Family members of the popular Chennai-based jewellery store chain Vummidi Bangaru Jewellers will be felicitated at the inauguration of the new Parliament building on May 28 for making the ‘sengol’ (sceptre) that was handed to the then PM Jawaharlal Nehru by British Governor Mountbatten in 1947. While the present government makes this claim, other versions say that the sengol was given to Nehru by a group of priests from the Adheenam, a non-Brahmin Saivite monastery in Tamil Nadu, to represent the transfer of power from the British government on the eve of Independence.
The sceptre was made in erstwhile Madras on the instructions of the seer of Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam, a prominent Saivite mutt in Tamil Nadu. The seer had been contacted by then Governor General of India C Rajagopalachari on behalf of Nehru, it is further said.
The sengol is a staff that was held by a ruling monarch in ancient Tamil Nadu while in his court and symbolised his power.
According to information from the Indian government’s website, the makers of the sengol, Vummidi Ethirajulu and his brother Vummidi Sudhakar, were 20 and 13 years old respectively in 1947. In a video found on the website, Ethirajulu is heard saying that the sengol was made of silver and plated with gold. He says that the embossing on the sengol was done by a different set of goldsmiths and that it took 10-15 days just for that to be completed.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, May 25, the director of Vummidi Bangaru Jewellers, Amarendran Vummidi, said that 10 members from his family will be participating in the inauguration of the new Parliament building. He said, “We’re the fourth generation involved in jewellery making. This recognition and pride does not belong to just me but to my entire family as well.”
Displaying the replica of the sengol that his grandfathers had made, Amarendran said, “In 1947, my grandfather had received the order to make this. This is an exact replica of the original that my grandfather made.”
Watch: Tamil Nadu’s ‘sengol’ to be placed in new Parliament building
Amarendran went on to say that he and his family were extremely happy that they were able to make the sengol that was given to Nehru and which would now be installed in the new Parliament building.