Renowned Indian dancer Dr Padma Subrahmanyam’s letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2021, quoting an article from a Tamil magazine on how the Sengol was handed over to Jawaharlal Nehru at the Independence Day ceremony in 1947, will now lead to the installation of the historic golden sceptre in the new Parliament building.
Subrahmanyam recalled that she had requested the government to make the information of the 1947 ceremony public on the occasion of India’s 75th Independence Day.
“Not too long ago, to be precise May 5, 2021, Thuglak Tamil magazine had an article written on the Sengol story. I was very moved by that and thought it should be publicised in the proper way. It was too important in my mind, it was something to do with the very history of our independence. So, I wrote a translation of the whole article with a covering letter, requesting our honourable prime minister to see if it can be part of the 75th year of Independence celebrations. That is what I wrote but I didn’t get a reply immediately.
“It has been almost one-and-a-half years but now I’m elated that it is more than just a celebration. It has come to a point where it will be permanently installed in the very temple of our democracy. It will be standing there erect as a symbol of freedom, symbol of justice and symbol of ethical values for those who govern. So, I’m happy that something from Tamil Nadu went there and it is a pride for every Indian and every Tamilian now,” she said.
Little did Subrahmanyam expect that her letter would be acknowledged by the prime minister himself. “I didn’t think that I would get a reply immediately nor did I get one. I thought it must have gone into one of those unseen files. But since it has reached a pinnacle, it’s more than a dream come true,” she added.
However, there has been criticism around the golden sceptre, with the DMK calling it a symbol of “monarchy”. According to the renowned dancer, Sengol means justice and freedom and a tool to bring in good governance.
Responding to the criticism, Subrahmanyam narrated an anecdote: “In Tamil epic Silappadhigaram, the king of Chera dynasty by mistake gives an order to behead the hero. Kannagi, the heroine, proves that he is wrong and then the king feels so guilty that he lays down his life immediately. As he falls, the line he says is that his Sengol has bent, which means the Sengol has done the mistake. This is not religion or monarchy but something that everybody connected with governance must understand. Looking at the Sengol there with the understanding of its significance will be an inspiration for every MP.”
Subrahmanyam also praised PM Modi for being considerate of the people of the country. “I wrote to the office of the Prime Minister. I was not sure if he will see it but knowing Modi-ji, he cares for everybody and cares for every letter that is sent to him. Though I didn’t get a reply at that time, I realised that all that is said in the article had to be checked with proper research and Ministry of Culture formed groups for research and to make sure everything is authentic. The authenticity was proved and good that they took more than a year for that. Now, instead of having just a small function and forgetting about it, this sceptre is going to be placed in the temple of democracy. It gives me great satisfaction,” she said.
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