Summary:
Ever since the news of renaming the iconic Victoria Memorial has hit the headlines, people in and outside Bengal have reacted adversely.
The family members of Subhas Chandra Bose have also raised their voices against the idea of renaming Victoria Memorial Hall one of Kolkata’s most easily recognised landmarks after Netaji or Azad Hind Fauj.
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Ever since the news of renaming the iconic Victoria Memorial has hit the headlines, people in and outside Bengal have reacted adversely.
The family members of Subhas Chandra Bose have also raised their voices against the idea of renaming Victoria Memorial Hall one of Kolkata’s most easily recognised landmarks after Netaji or Azad Hind Fauj.
They have suggested installing a memorial in Kolkata and a research centre in either Kolkata or Delhi as “an apt tribute” to the patriot.
Officials in the ministry of cultural affairs, which oversees the administration of Victoria Memorial, have denied any knowledge of a change in name but admitted there has been “intense speculation” on social media.
One of Netaji’s grandnephews, Chandra Bose, received multiple calls on Thursday, asking whether Victoria Memorial Hall was really being renamed just like Mumbai landmarks Victoria & Albert Museum (renamed Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum) and Victoria Terminus and Prince of Wales Museum (both renamed after Chhatrapati Shivaji).
Chandra, a BJP candidate who took on Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee from Bhowanipore in 2016, said the family was not in favour of obliterating history and, instead, wanted a separate memorial designed to celebrate Netaji’s life.
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