Britain marked 100 years since the day Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was called to the Bar in London with the unveiling of a special commemorative plaque.
UK Attorney General Dominic Grieve was joined by Indian High Commissioner to the UK Ranjan Mathai at a special event yesterday evening at the iconic Middle Temple, one of London's four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers.
"Sardar Patel's is a remarkable story and this plaque will remind students hereafter of the immense contribution he made to Indian national life and ultimately to human kind," Grieve said, referring to India's first home minister.
"Sardar's unique role in the creation of our republic is well documented but he also played a crucial role in designing India's partnership with Britain within the Commonwealth. He truly valued the ties between our two countries," said Mathai.
Patel had enrolled at Middle Temple in 1911 and passed his Bar exams with distinction on January 27, 1913. He then returned to India and went on to get involved in the country's independence movement.
"He was a man of extraordinary vision and determination and is rightly recognised as the architect of modern united India as we see it today," said Rami Ranger, chairman of the British Sikh Association, which organised the event alongside the Indo-British Cultural Exchange.
The unveiling of the plaque was attended by senior Indian-origin parliamentarians here, including Sandip Verma, Virendra Sharma and Sailesh Vara, besides Lord Swraj Paul, who described the event as an "important gesture to recognise Sardar Patel's contributions to free India".
"Events like this are a good reminder for us to ensure that we never forget those that fought for India and its pride," he added.
