The Shaheed Nanak Singh Foundation hosted its annual lecture on 14th February 2023 at the India International Centre in New Delhi. Over 300 guests attended the lecture, from across India to pay their respect to the great son of India.
The lecture was delivered by Guest of Honour General VK Singh, Honorable Minister of State for Civil aviation and Road Transport and Highways.
This lecture was an important milestone, with the foundation receiving great honour and endorsement from the honourable Minister.The subject of the lecture was ” Religious tolerance is a prerequisite for a civil and progressive society”.
Shaheed Nanak Singh advocated this message until his assassination on 5th March 1947 in Multan, now in Pakistan, when he went to save students of the local DAV School who had taken out a peaceful procession against the division of India. Sadly, the students got caught in the communal riots, and Shaheed managed to save them before he lost his life for the Hindu-Muslim unity in India.
The lecture was attended by many distinguished guests, including the Chief Information Commissioner Shri Y.K Sinha, British Member of Parliament Mr Bob Blackman, former MP and Chairman of the Minority Commission of India Sardar Tarlochan Singh, Shri Vijay Jolly Senior BJP Leader, Advocate Manoj Chauhan, Mr Alok Goyal, motivational speaker Mr Shri Shiv Khera, Mr Sandeep Marwaha. Mr Richard Barlow, Head Political and bilateral affairs, British High Commission, New Delhi, Lady Renu Ranger and Mr Vineet Nanda.
Mr Vineet Nanda welcomed the guests and invited the youngest son of Shaheed, Lord Rami Rangar CBE, to welcome the guests formally. Lord Ranger thanked the Chief Guest, Gen. VK Singh, for agreeing to deliver this lecture. With the help and support of great leaders, ordinary individuals can organise events such as this where a great son of India is remembered.
Lord Ranger reminded the guests of his illustrious father, who pleaded with the then-Muslim leaders not to cut, run, and fall for the Divide & Rule policy but to make our destiny together. Lord Ranger paid tribute to his father for standing up for the unity of India. Lord Ranger said his father was a visionary and could foretell the consciences of religious disharmony. He warned against the division of Mother India based on religious hatred, and as a result, we would not see peace in the Sub Continent. He advocated that we must always consider ourselves to be, first and foremost, Indians and then choose to follow a religion for our peace of mind.
In his address, Gen. VK Singh, Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Road, Transport and Highways, said that Shaheed Nanak Singh’s legacy is part of the brave and inspiring men and women who fought to make India a free nation. He also highlighted that Shaheed Nanak Singh was driven by a passionate intensity that went beyond the ordinary. Many such contributors to the cause of our freedom remain unheralded and obscure. The Gen said the Indian Armed Forces are truly secular. No one knows any difference between one soldier to another. We all serve Mother India regardless of race, religion or gender. Gen. VK Singh awarded “Soul of India” by Lord Rami Ranger for his services to Mother India.
The Chairman of Shaheed Nanak Singh Foundation, Ravindra Singh Sheoran, said that Shaheed Nanak Singh stood for India’s unity in 1947 and paid the ultimate price, his life, for opposing the division of India based on religion. He advocated that we must always consider ourselves to be, first and foremost, Indians and then choose to follow a religion for our peace of mind. He believed that the unity of India must come first for our strength and development as a nation.
The Shaheed Nanak Singh Foundation advocates learning from the past to build on our future. As a result, a lecture is delivered each year by a prominent Indian to promote his vision of unity, harmony and religious tolerance for a better India.
Chief Information Commissioner Mr YK Sinha recalled his illustrious father, Gen SK Sinha, who delivered the second Shaheed Nanak Singh lecture, remembering the death and destruction he witnessed as a young Army Officer following the partition of India. Mr Sinha also commended the work done by the Shaheed Nanak Singh Foundation in keeping the memory of a great son of India alive.
Former Chairman of the Minority Commission of India and MP Sardar Tarlochan Singh, who studied in Mahendra College Patial with two of the sons of Shaheed Nanak Singh, recalled the widow of Shaheed, who suffered immense suffering at the young age of just 35 years old due to the division of India. She worked very hard to bring up her eight children single handily. She gave five of her sons to the defence of India and became the proudest Indian Mother. He urged the guests to have a holocaust memorial in New Delhi in memory of those who perished due to the division of India.
The vote of thanks was delivered by Advocate Manoj Chauhan, who thanked the Chief Guest, the committee member and the guests who gave their precious time to pay tribute to the Shaheed. The lecture was followed by dinner.
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Such gems of history are always great to read and know about, salute to Nanak Singh for his selfless sacrifice