Nearly 150 volunteers from Delhi Government schools, including students and teachers, on Saturday participated in the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of the Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
To inspire the youth of the nation to lead a life on Patel’s ideals of unity, integrity, and self-reliance, the Delhi Government inaugurated a festival of unity — “Jal Sangam se Jan Sangam” at the Sonia Vihar Yamuna Ghat.
During the opening ceremony of the festival, volunteers collected the water from the sacred river, which will be sent to 25 culturally significant rivers across the country—from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, according to officials from the Delhi Education Department.
On 31 October, the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, ‘Jal Abhishek’ (water anointment) of his statue at Patel Chowk will be held from the water collected from various rivers of the country. The ceremony will mark the conclusion of the campaign.
On the inaugural day today, Education Minister Ashish Sood, along with officials and students, participated in the Maa Yamuna Aarti and took a pledge for river conservation and national unity.
In his address, Sood said that when India attained Independence, Sardar Patel integrated 562 princely states into one nation—a feat of unmatched political will.