Vice-President Calls for Unity While Remembering Partition Horrors

The Vice-President praised the University of Delhi for establishing the Centre for Independence and Partition Studies in 2023.

Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan has called on Indians to remember the suffering caused by the 1947 Partition without allowing painful history to fuel fresh bitterness, saying its lessons should instead strengthen national unity, harmony and a shared commitment to peace.

Speaking at a National Seminar marking Partition Horrors Remembrance Day at the University of Delhi, Radhakrishnan described Partition as one of the most tragic and dehumanising chapters in India's history, paying particular tribute to survivors who witnessed displacement, separation and the loss of communities first-hand.

The seminar, themed "The Partition of India – A Saga of Displacement, Separation and Resettlement", was organised by the university's Centre for Independence and Partition Studies in association with the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR).

Survivors' memories preserve a human history

Radhakrishnan said India's independence from colonial rule came alongside an enormous human tragedy, with Partition triggering one of the largest mass migrations in history and leaving millions of people to rebuild their lives after being uprooted.

He argued that an event of such magnitude cannot be adequately understood through a few textbook lines, making survivor testimonies, historical records and academic research important for younger generations trying to understand what ordinary families experienced.

The Vice-President praised the University of Delhi for establishing the Centre for Independence and Partition Studies in 2023. The Centre has already recorded oral testimonies from more than 100 survivors while involving students through archives, lectures and public programmes.

Fifteen Partition survivors were felicitated during the seminar in recognition of their resilience and their contribution to keeping memories of the period alive.

Partition's consequences stretch beyond 1947

The Vice-President said the effects of Partition did not end with the movement of people across newly created borders, as decisions made during that period continued to influence national security, defence policy and India's relationships with neighbouring countries.

He also described Partition as a rupture in a civilisational landscape that had remained interconnected for centuries, pointing to sites and places including the Sindhu river, Kartarpur Sahib, Nankana Sahib, ancient Shaktipeeths, Harappa, Mohenjodaro and Takshashila.

Radhakrishnan said the experience demonstrated why preparedness and responsible leadership matter when decisions affect people's safety and security, arguing that adequate advance planning should accompany choices capable of changing millions of lives.

Remembering these consequences, he said, should serve as a warning about the damage that division and hatred can cause rather than becoming a reason to recreate old hostilities.

Young Indians urged to learn lessons of history

Radhakrishnan urged citizens to place their national identity above divisions based on caste, religion or region, saying Indians should remain conscious of the shared heritage connecting people across the country. With Independence Day approaching, he said remembering Partition offered an opportunity to recognise both the value of freedom and the importance of protecting unity and peace.

The Vice-President also administered a "No Drugs" pledge to students, encouraging young people to make healthy and responsible choices, and visited an exhibition organised by ICHR and the University of Delhi documenting the human impact of Partition. University of Delhi Vice-Chancellor Prof. Yogesh Singh, ICHR Chairman Prof. Raghuvendra Tanwar, academics, scholars, students and survivors attended the programme.

Radhakrishnan concluded that Partition Horrors Remembrance Day should leave Indians with three enduring lessons: freedom is precious, unity is essential and peace should never be taken for granted.