New Delhi, May 28 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday remembered Veer Savarkar on his birth anniversary and said that his courage and patriotism will always inspire people.

PM Modi took to the social media platform X and said, “Remembering Veer Savarkar on his Jayanti. His courage and patriotism will always inspire people. His intellect and emphasis on social reform are also noteworthy.”

PM Modi also shared a video in which he can be heard saying, “Today, on May 28, is the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Veer Savarkar. His sacrifice, courage, and determination continue to inspire us. Savarkar’s personality was full of unique qualities. He was a worshipper of both weapons and scriptures. He was also a powerful poet and social reformer who emphasised harmony and unity.”

“I cannot forget the day when I visited the jail in Andaman where Veer Savarkar served his Kalapani sentence. Veer Savarkar’s personality was strong and expansive. His fearless and self-respecting nature did not conform to the mentality of slavery. I remember all that he did for the country,” he added.

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, who is popularly known as Veer Savarkar, was born on May 28, 1883, in Nashik. Savarkar was a freedom fighter, politician, lawyer, and writer and was popularly known for coining the term “Hindutva’.

Savarkar was also a leading figure in the Hindu Mahasabha. Savarkar began his involvement in the freedom movement while he was still a high school student. He continued to be active in the movement while studying at Fergusson College in Pune.

He was greatly influenced by Lokmanya Tilak, who was a die-hard Nationalist leader. While studying law in the United Kingdom, he became active with groups such as India House and the Free India Society.

He also published books promoting revolutionary methods to achieve complete Indian independence.

The British colonial authorities outlawed one of his works, ‘The Indian War of Independence’, which was about the 1857 ‘Sepoy Mutiny’ or the First War of Independence.

–IANS

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