Modi remembers Veer Savarkar, Nehru
New Delhi, May 27: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday remembered Hindutva proponent Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, saying the memories of this month are linked with him.
"This was the very month (May) in 1857, when Indians had displayed their strength against the British. In many parts of the country, our youth and farmers demonstrated their bravery whilst standing up against the injustice.
"... it was Veer Savarkar who boldly said that whatever happened in 1857 was not a revolt but was indeed the First War of Independence," he said in the 44th edition of his monthly radio programme, Mann ki Baat.
Born on May 28, 1883, Savarkar -- who remained President of Hindu Mahasabha -- coined the term 'Hindutva' to create a collective Hindu identity as an essence of the country.
"It is also an amazing coincidence that the month, which witnessed the first struggle for Independence, was the one in which Veer Savarkar ji was born.
"Savarkar ji's personality was full of special qualities -- he was a worshipper of both weapons or 'shastra' and knowledge or 'shaastras'," the Prime Minister said, adding that Savarkar was also a poet and a social reformer who always emphasised on goodwill and unity.
Modi also spoke of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's account about Savarkar -- Savarkar meant brilliance, sacrifice, penance, substance, logic, youth, arrow and a sword.
Even though Modi spoke extensively about Savarkar, he paid tribute in just one sentence to former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on his 54th death anniversary.
"My dear countrymen, today is May 27, the death anniversary of the first Prime Minister of (independent) India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru ji. I render my 'pranam' to Pandit ji," he said.
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3 Indian students among those injured in Australia’s Bondi Beach attack
Melbourne (PTI): Three Indian students were among 40 people injured in the terrorist attack on Sydney's Bondi Beach in Australia, according to a media report on Tuesday.
Two out of these three students are believed to be receiving treatment in the hospital, The Australia Today news portal reported.
The names of the Indian students injured during Sunday's attack have not been disclosed yet.
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The Indian students sustained injuries during the shooting, and their exact condition has not been formally confirmed yet, it said.
Naveed Akram, 24, and his father, 50, opened fire on a gathering during the Jewish festival Hanukkah by the Sea celebration.
At least 15 people were killed in the attack, including a 10-year-old child. Five of the injured remain in critical condition, while two injured police officers are in serious but stable condition, it added.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said the investigation is expanding as new information emerges, including international travel by the alleged attackers and the discovery of extremist material, the report said.
