The Andaman and Nicobar Islands’ capital, Port Blair, will now be known to as Sri Vijaya Puram, the Central government declared on September 13, To erase the colonial traces of the past name.
Sri Vijaya Puram: New Name of Port Blair
The British honored Archibald Blair, a British Naval officer, with the name Port Blair in tribute to his contributions to the colonial expansion of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Port Blair is knowm as the capital of the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands’ capital city, Port Blair, is now known be Sri Vijaya Puram, according to a Friday announcement from the central government.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that the government made the decision to change the name to “free the nation from colonial imprints”.
According to the Home Minister, the previous name had a “colonial legacy,” where as the new name, “Sri Vijaya Puram,” represents the victory achieved in our struggle for freedom.
Home Minister Amit Shah stated on his X account “Today we have decided to rename Port Blair as Sri Vijaya Puram, inspired by the vision of PM Narendra Modi Ji, to free the nation from the colonial imprints”.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also stated. “Sri Vijaya Puram represents the victory achieved in our freedom struggle and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands unique role in it”.
“The Andaman and Nicobar Islands hold a unique position in both our history and the struggle for freedom. The island region that was formerly the Chola Empire’s naval base is now positioned to be the vital foundation for our objectives for development and plan”.
“It is also the place that hosted the first unfurling of our Tiranga by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Ji and also the Cellular Jail in which Veer Savarkar Ji and other freedom fighters struggled for an independent nation”.
PM Modi wrote: “The name Sri Vijaya Puram honours the rich history and heroic people of Andaman and Nicobar islands. It also reflects our commitment to break free from the colonial mindset and celebrate our heritage.”
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Story of Sri Vijaya Puram :
The former name, which honors the city’s contribution to the Indian Independence movement, was taken from the 18th-century British naval officer Lieutenant Archibald Blair.
Originally a fishing village, the city was named for British naval officer Lieutenant Archibald Blair, who served in the Royal Navy in the early 18th century. Blair made several contributions to British colonial initiatives during the course of his career. His presence in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands was a component of a larger plan to give the British authority over this isolated yet vitally strategic area.
On Chatham Island, in the southeast bay of the Great Andaman, the Government of Bengal established a penal colony in 1789 and gave it the name Archibald Blair in honor of him.
Blair made some of the most significant contributions to the island group when Britain was attempting to discover and develop the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which were still mostly unknown at the time.
He conducted an island survey and instituted early local government. This created the foundation for later colonial growth and made it possible for Port Blair to become the main center of the islands’ colonial government. His survey and assessment of the area were valuable to the Raj, who was interested in maximizing the potential of what would eventually become Port Blair.
His significance in the British colonial development in the eastern Bay of Bengal was recognized by the naming of Port Blair in his honor. Eventually, the port in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to prominence as a hub for trade, administration, and military operations. The British were able to exercise more control and better administrate the neighboring islands because it was their operating center.
Blair supervised the port’s growth, which contributed to the region’s transformation into a significant hub in the British marine network.
Blair’s life story is not well-known, but his professional accomplishments in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands had such a profound effect that the town was named in his honor.
This is the story of how a fishing community honored a British naval officer by taking on the name Port Blair. It would be appropriate to rename it Sri Vijaya Puram in recognition of the city’s role in the creation of the new, independent India.
