Vice-President Attends Sardar Katha at Uprashtrapati Bhavan

Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan attended Sardar Katha, a programme held at Uprashtrapati Bhavan on 31 October 2026 to mark the 151st birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.

The Katha and who told it

The programme took the form of a katha, the old Indian way of carrying a life story to an audience through narration. It was presented by the Katha Vachika Dr Shobhana Radhakrishna, who set out the life, the ideals and the contribution of the man known as the Iron Man of India. The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, was among those present. Earlier the same day the Vice-President had laid floral tributes to Patel at Sardar Patel Chowk in New Delhi and at Uprashtrapati Bhavan.

What the Vice-President said about integration

Speaking at the programme, the Vice-President said Patel's story was not only that of one of the country's greatest leaders but also the story of India's unity, courage and nation-building. He recalled the position at Independence, when Partition had left the country uncertain and more than 550 princely states had to be brought into the Indian Union. Patel carried out that task through determination, persuasion, administrative skill and statesmanship, and the nation, the Vice-President said, would always be grateful for it.

From 1947 to 2047

He linked that work to the present, saying the spirit of unity Patel stood for is now being directed into the national mission of Viksit Bharat @2047 under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India's road from 1947 to the present, he said, had been marked by courage, determination and collective resolve, and the road to 2047 would need still greater ambition and commitment.

The message to the young

The Vice-President held up truth, simplicity, courage, discipline and service to the last person as the values the country needs to keep. He asked young Indians to take their inspiration from Patel's life and to turn their energy, talent and potential towards constructive nation-building. He thanked Dr Shobhana Radhakrishna and her team for bringing Patel's legacy closer to the audience through the tradition of katha, and closed with the words, Bharat is One, and shall always remain One.