MARGAO
The Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav programme held at the Ravindra Bhavan, Margao to felicitate freedom fighters coinciding with 75 years of India’s Independence has kicked up a row of sorts.
A daughter of a freedom fighter has said the organizers had no courtesy to serve water to the elderly freedom fighters and their spouses after the felicitation. In fact, in a letter dashed off to Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur, city-based doctor, Babita Angle Prabhudesai has claimed while the Dy Chief Minister, Chandrakant Kavlekar was being served with cashew nuts and coffee in the VIP cabin of the Ravindra Bhavan Chairman, the freedom fighters and their spouses were left high and dry even without a glass of water.
She has demanded an apology from those directly and indirectly responsible for what she termed as this disrespectful and unacceptable behavior.
“My father Vishnu Angle, who is one of the oldest living freedom fighters of Goa, along with three other freedom fighter, was invited to be felicitated by the government of India, under the aegis of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as part of the national Azaadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav programme. They were instructed to be present at the auditorium at 10.30 am, but the function actually started at 12 noon.
In view of his age and certain medical issues, I advised my father to go back home, but he insisted on waiting as he belongs to the old school of thought that an invitation from the government has to be respected and that remaining absent for the function would be construed as being anti-national”, she told the Union Minister.
Babita joined his father at the venue at around 11.45 am, after which the DyCM walked in to grace the occasion. “An officer welcomed the gathering and uttered respectful words about the freedom fighters.
No sooner the function ended at 1 pm, the Minister and his entourage went into the VIP cabin of the Ravindra Bhavan Chairman and everybody else was kept out. Within a few seconds, the respectful freedom fighters were forgotten”, she said.
Babita added: My mother, who is over 75 years old, asked me to arrange a glass of water for her, I then realized that the officials had not even thought of offering a glass of water to the invitees, the elderly freedom fighters and their spouses. The basic tenet of Indian hospitality of offering water to a guest was not followed by your officer whose hypocritical speech was a perfect example of his approach to those whom we owe our freedom.
She said an officer tried to explain her they could not serve water to the guests as they didn’t have enough manpower. “It was a shame while the Minister was being served with cashew nuts and coffee in the VIP cabin, the freedom fighters and their spouses went without even water outside”, she said.
She added in her letter: “If this incident is any reflection of the attitude of the present day government towards our freedom fighters or any other aspect of our glorious past, it is indeed very sad. “The Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav celebrations should be in the true spirit of celebrating our freedom by honouring our freedom fighters and not just another form of tokenism or platform for pseudo-nationalism. I hope better sense prevails and such instances do not recur”.
