New Delhi, Jan 17 (IANS) Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh said on Saturday that a society that forgets its history loses not only its future but also its moral direction.

Addressing a symposium on the coffee table book “Shri Veer Vithal Bhai Ki Gaurav Gatha: Ek Shatabdi Yatra”, brought out by the Delhi Legislative Assembly Secretariat, at New Delhi World Book Fair, the Deputy Chairman said, “History is not merely a record of the past; it is the foundation upon which democratic institutions, public consciousness, and national character are built.”

A QR code was formally launched to enable citizens to access and purchase the coffee table book, thereby extending the reach of this significant historical work to a wider readership.

Harivansh Narayan Singh said that reviving the legacy of Veer Vithalbhai Patel is therefore not an academic exercise, but a democratic responsibility.

He commended the Delhi Legislative Assembly Secretariat for reviving a largely forgotten chapter of India’s freedom struggle through a meticulously researched and documented publication.

He described the book as an authentic historical record of one of the most vibrant and decisive phases of Indian history.

Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta said that the period from 1912 to 1933 constituted the most decisive phase of India’s freedom movement, culminating with the passing of Veer Vithalbhai Patel on October 22, 1933.

He described Patel as a revolutionary, freedom fighter, and legislative leader who laid the institutional foundations of Indian parliamentary democracy.

The Speaker observed that Veer Vithalbhai Patel guided national leaders such as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Subhas Chandra Bose, and noted that in the years to come, he would be recognised as one of the architects of India’s independence.

The symposium was attended by Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, former Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha and former Chairman, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Ramesh Chandra Gaur, Chairman, Kala Nidhi Trust, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), and Manisha Choudhary, Associate Professor, Department of History, University of Delhi, along with academicians, historians, students, and members of the public.

The symposium also featured the screening of the documentary film “Shri Veer Vithalbhai Ki Gaurav Ki Gaatha”, narrated by Padma Bhushan awardee Anupam Kher.

–IANS

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