National icons should not be confined to caste, community identities, says Governor Arlekar

CHENNAI: Emphasising that national icons belong to the entire country, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Sunday said freedom fighters should not be identified with particular castes or communities, but their contributions recognised as part of India’s collective heritage.

Addressing the Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas celebrations at Lok Bhavan in Guindy on the 151st birth anniversary of tribal freedom fighter Bhagwan Birsa Munda, he said the country could achieve genuine progress only by rising above caste and religious divisions.

“There is a tendency to identify certain leaders with particular castes or communities and restrict their contributions to those groups. All those who fought for India’s freedom belong to the entire nation. They should not be confined to any particular community,” he said.

Recalling Birsa Munda’s resistance against British rule, Arlekar said the tribal leader, revered as ‘Dharti Aaba’, had fought for the rights of tribal communities over their land and forests from a young age. He urged people across communities to recognise his contribution to the freedom struggle.

Referring to colonial-era laws that restricted tribal communities and branded entire groups as criminal, the Governor said addressing their historical marginalisation was a collective responsibility.

Questioning the limited representation of tribal communities in professions such as medicine, engineering, science and public administration, he called for greater access to education, infrastructure and livelihood opportunities.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a developed India by 2047, Arlekar said the goal would remain incomplete unless tribal communities shared in the country’s progress. He also urged authorities to ensure that schemes such as the Van Dhan Yojana reached their intended beneficiaries. “India will become a great nation only when we stand united. My nation is my life, my society is my life and my people are my life,” he noted.

The Governor, who expressed regret over his inability to address the gathering in Tamil, later watched traditional cultural performances by tribal artists.