GUWAHATI, Jan 23 - Governor Banwarilal Purohit paid rich tributes to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the great leader at a function held at Netaji Chowk, Paltanbazar here today.
The Governor, while paying homage to Netaji, said, �In the parlance of independence struggle the name of Netaji will always be remembered with highest degree of reverence for his immense contributions. He is a leader personified with unparalleled courage and charisma.�
Recalling his valiant leadership, the Governor said that Netaji, who led the Azad Hind Fauj through his inspiring words �Give me blood, and I shall give you freedom�, arouses the sense of patriotism in all. He also said sacrifices made by Netaji Subhas Bose and thousands of others must always be remembered by the countrymen and all should contribute to the growth of the nation. The Governor also said that the works of Netaji Bose will continue to inspire the young generation and make the youths more cultured, competent and disciplined.
Governor Purohit further stressed the need to work resolutely to realise the dream of Netaji and to fight against all types of injustice and root out corruption to pave way for the nation�s progress.
GMC Mayor Mrigen Sarania, MLA East Guwahati Siddhartha Bhattacharjee, Padmashree awardee Ajay Dutta, former MLA Robin Bordoloi among others also spoke on the occasion.
In synchronisation with the programme, Netaji Garima awards were presented to veteran singer Sudakshina Sharma; secretary of Guwahati Press Club Naba Thakuria and singers Anamika Choudhury and Mishmi Bose. A number of competitions were also held to commemorate the day.
�Netaji wanted to prove that Indians can compete with the British�: Recalling the contributions of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his birth anniversary, retired professor of Jadavpur University Mihir Ranjan Bhattacharya today said the founder of the Indian National Army was a staunch follower of Swami Vivekananda in the sense that he strongly vouched for the ideals preached by the revered saint.
�Netaji had two heroes, one Mahatma Gandhi and the other Swami Vivekananda. There was social content in the preaching of Swami Vivekananda. He yearned for freedom from poverty, untouchability, casteism and division between the rich and poor. Netaji too stood for those ideals and sacrificed his life for them,� Bhattacharya said in course of a commemorative speech at a programme organised by the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee to mark Netaji�s birth anniversary.
Netaji, he said, was from a well-to-do family. �He went to the best of colleges and could have easily pursued a bright career in any field. But he chose to join the country�s freedom struggle. Of course, he cleared the ICS examination to keep his father�s wish, but he did not want to work for the government that he had grown to hate. He just wanted to prove that we Indians can compete with the British,� Bhattacharya said.
Earlier, at the beginning of the programme, Congress leaders, including former Chief Minister Bhumidhar Barman paid tributes to Netaji. Barman and former minister Pradyut Bordoloi also recalled the great freedom fighter, describing him as a true patriot.