular Jail, the Tricolour and Netaji’s legacy. For the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which played a unique role in India’s freedom struggle because of their geographical isolation and the presence of the Cellular Jail, the high-level visit is expected to add further prominence to the archipelago’s historical and national significance.
