Swatantryaveer Savarkar Rashtrya Smarak
After Atmarpan of Veer Savarkar on 26/2/1966, his followers throughout India came together and decided to erect a National Memorial to Savarkar which would reflect his abiding thoughts and ideas. Once the decision to erect the Memorial was taken, there was a hub of activity throughout the country and a Memorial Committee was formed. The Mumbai
Municipal Co
rporation gave the present plot of land of6650 sq. Through relentless efforts of innumerable persons and institutions, the Smarak took shape. But even before the building came up, work on propagating Savarkar's thoughts had almost immediately begun. Militarisation, re conversion to Hinduism, Air rifle shooting, teaching of martial arts and other activities began and are continuing with great vigour. New activities like mountaineering, trekking, boxing, Rashtriya Geet Manch and teaching of classical music have been since added. In history, only a few leaders can claim the distinction of their ideology continuing to be relevant years after their time. Savarkar is one of them. Needless to say that the Smarak is sparing no efforts in propagating Savarkar's thoughts. The Smarak was inaugurated in great style on Veer Savarkars' Birth Anniversary, that is 28th May 1989 by no less a luminary than the then Vice President of India, Dr. Shankar Dayal Shrrna. His Excellency the Governor of Maharashtra, Shri K. Bramhanand Reddy and the Chief Minister, Shri. Sharad Pawar graced the occasion. Since then the Smarak holds a lecture series, on the occasion of Veer Savarkar's birth anniversary, every year between the 22nd and 28th of May. On 26th February each year Veer Savarkar's Atmarpan Smruti Din is observed with due solemnity. It is a matter of pride for the Smarak that extremely eminent personalities from various fields have delivered lectures at the Smarak. The Chief Ministers of Maharashtra and the Mayors of Mumbai have from time to time visited the Smarak and wholeheartedly participated in the programmes. The Smarak conducts lectures, seminars, symposia on various issues of National and topical interest. The issues range from Muslim separatism, national defence, economic transformation and its implications, the social reengineering of the human society, India's military history, the meaning of Hindutva etc. The wide diaspora of subjects covered does full justice to the depth and breadth of Veer Savarkar's intellect. The Smarak has reputed reference library and reading room. It has Mumbai's only Museum exclusively dedicated to the armed revolutionaries of the freedom movement. It covers a huge span from 1857 to 1947 and has pictures and other original exhibits. The stellar attraction is the same scale model of Cell no. 123, in which Savarkar was incarcerated, which was in effect a dungeon. It also has the model of the Cellular Jail in the Andamans, which symbolises the immense suffering of fearless freedom fighters at the hands of the British. Presently the Museum is undergoing up-gradation and shall be re-operational soon. The Smarak conducts various activities in order to strengthen the young generation to serve our Nation.
