Kolkata's Victoria Memorial Must Not Be Renamed
By A Special Correspondent
First publised on 2021-01-22 08:19:29
About the Author
There are strong and persistent rumours on social media that the government is thinking of changing the name of Victoria Memorial in Kolkata to something in the memory of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose on the occasion of his 125th birth anniversary on 23rd January this year. With both the TMC and the BJP bent on appropriating the legacy of Bengal's heroes in this election year, people find it easy to believe such rumours. The Centre has already decided to celebrate the occasion as Parakram Diwas and the railway ministry has decided to rename the train Howrah-Kalka Mail as Netaji Express. Prime Minister Modi is visiting Kolkata to attend the event to celebrate Parakram Diwas tomorrow. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had in the past petitioned the Centre to declare Netaji's birthday as a national holiday.
While giving a name to Netaji's birthday or renaming trains or even demanding a national holiday are things that are within the remit of politicians, renaming historical monuments is not. Monuments that were built when India was ruled by others are a part of our legacy and remind us of the days when we were subjugated and ruled by others. That is part of our history and although we may feel sad or angry about it, we should not obliterate it. History is a great teacher and people who choose to forget their past will never learn from it and keep on making the same mistakes.
The government needs to scotch these rumours by issuing a statement. If it is actually thinking about renaming Victoria Memorial, it should drop the plans in the interests of the nation. There are many other ways of perpetuating the memory of Netaji. Renaming Victoria Memorial in his memory would be highly inappropriate. The government must desist from such actions, now and in the future.
