Page 56 - NIS English 16-30 June 2022
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India@75     Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav




                                                                 he  liberation  struggle  for  Goa  is  an  immortal
                                                                 flame  that  has  remained  lit  and  unshaken
                                                           Tamidst  adversities.  Everyone  worked  tirelessly
                                                           for  Goa,  from  the  Kunkali  Sangram  to  the  valiant
                                                           Marathas  led  by  Chhatrapati  Shivaji  Maharaj  and
                                                           Sambhaji.  On  June  18,  1946,  socialist  leader  Dr.
               The country had gained                      Ram  Manohar  Lohia  launched  the  first  Satyagraha
               independence prior to Goa.                  movement  for  Goa's  independence,  launching  the
               The vast majority of people                 final  phase  of  the  Goa  Liberation  Struggle.  Lohia
               in the country got their                    ignited  the  Goa  Revolution,  and  as  a  result,  Goans
                                                           began organising themselves, taking inspiration from
               rights. It was now time for                 India’s Independence movement. The Goa Revolution
               them to realise their hopes                 also  saw  unprecedented  revolutionary  sacrifice.  A

               and dreams. They could                      revolutionary party called "Azad Gomantak Dal" was
               have fought for power, risen                also active to liberate Goa from the clutches of the
                                                           Portuguese.
               to positions of power, and                     The Government of India liberated Goa through
               gained prestige. However,                   military operation "Vijay" on the 18–19 December
               many fighters chose                         1961, 14 years after the 18th of June 1946. As a
               the path of struggle and                    result, the 76th anniversary of the start of the Goa
               sacrifice to ensure Goa's                   Liberation  Struggle  and  the  61st  anniversary  of
                                                           Goa's  liberation  fall  this  year.  Between  1946  and
               independence. The people                    1961, thousands of Indians gave their lives to free
               of Goa, too, never gave up                  Goa  from  Portuguese  slavery.  Many  people  were
               the fight for independence                  tortured in Portuguese prisons for years. Everyone
               and Swaraj.  They stoked the                fought  together  in  Goa's  fight  for  independence.
               flame of independence for                   Hands  were  raised  in  unison  in  support  of  Goa's
                                                           liberation  from  all  corners  of  India.  To  crush  the
               the longest time in Indian                  movement, the Portuguese arrested and imprisoned
               history.                                    many  agitators  and  revolutionaries.  Despite  this,
                                                           the movement in Goa never slowed, and the jails
               Narendra Modi,                              were packed with satyagrahis.
                                                              The Portuguese arrested many of these people
               Prime Minister                              and sentenced them to long prison terms. Some of
                                                           these people were even imprisoned in the African
                                                           country of Angola. Many fighters fought for Goa's
                                                           independence,  enduring  hardships  and  making
                                                           sacrifices but refusing to give up the fight. During
                                                           Goa's  independence  struggle,  31  Satyagrahis
                                                           were  killed  in  the  Goa  Mukti  Vimochan  Samiti
                                                           Satyagraha. Many Azad Gomantak Dal leaders have
                                                           devoted their lives to the Goa movement as well.
                                                           Many such fighters, such as Prabhakar Trivikram
                                                           Vaidya, Vishwanath Lavande, Jagannath Rao Joshi,
                                                           Nana Kajrekar, and Sudhir Phadke, fought for Goa,
                                                           Daman, Diu, Dadra, and Nagar Haveli independence
                                                           and gave this movement direction and energy.


        54  New India Samachar    June 16-30, 2022
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