Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan on Friday said the suffering and sacrifices of people during Partition must be remembered to ensure such a "horror" is never repeated, while emphasising the importance of preserving the country’s unity and harmony.
Radhakrishnan, who is also the Chancellor of Delhi University, was speaking as the chief guest at an event organised by the Centre for Independence and Partition Studies (CIPS) and the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) on the Partition Horrors Remembrance Day.
The theme this year was "Story of India's Partition (1947)".
"It is just one day before we celebrate our Independence Day. We must remember that the joy of freedom must never be separated from the sufferings that our elders endured in 1947," Radhakrishnan said, adding, "Partition was one of the most tragic and dehumanising chapters in the history of our nation."
He said remembering the past was not about "opening old wounds", but about learning from history and moving towards greater harmony.
"It is to remember that freedom did not come without any cost, sufferings or sacrifice. The sufferings borne by our elders made India a free country. This type of horror must never happen again," he added.
The Vice-President also emphasised the responsibility of citizens to safeguard the country's integrity and respect its diversity.
"It is the prime duty of all of us to maintain the integrity of this nation. My mother tongue is important to me, but that does not mean I am to hate the mother tongue of others. We should be very proud to be Indians," he said.
An exhibition showcasing the Partition-era materials was organised as part of the event. The exhibition featured archival materials from the Prime Ministers' Museum and Library, besides extracts from books by ICHR chairman Raghuvendra Tanwar as well as documents from the ICHR library.
Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh said the day was an opportunity to reflect on the circumstances that led to the Partition and remember the people who lost their lives and homes.
"A day before Independence Day, darkness had engulfed several families of the country. So, we observe this day as the day of Partition Horrors," Singh said.
"This is a day to ask questions and learn from our mistakes. Why did Partition of India happen?" he said.
With the country approaching 80 years of Independence, Singh said history would continue to ask whether the Partition could have been avoided.
Singh said those who died during Partition should not be reduced to numbers or statistics as they were individuals who belonged to families and communities. "They were people and someone's family. During Partition, people did not know whether their homes would be in India or Pakistan," he said.
"We need to remember that if we do not talk about this, we risk repeating history," Singh said.
He also highlighted CIPS' documenting of Partition stories through interviews, and said the digital archives created by the Centre would allow future generations to access and learn about these accounts.
"It is our responsibility to neither forget nor let anyone forget," he added.
(With inputs from PTI)
