CM Samrat Choudhary pays tribute to Shyamji Krishna Varma
Synopsis
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary marked the birth anniversary of revolutionary scholar Shyamji Krishna Varma on October 4, honouring the founder of India House, London, and his lifelong dedication to India's freedom and self-respect.
Key Takeaways
Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary paid tribute to Shyamji Krishna Varma on his birth anniversary, 4 October 2026 .
Varma was born on 4 October 1857 in Mandvi, Kutch , and became a Sanskrit scholar, lawyer, and revolutionary nationalist.
He founded India House in London in 1905 , a key centre for Indian revolutionary activity abroad.
Varma died in exile in Geneva in 1930 ; his ashes were repatriated to India in 2003 by the Gujarat government .
A memorial complex, Kranti Teerth , was built in his honour in Mandvi .
The tribute reflects the BJP's broader effort to foreground revolutionaries outside the Congress-led independence movement.
On the birth anniversary of one of India's most fearless freedom fighters, Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary offered his respects to Shyamji Krishna Varma on Sunday, October 4, 2026, honouring a revolutionary whose struggle for Indian independence was waged far from Indian soil.
Posting on X, CM Choudhary wrote: 'महान स्वतंत्रता सेनानी, राष्ट्रवादी चिंतक एवं विद्वान श्यामजी कृष्ण वर्मा जी की जयंती पर कोटि-कोटि नमन।' — 'Heartfelt salutations on the birth anniversary of the great freedom fighter, nationalist thinker and scholar Shyamji Krishna Varma. His dedication to the freedom and self-respect of the nation will always be remembered and inspiring.'The revolutionary who took the fight to London
Shyamji Krishna Varma was born on 4 October 1857 in Mandvi, Kutch — a detail of geography that makes his eventual journey remarkable. A Sanskrit scholar, lawyer, and ardent nationalist, he founded the India House in London in 1905, turning it into a nerve centre for Indian revolutionary activity abroad. He also established The Indian Sociologist, a journal that spread nationalist ideas across Europe at a time when open dissent inside British India could mean imprisonment.
Among those who passed through India House was Veer Savarkar — a connection that has kept Shyamji Krishna Varma central to the nationalist memory cherished by the BJP and its ideological ecosystem. Varma spent decades in exile, first in Paris and later in Geneva, where he died in 1930 — never returning to see the independence he had dedicated his life to achieve.
Ashes that came home after seven decades
Perhaps the most striking chapter of his legacy unfolded long after his death. Varma's ashes remained in Geneva for over seven decades until the Government of Gujarat repatriated them to India in 2003. They were finally immersed at Mandvi, completing a journey that Varma himself could not make. A memorial complex — Kranti Teerth — was later established in his memory in Mandvi, cementing his place in the official nationalist canon.
For CM Choudhary, invoking Varma on his birth anniversary is consistent with the BJP's broader political tradition of honouring pre-Independence revolutionaries who operated outside the Congress-led mainstream — figures whose courage and sacrifice, the party argues, deserve equal remembrance alongside more widely celebrated icons.
Point of View
With his London base and ideological links to Savarkar, fits precisely into that tradition. CM Choudhary's tribute on the anniversary is routine in form but deliberate in symbolism, reinforcing the party's claim to a wider, more globally dispersed nationalist heritage. It also signals that even state-level BJP leaders actively participate in this calendar of remembrance, using social media to embed these figures into everyday political consciousness. Over time, such consistent invocations reshape public memory as much as any textbook revision.
NationPress
4 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Shyamji Krishna Varma?
Shyamji Krishna Varma was a freedom fighter, Sanskrit scholar, and nationalist thinker born on 4 October 1857 in Mandvi, Kutch . He founded India House in London in 1905 as a hub for Indian revolutionary activity and published The Indian Sociologist to spread nationalist ideas in Europe.
Why is Shyamji Krishna Varma remembered?
He is remembered for his fearless campaign for Indian independence conducted from exile in London , Paris , and Geneva , for mentoring revolutionaries including Veer Savarkar , and for his lifelong sacrifice — he died in exile in 1930 without seeing India's freedom.
What is Kranti Teerth?
Kranti Teerth is a memorial complex built in Mandvi, Gujarat in honour of Shyamji Krishna Varma. His ashes, preserved in Geneva for over seven decades, were repatriated to India in 2003 and the memorial was established to mark his legacy.
What did Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary say about Shyamji Krishna Varma?
CM Choudhary posted on X that Varma's dedication to India's freedom and self-respect 'will always be remembered and inspiring,' offering his deepest respects on the revolutionary's birth anniversary on 4 October 2026 .
What was India House in London?
India House was a centre established by Shyamji Krishna Varma in London in 1905 that served as a meeting point and residence for Indian nationalists and revolutionaries, playing a significant role in organising anti-colonial activity from British soil.
