CM Mann unveils100 feet Tricolour at Bhagat Singh memorial

Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Sunday dedicated a Tricolour on a 100-foot tall flagpole at Shaheed-Azam Bhagat Singh Heritage Museum to the people of the state on the birth anniversary of the martyr. The Tricolour measures 30 feet by 20 feet.

The CM paid floral tributes to Bhagat Singh and said a Rs 51.70-crore Shaheed Bhagat Singh Heritage complex at the native village of the legendary martyr would be dedicated to the state in the coming months.

The CM's event at the village today was sans frills and without the any political rally or rhetoric. This was in line with his usual practice of observing martyr's birth anniversary simply since his pre-CM days as well as his oath-taking ceremony at Khatkar Kalan.

Upon entry, he washed his hands, took off his shoes, laid flowers and offered salute at the martyr’s memorial and laid a floral wreath at Bhagat Singh’s statue before proceeding to the flag hoisting through a switch.

The CM said the 30 x 20 feet Tricolour would add zing to the complex. He also said that the work on the heritage project was on in full swing and would be completed soon.

He said the complex would feature a Grand Thematic Gate, a 350-m-long Heritage Street connecting Shaheed Bhagat Singh Museum to his ancestral house narrating the life journey of Shaheed-e-Azam and India’s freedom struggle through sculptures, 2D/3D wall art, and mannequins, capturing the essence of colonial-era India.

He said it would also have a 700-seat fully air-conditioned auditorium, adding that a model of Shaheed Bhagat Singh’s ancestral home in Lyallpur (now in Pakistan) was being constructed, along with a recreation of his ancestral village on the heritage street.

The CM added that Bhagat Singh’s ancestral home at Khatkar Kalan was also being restored. A digital recreation of Shaheed Bhagat Singh’s courtroom trial was being developed and the existing library was being modernised and digitised to offer an immersive experience. A tourist facilitation centre, cottages, horticultural landscaping, a musical fountain, and ample parking space are other additions to the site, the CM said.

Notably, from the former humble one-room museum, the Bhagat Singh memorial and museum at Khatkar Kalan have witnessed various revamps in the past few years, with the newest additions being recently introduced interactive galleries, projections and installations shedding further light on the freedom movement and the circumstances which moulded Bhagat Singh.