G20 podium
NEW DELHI: Rashtrapati Bhavan’s famed Mughal Gardens will now be known as ‘Amrit Udyan’. The new name not only shreds yet another symbol of a colonial relic, but also reflects India’s aspirations for the Amrit Kaal.
It goes the credit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he never takes decisions out of impulse or without proper planning. Last year, he had announced five ‘sankalps’ (vows) from the ramparts of Red Fort on Independence Day. One of the vows was to remove all symbols and vestiges of slavery and putting an end to the colonial mindset.
Message for the future
While renaming of roads, places and monuments to correct historical wrongs has been a running theme of the Modi Government ever since it came to power, this time the Prime Minister also wants to convey a message for the future.
It is not coincidental that PM Modi wants to give a new aura to the message emanating from Rashtrapati Bawan at the beginning of the Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal – his vision for the country in the next 25 years.
India’s new Parliament building, which witnessed the presentation of the Union Budget on February 1, is also functional now. The state-of-the-art triangular building combines tradition with modernity. It will replace the circular building in Lutyens’ Delhi, built 94 years ago, to serve as the seat of power for British rulers.
As PM Modi has repeatedly reminded, it represents the will of the people of India to development into a global superpower. As part of this plan, King George V’s statue was replaced with that of Netaji at India Gate. Modi then also changed the flag of Indian Navy with a new ensign.
Loud & clear message
But more significant pointer of this vision of looking ahead to recapture India’s past glory was the renaming of the Raj Path into Kartavya Path (path of duty) in September 2022, ahead of the inauguration of the Central Vista. As the Kartavya Path, witnessed the splendour of Modi’s ‘Atmanirbar Bharat’ on this Republic Day, the message was loud and clear.
The recent remaining of 21 islands in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago after Param Vir Chakra awardees on the occasion of Parakram Diwas was also part of the pattern. It connects India’s past with its present and shows the vision for its future.
