About Sankalp Smarak:

• Sankalp Smarak is a monument dedicated to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
• The smarak is a tribute to the resolve of the soldiers of the Indian National Army and their innumerable sacrifices. It also reminds us of the values enshrined by Netaji “Nishtha, Kartavya aur Balidan” or “Commitment, Duty and Sacrifice”.These values continue to underscore the ethos of the Indian Armed Forces and the resolve of the Indian Soldier.
• Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose & Andaman and Nicobar Islands
• Netaji escaped British surveillance from Kolkata on 16th Jan 1941.
• During World War II (1942–45), Japan had conquered the Andaman and Nicobar Islands from the British and handed them over to Netaji and his army, the Azad Hind Fauj.
• Netaji then arrived at Andaman and Nicobar Island on 29th December 1943 and declared the island free from British rule, much before India got its Independence in 1947.
• On the next day, i.e. 30 December 1943, Netaji hoisted the national flag for the first time on Indian soil, at Port Blair.
• During his visit, he also visited the Cellular Jail and met the freedom fighters lodged there.
• Before his departure, he renamed Andaman as Shaheed(“Martyrs”) Island, and Nicobar as Swaraj (“Freedom”)

What is the significance of Netaji’s visit to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands?

• Firstly, Netaji’s visit to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as the Head of the Provisional Government of Azad Hind and Supreme Commander of the Indian National Army marked a symbolic fulfillment of his promise that the Indian National Army would stand on Indian soil by the end of 1943.
• Secondly,this historic visit also marked a declaration of Andaman and Nicobar Islands as the “first liberated territory of India”.

Source: Modern History Events in News