New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a one-day visit to Maharashtra, inaugurated the newly renovated ‘Jal Bhushan’ building on Tuesday. While inaugurating Jal Bhushan Building and ‘Gallery of Revolutionaries’ at Raj Bhawan, PM Modi said, “When we talk about ‘Swaraj’, the lives of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj even today strengthen the sense of patriotism in each Indian.”
Speaking at inauguration of Jal Bhushan Building and Gallery of Revolutionaries at Raj Bhawan, Mumbai. https://t.co/uQ8xh5Ftrw
– Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 14, 2022
The exhibition has come up in the underground organisation of 13 pre-World War-I British period bunkers, found in the Raj Bhavan grounds in August 2016 during the residency of the then Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao.
The gallery includes information on the freedom movement legends, their role in the movement, sculptures, rare photographs, murals and details on tribal on ancestral progressives drawn by school-kids.
Earlier, PM Modi offered prayers to Sant Tukaram Maharaj at Sant Tukaram temple and inaugurated a shila temple in Pune.
“PM @narendramodi praying to Sant Tukaram Ji in Pune. The ideals of Sant Tukaram motivate several people. He inspires us to serve others and nurture a compassionate society,” PMO India tweeted.
“While in jail, Veer Savarkar used his handcuffs like the chipli (a musical instrument) of Sant Tukaram and sang his abhangs,” Modi said.
We are proud that India is one of the oldest living civilizations in the world and the credit goes to sants and sages, he said.
“India is a land of sants and in every period, some great souls came to give directions to the society. Today when the country is going ahead based on our cultural values, the ‘abhangs’ are showing us the path and inspiring us,” he added.
The PM said Sant Tukaram used to say that discrimination among humans is a big sin.
“This message is not only important for Bhagwat bhakti, but also Rastra bhakti (patriotism) and Samaj bhakti (service to society). With these messages, our ‘warkari’ brothers and sisters set on the journey to Pandharpur every year,” he said referring to ‘Wari’.
Saint Tukaram Maharaj, A prominent name in the Bhakti development, Tukaram was a warkari saint and writer. He was known for ‘abhanga’ devotional poetry and community-oriented worship through spiritual songs known as kirtans. He lived in Dehu close to Pune. A Shila Mandir was built after his death, however, it was not officially organised as a temple. It has been remade in stone workmanship with 36 pinnacles, and furthermore conveys a symbol of Sant Tukaram, an official statement said.
PM Modi remembered the contribution of Shivaji and Sambhaji while talking of ‘Swaraj’ and patriotism. Addressing an event at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai, Modi said, “When we talk about ‘Swaraj’, the lives of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj still strengthen the feeling of patriotism in every Indian.”