AIR to broadcast Patel lecture merged with Modi, Shah

The All India Radio will broadcast the 'Sardar Patel Memorial Lecture' on his birth anniversary on Thursday in a new format, which will include a capsule encompassing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address in Gujarat and Union Home Minister Amit Shah's speech in Delhi.

These two addresses and the prime minister's mention of the 'Rashtriya Ekta Diwas' in the bygone episode of 'Mann Ki Baat', along with the iconic song made by the AIR relevant to the 'Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat' as the theme, will be the other components of the capsule, a statement from the national broadcaster said.

Modi will pay tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at the 'Statue of Unity' in Kevadiya in Gujarat, to mark his 144th birth anniversary on Thursday.

The AIR hosts the annual 'Sardar Patel Memorial Lecture' as a mark of respect to India's first minister for Information and Broadcasting since 1955. This will be the 62nd Sardar Patel Memorial Lecture.

The first memorial lecture was delivered by C Rajagopalachari. Galaxies of eminent speakers have spoken in this series on wide-ranging subjects.

"This year, a new and innovative format has been adopted for the lecture, which will include a capsule encompassing the prime minister's address in Kevadia, Gujarat, as a tribute to this great son of India and the home minister's address in Delhi throwing light on the role of his predecessor, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel in the reorganisation of India which culminated into the reorganisation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, recently," the statement said.

Some of the luminaries who have delivered the lecture in earlier years include former president Dr Zakir Hussain, Morarji Desai, K P S Menon, Dr M S Swaminathan, Swami Ranganathananda, Nani Palkiwala, A M Khushro, Prof. M G K Menon, Dr. Karan Singh, Somnath Chatterjee and former President A P J Abdul Kalam.