HYDERABAD: Stating that Hyderabad Liberation Day is not merely a commemoration of a historic date, but a reminder of the journey of nation-building and the values that continue to bind Bharat together, Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan on Thursday said that September 17, 1948 marked the conclusion of a decisive chapter in the history of independent India.
Speaking at the Liberation Day celebrations organised at Parade Ground here, the Vice-President said that the story of Hyderabad reflects the enormous challenges faced by a young nation in bringing together people who had emerged from different political circumstances. “It was a story of statesmanship, courage and sacrifice, followed by the larger and continuing task of building a constitutional democracy in which every citizen has an equal place,” he said,
Recalling Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s contribution to national integration, he said that as the first Home Minister and Minister for States, Sardar Patel carried an extraordinary responsibility at a time when India was recovering from partition and simultaneously consolidating hundreds of princely states into one union. “Sardar Patel laid the steely foundation of a strong, unified Ek Bharat,” he said.
Drawing a parallel between different phases of India’s nation-building, he said: “Gandhi and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose played a pivotal role in India’s freedom. Sardar Patel played a pivotal role in unifying princely states with modern-day India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now playing a pivotal role in the making of developed India - Viksit Bharat @ 2047.”
He paid homage to several patriots, including Ramji Gond, Turrebaz Khan and Komaram Bheem, and said their courage reminds us that history is not made only in government offices or by famous statesmen, but also by ordinary citizens who refuse to accept injustice as their destiny. “Political integration can bring territories together; constitutional democracy brings citizens together,” he said, stressing that national unity cannot be sustained by geography alone and must be strengthened through equal rights, equal dignity and equal opportunity.
V-P lauds Class 10 student’s efforts to promote literacy
Fifteen-year-old Akarshana Sathish, a Class 10 student of Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet, who has set up 25 open libraries with more than 19,000 books, met Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan during his visit to Hyderabad on Thursday.
The Vice-President appreciated her efforts to promote reading and literacy and encouraged her to continue setting up more libraries.