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Shyamji Krishna Varma Jayanti: When PM Modi brought scholar’s ashes back, 56 years after independence

An excerpt from the pages of history, when the legendary personality was forgotten by the then ruling Congress party but not by PM Modi

New Delhi: On the birth anniversary of revolutionary scholar and freedom fighter Shyamji Krishna Varma, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid tributes to the latter by sharing a part of his speech wherein he spoke about Varma’s eminence.

Taking to Twitter, PM Modi wrote, “Tributes to the brave Shyamji Krishna Varma on his Jayanti. This fearless son of Maa Bharti devoted his life to freeing India and furthering a spirit of pride among our people. Sharing a speech of mine in which I have spoken of his greatness”.

Varma, who is a renowned freedom fighter, was born in Gujarat. He founded the Indian Home Rule Society, The Indian Sociologist and the famous India House in London. He worked as a barrister in London for some time and was later barred from practising for being highly critical of the British. The latter also taught Sanskrit at the Oxford University.

Here, we have brought an excerpt from the pages of history, when the legendary personality was forgotten by the then ruling Congress party but not by PM Modi, who brought his ashes back to India, 56 years after the Independence.

Here’s what happened

Shyamji Krishna Varma passed away in 1930, hoping his ashes would return to his motherland after its Independence from the colonial rule. While the ruling governments had forgotten about the latter, it was Modi who finally brought it back from Geneva.

On 22 August 2003, Modi collected Varma’s ashes from the Ville de Genève and the Swiss government, fulfilling the last wish of the freedom fighter.

Check the thread below:

When the ashes arrived in Gujarat in 2003, a grand Viranjali Yatra was organized by the state government and the urn with the ashes of the freedom fighter was carried through 17 districts – from south Gujarat, central Gujarat & Saurashtra – before being handed over to the Vrama’s family in Mandvi, Kutch.