By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR:Khinda, the holy birthplace of the great freedom fighter Veer Surendra Sai, is not just a village, but it is a holy pilgrimage site of patriotism. Our efforts are ongoing to make it a ‘field of inspiration’. In order to convey the heroic story of this land to the next generation, it is essential to make every school child of the district visit Khinda and take inspiration from its struggling history, said Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
On the occasion of the 218th birth anniversary of the great freedom fighter and revolutionary Veer Surendra Sai, the symbol of Odia bravery and pride, Union Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan today visited his birthplace at Khinda, Sambalpur. On this auspicious occasion, the Minister Shri Pradhan unveiled a newly built statue of Veer Surendra Sai and paid homage to him and participated in a grand ‘Tricolor Padayatra’ organized at Khinda. During this visit, Shri Pradhan inaugurated several projects for the development of infrastructure and education in the locality.
In a program organized on this occasion, he said, today, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the entire country is celebrating ‘Parakram Diwas’. The contribution of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Veer Surendra Sai in giving the country freedom is unparalleled. The sacrifice of Veer Surendra Sai and his family members Rishi Sai and Udanthavathy Sai is unique. Especially according to historians, it is not uncommon for Udanthavathy Sai to serve 47 years in prison for the motherland. It is the responsibility of all of us to bring the untold stories and stories of bravery of these brave people to the national and international level. In the pages of history, the struggle of Kudopali is no less than the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. To keep the glorious history of the Sambalpur struggle alive, a magnificent memorial has been planned to be built in Kudopali. It is not enough to just remember the old things, but we have to take inspiration from it and move forward.
Khinda should not only be developed as a pilgrimage site, but also as a ‘field of inspiration’. Its overall appearance will be changed by constructing a state-of-the-art interpretation centre, the old temple’s foundation and an open community centre, along with ancillary works. Along with riverside development, transport facilities and drinking water facilities, 1 lakh trees will be planted in Khinda. Minister Shri Pradhan has called for taking the lead in this and turning the identity of Sambalpur into a mass movement.
Similarly, he emphasized on the health and care of 2 lakh Anganwadi and school students of the district under the ‘Poshan Abhiyan’. Just as Sambalpur is known for Samaleswari and Veer Surendra Sai, similarly a special identity should be created for taking care of every child, he said. He appealed to the people to further strengthen the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ on the call of the Prime Minister and keep the environment clean and pure. He informed that the book fair to be organized in Sambalpur will also be a means of acquiring knowledge. He paid deep tributes to Veer Surendra Sai, Surendra Sai, Rbisal Sai, Udantha Sai and other heroes of Sambalpur who fought without bowing their heads before the British.
He inaugurated a newly constructed ‘Gram Panchayat Welcome Gate’ at Khinda and also dedicated a new building of a ‘Primary Health Centre’ for the convenience of the local people. He inaugurated the new building of ‘Veer Surendra Sai High School’ and ‘Government Higher Primary School’. Shri Pradhan inaugurated the new building of ‘Adarsh Anganwadi Centre’ at New Khinda and distributed fruits to the children. Since the holy Saraswati Puja was being celebrated today, he gave a ‘Khadi Khara’ to the tender-hearted children and gave them a start in their education. The newly constructed ‘Gosthi Kendra’ at Thelkoloi Gram Panchayat in Sambalpur was inaugurated under the patronage of the Union Minister. He visited the Shri Jagannath Temple and Maa Samaleswari Temple at Khinda and wished everyone well. He also met the relatives of Veer Surendra Sai and took their blessings.
Along with the Union Minister, Odisha’s Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Shri Rabinarayan Nayak, Rengali MLA Shri Sudarshan Haripal, Jharsuguda MLA Shri Tankadhar Tripathi were present at the event.
