How PM Modi restored sacred Sengol's lost legacy

After 75 years of being lost in history, the 'Sengol' is witnessing its glory restored as it will soon be installed in the new Parliament. The Sengol was handed over to India's first PM Jawaharlal Nehru on August 14, 1947, as a symbol of the transfer of power from the British but ended up in a museum only to be in the limelight again. The Union government is earning laurels for reviving the legacy of the Sengol. Its handover to Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be a practice revived from the Chola dynasty. The Sengol will be placed right next to the Lok Speaker's seat.  

Speaking to Republic, CR Kesavan, author and the great-grandson of India's last Governor-General C. Rajagopalachari, thanked PM Modi for giving the scepter its rightful place. "Only a person like Narendra Modi Ji with his profound understanding of Indian civilisation and heritage and tradition and who has immense respect for our values can bring out such an important historic incident which was relegated into darkness and oblivion," he said. 

"This Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav has ensured that the unsung heroes and untold milestones get their due. After 1947, this has been placed to the utter dismay and shock of everybody in a museum in Allahabad saying that it is a golden walking stick presented to Pandit Nehru," he further said. 

Kesavan also shared the story of when British Viceroy Lord Mountbatten discussed the transfer of power with Pandit Nehru. "In 1947, when Mountbatten asked Mr Nehru 'how this transfer of power should happen by a handshake?' He asked Raja Ji's counselor and Raja Ji was a very spiritual man and very devout Hindu. So he spoke to people and then gave the advice that there is an Indic civilisational tradition where the high priest of the state passes on the scepter or the Sengol to the King which marks the transition of power," he said. 

Family of Sengol makers thank PM Modi

#WATCH | …"Today after 75 years, ‘Sengol’ is being remembered. Govt is recreating the entire event that happened in 1947. Very nostalgic and a beautiful feeling for us that our forefathers were part of history and now we’re also going to witness the recreation of that event":… pic.twitter.com/5uzNFYn1s2

— ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2023

"Today after 75 years, ‘Sengol’ is being remembered. Govt is recreating the entire event that happened in 1947. Very nostalgic and a beautiful feeling for us that our forefathers were part of history and now we’re also going to witness the recreation of that event," said Vummidi Balaji, the great-grandson of jeweller Vummidi Bangaru Chetty who made the Sengol. Vummidi Sudhakar, the chairman of Vummidi Bangaru Jewellers, also thanked the PM for providing recognition to the historic relic.