Thiruvananthapuram:
It was a historic moment for Kerala. The sword of Veluthampi Dalava, the 19th century patriot who laid down his life fighting the British, is back in the state after half a century.
The sword was handed over to former President Dr Rajendra Prasad when he visited Kerala in 1957. It was housed at Rashtrapati Bhavan and then at the National Museum in Delhi.
After repeated requests from the Kerala government, the Prime Minister - who is in charge of the Ministry of Culture - personally intervened to ensure its return to the state.
"This has been a long dream of the people of Kerala to bring back the sword of Veluthampi Dalava to the capital," Mullapally Ramachandran, MoS Home Affairs.
The sword was brought to the state museum in a grand procession led by Kerala's noted literary and cultural personalities.
The sword of Veluthampi Dalava, well known freedom fighter is back in the state after 50 long years. It will be housed at the Thriuvananthapuram Museum. Historians believe this will make people take an active interest in the state's freedom struggle history, which has for long been neglected.
"This is to make the younger generation aware that the freedom struggle of the state begins much ahead of the first-recorded uprising of 1857," said Bite M A Baby, Minister for Culture, Kerala.
The sword will be kept in the state for a year. But authorities here are hopeful that this artefact will be allowed a permanent resting place in the land where it once rose against the mighty British Empire.
The sword was handed over to former President Dr Rajendra Prasad when he visited Kerala in 1957. It was housed at Rashtrapati Bhavan and then at the National Museum in Delhi.
After repeated requests from the Kerala government, the Prime Minister - who is in charge of the Ministry of Culture - personally intervened to ensure its return to the state.
"This has been a long dream of the people of Kerala to bring back the sword of Veluthampi Dalava to the capital," Mullapally Ramachandran, MoS Home Affairs.
The sword was brought to the state museum in a grand procession led by Kerala's noted literary and cultural personalities.
The sword of Veluthampi Dalava, well known freedom fighter is back in the state after 50 long years. It will be housed at the Thriuvananthapuram Museum. Historians believe this will make people take an active interest in the state's freedom struggle history, which has for long been neglected.
"This is to make the younger generation aware that the freedom struggle of the state begins much ahead of the first-recorded uprising of 1857," said Bite M A Baby, Minister for Culture, Kerala.
The sword will be kept in the state for a year. But authorities here are hopeful that this artefact will be allowed a permanent resting place in the land where it once rose against the mighty British Empire.
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