VP Dhankhar lauds freedom fighter Raja Mahendra Pratap

    Aligarh (UP), Oct 21 (PTI) Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday said the next generation of historians should highlight the role of forgotten heroes of the freedom movement.
    The vice president was speaking at the first convocation ceremony at the Raja Mahendra Pratap University here. Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel was also present on the occasion.
    The establishment of the Raja Mahendra Pratap University was a testament to the historic role of Raja Mahendra Pratap, one of the great freedom fighters and patriots of the 20th century, Dhankhar said.
    He said it was a matter of pride for him that he has been given the honour of delivering the first convocation address at a university established to commemorate "this great man who is truly a forgotten hero of India's freedom movement".
    "This university is a befitting tribute to this national hero who dedicated his entire life to the cause of India's freedom and also for the cause of modern education in India," Dhankhar added.
    The vice president said Raja Mahendra Pratap was the founding father of India's first provisional government-in-exile which was formed in Kabul in 1915.
    A long span of his life was spent in exile when he was constantly fighting for the freedom of India. During his speech, Dhankhar also invoked the contributions of Dr B R Ambedkar, Chaudhary Charan Singh, Karpoori Thakur, Birsa Munda and Subhas Chandra Bose.
    Dhankar said that the inspiring stories of such great heroes unfortunately have had brief or no mention in the textbooks so far.
    "The next generation of historians of the freedom movement of India should highlight the role of many other such forgotten heroes of the freedom movement," he said.
    The vice president said Raja Mahendra Pratap's other passion was for the cause of education.
    In 1909, he established an institution in Mathura, which was named Prem Mahavidyalaya, and donated a large tract of land for this purpose.
    Dhankhar also said that history is proof that no country has excelled without being at the forefront ofthe technological revolution.
    "If we want to see Pax Indica becoming a reality, we must lead in technology," he said.
    "We are living virtually in the fourth industrial revolution where information is key to all our activities, from agriculture to education to communication. Everything is around communication these days. Technology is a game-changer," the vice president added.
    "As we march towards Viksit Bharat@2047, driven by a knowledge economy, our goal should be to create institutions of excellence, rivalling the best in the world. Because this country had institutions of global excellence and eminence, people from all over the planet swarmed to get enlightenment.
    "I appeal to industries and corporates to invest in India's educational ecosystem," he said, while also stressing that this endeavour should not make education a commodity or commerce.
    "This endeavour, this enterprise, this spirit should not be driven by commodification and commercialisation of education but it should align with our traditional Gurukul system," Dhankhar added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)