It was a deeply moving and historic moment when author Jay Patel had the honour of presenting his book, Barrister Mr. Patel, to Padma Shri Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar, the legendary composer and the younger brother of Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar.
The occasion gained special significance as Patel spent meaningful time with Pandit Hridaynathji and his son Aadinath Mangeshkar in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, coinciding with the commemoration of 115 years of the iconic patriotic poem “Sagara Pran Talmalala.” Often rendered as “Ne Majasi Ne…”, the Marathi poem powerfully expresses the agony, exile, homesickness, and unwavering patriotism of a revolutionary separated from his motherland. In this evocative work, the sea is personified as a messenger, carrying the patriot’s yearning back to India.
The poem was composed around 1909 on the shores of Brighton, England, when Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was a young revolutionary associated with India House, London. Decades later, it was immortalised in song by Lata Mangeshkar, with music composed by Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar, granting it an eternal place in India’s cultural and patriotic legacy. The commemorative event took place at the site of a newly unveiled statue of Veer Savarkar in Sri Vijayapuram (Port Blair), drawing thousands of attendees and eminent dignitaries, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat, Lieutenant Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands Admiral D. K. Joshi, Padma Shri Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar, actor and filmmaker Randeep Hooda, investor and author Jay Patel, and historian Vikram Sampath.
The gathering paid tribute to Savarkar’s revolutionary legacy through a series of cultural, literary, and commemorative programmes that reflected the enduring power of his ideas and sacrifices. Actor Randeep Hooda, who portrayed Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in his 2024 directorial film Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, revisited the Cellular Jail in Port Blair, where Savarkar was once imprisoned. Author Jay Patel, who portrayed Shyamji Krishna Varma in the film, also marked the occasion by revisiting the historic site, symbolically bridging history, literature, and cinema. Reflecting on the experience, they said, “Sri Vijayapuram (Port Blair). Cellular Jail. 115 years of Sagara Pran Talmalala!
To revisit the very Cellular Jail where Veer Savarkar once suffered, where a major portion of Swatantrya Veer Savarkar was filmed, and to witness the unveiling of his statue in what was once the dreaded Kaala Paani, feels deeply personal. History may remember slowly, but truth endures.” The convergence of literature, music, cinema, and history at this momentous event served as a powerful reminder of India’s enduring struggle for freedom and of the revolutionaries and artists who ensured that its spirit continues to resonate across generations.
