Celebrating 78th Independence Day and .. Cataract Eye Camp - SYMA Triplicane

The glorious Nation’s 78^th Independence Day was celebrated with gaiety across the country and our Honble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji addressed the Nation from the ramparts of Red Fort calling for Viksit Bharat.  Do you know that Indian Independence Act 1947 it not any statue of India and technically cannot be repealed by us.

 

Our beloved PM said :  My dear countrymen, my family members!:  Today is that auspicious moment when we pay our respects to the innumerable revered brave freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives for the country and committed themselves for the freedom of the country; who struggled throughout their lives, embraced the gallows bravely with slogans of Bharat Mata ki Jai. It is a festival to remember their grit, resolve and patriotic virtues. It is due to these bravehearts that we have the good fortune of breathing freely on this festival of independence. The country is deeply indebted to them. We express our reverence towards every such great personality. 

Dear Countrymen,:  Let us now recall the days of pre independence. During the hundreds of years of slavery, every period has been a struggle. Be it our youth, older people, farmers, women, or tribals, they have continuously fought against slavery. History is proof that even before the much-remembered Revolt of 1857, there were many tribal areas in our country where battles for independence were fought. 

Friends, Before independence, 40 crore countrymen showed immense spirit and capability. They marched forward with a dream, a resolution, and fought tirelessly. There was only one voice—”Vande Mataram,” and only one dream—Bharat’s freedom. We are proud that their blood runs in our veins today. They were our ancestors. They were just 40 crore. Just 40 crore people uprooted a global power and broke the shackles of slavery. If our ancestors, whose blood flows in our veins, could achieve this, then today we are a country of 140 crore people. If 40 crore people could break the shackles of slavery, if 40 crore people could fulfill the dream of achieving freedom, then 140 crore citizens of my country, 140 crore of my family members, if they set out with a resolution, determine a direction and march forward step by step, shoulder to shoulder, no matter how great the challenges, how intense the scarcity or the struggle for resources, we can overcome every challenge and build a prosperous Bharat. We can achieve the goal of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047.

 

Nation’s 78th Independence Day was grandly celebrated at Triplicane by Srinivas Youngmens’ Association [SYMA]  with flag hoisting infront of our Medical centre followed by Cataract Detection Camp.

 

His Holiness Parama Pujaniya Sri Sri Viswaprasanna  Theertha Swamiji, Pontiff of Pejawar Mutt hoisted the National flag and spoke about the significance of freedom and the importance of Nation and religion.  He inaugurated ‘Free Cataract detection and surgery camp’ at SYMA Medical Centre  conducted by SYMA in association with Sankara Eye Hospital, Pammal & Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Sankara Medical Trust. 

Here is something on the great Seer who blessed us, hoisting the National flag and some interesting aspects of our Freedom in 1947. 

கண்ணன் கழல் இணை நண்ணும் மனம் உடையீர்*

எண்ணும் திருநாமம் திண்ணம் நாரணமே** 

எம்பெருமான் ஸ்ரீகிருஷ்ணன் நம்மிடையே இப்பூவுலகில் பிறந்து, வளர்ந்து உணர்த்தியது தன்னை  "சரணாகதி" அடைபவனுக்கு எந்தத் துன்பமும் இல்லை என்பதுதான். 

For us the chatur Vedas are the supreme and then comes Ithihasa puranas.  Think of  Lord Krishna, kaviya nayakan of Srimad Mahabaratham,  the supreme God of the Universe, who went as emissary pleading for justice    - one is instantly reminded of Sri Parthasarathi, Thiruvallikkeni divyadesam,  great Krishna temples like Guruvayur, Dwaraka, divyadesams -  Kabisthalam, Thirukkannamangai, Thirukkannapuram,  His Mathura, the places He grew up – Gokulam, Govardhanagiri, Vrindavan .. .. and Udupi !     situated on Arabic coast and is among the 7 Parashurama Kshetras i.e. the places created by Sage Parashurama. 

Sri Adhokshaja Theertha,  the first pontiff of Pejawar mutt  was given Ashrama by Sri Madhwacharya himself.  The chief pontiffs of Ashta mathas are the ones who do Krishna Paryaya at Udupi for Lord Krishna.    Sri Vishwaprasanna Tirtha Swamiji, the present pontiff is 35th jeer in lineage - was initiated into the monastic order in 1988 at a young age pf 24. Swamiji is a highly learned person in our samprathayas, chatur Vedas and waxes eloquence in  – Kannada, Telegu, Tulu, Hindi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Malayalam & English languages.  Besides his educational qualifications, Swamiji is a Yoga exponent, expert swimmer, good in Ayurvedha, Educationist, associated with Acharya vichara magazine and is devoted to cow protection running a goshala with more than 2000 cows.    

We consider it the fortune of SYMA and Triplicane that the great Seer was present at our Medical centre, hoisted the National flag and blessed us all with his ‘anugraha bashan’.  We were fortunate to have his golden steps imprinting  our medical centre.  

Every child knows that Bharat was vivisected, Pakistan was given freedom on 14^th Aug and India became free at midnight on 15^th Aug 1947 and we are celebrating our 78^th Independence Day.   Here are some interesting details and timeline : 

Clement Attlee, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, announced on 20 February 1947 that:  the  British Government would grant full self-government to British India by 3 June 1948 at the latest.  The 3rd June 1947 Plan was also known as the Mountbatten Plan was another draft. The Indian Independence Act 1947 an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom  partitioned British India into the two new independent dominions of India and Pakistan. The Act received Royal Assent on 18 July 1947 

The Act repealed the use of ‘Emperor of India' as a title for the British Crown and ended all existing treaties with the princely states. Lord Mountbatten continued as Governor-General and Jawaharlal Nehru was appointed India's first Prime Minister, Muhammad Ali Jinnah became Pakistan's Governor-General and Liaquat Ali Khan its Prime Minster. 

The party that came to power -  Indian National Congress had been formed   in 1885. Prominent delegates of the inaugural session included Dadabhai Naoroji, Surendranath Banerjee, Badruddin Tyabji, Pherozeshah Mehta, W. C. Banerjee, S. Ramaswami Mudaliar, ] S. Subramania Iyer, and Romesh Chunder Dutt  & the Englishman Allan Octavian Hume.  The statue that stands closer to us on Beach road, near Vivekanandar illam – is that of  Annie Besant,  first female president of the Indian National Congress in 1917. 

SYMA has been conducting Cataract Eye detection camp for nearly 3 decades now.  In the  ‘Free Cataract detection and surgery camp’ at SYMA Medical Centre  conducted by SYMA in association with Sankara Eye Hospital, Pammal & Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Sankara Medical Trust,  163 patients were screened, 12 patients were identified for free cataract operations, and 42 people were recommended for free spectacles.  Spectacles will be distributed on 25.8.2024 remembering our member late KE Raghavan.

 

Here are some photos of the celebrations.  

Jai Hind, long live our glorious Nation

 
With regards – S Sampathkumar
Vice-President
Srinivas Youngmens’ Association [SYMA]
PS:  photos selected at some random and hence not fully representing the events or people involved.