PM Modi launches Smriti Van memorial in honor of 2001 Bhuj earthquake victims

Gujarat, August 28th, 2022: Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his two-day visit to Gujarat, inaugurated the Smriti Van memorial on Sunday morning in Bhuj. The memorial has come up in remembrance of the 2001 earthquake victims.

Modi announced that the Smriti Van is a tribute to the lost lives and the remarkable fighting spirit of the Kutch people.

Smriti Van Memorial has the state-of-the-art Smriti Van Earthquake Museum which has been segregated into seven blocks based on seven themes: Rebirth, Rediscover, Restore, Rebuild, Rethink, Relive and Renew.

The grand structure, which is the first such memorial in the country, is spread over 470 acres near Bhuj town. The memorial carries the names of the people who lost their lives during the earthquake that had its epicenter in Bhuj.

In his address to the people, Modi said, “I remember when the earthquake happened, I reached here on the second day itself. I was not CM back then, just a worker. I didn’t know how many people I would be able to help. But I decided to be there with you all”.

After the inauguration, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Bhupendra Patel accompanied the PM as they walked through the museum.

The memorial also has a block to relive the experience of an earthquake with the help of a 5D simulator and another block for people to pay homage to the lost souls.

Notably, it was Modi’s idea to build a memorial for the victims when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat.