Dehradun: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday offered floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on their birth anniversaries and separately paid homage to those who laid down their lives during the statehood movement, officials said.
Ceremonies at residence and Secretariat
At the Chief Minister’s official residence, Dhami placed wreaths and recalled the contributions of both leaders, emphasising the continuing relevance of their ideals for social harmony and national service, according to the state administration.
Earlier in the day, Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan led a separate ceremony at the Secretariat where he, along with other senior officials, paid floral tributes to Gandhi and Shastri.
- At the residence: floral tributes and a brief remembrance by the Chief Minister.
- At the Secretariat: Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan and senior officers participated in the commemoration.
- Cultural element: Bharatkhande Music College presented a group rendition of Gandhi’s favourite bhajan, "Vaishnav Jan".
Remembering Shastri and Gandhi
Recalling Mahatma Gandhi, Dhami spoke of the enduring value of his principles of truth, non-violence and humanity as foundations for peace and social cohesion, the administration said. On Shastri, the Chief Minister highlighted the leader’s life of simplicity, honesty and duty, and noted the continuing resonance of his axiom:
"Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan"
The statement was presented by the government as a reminder of soldiers’ and farmers’ role in nation-building, according to the event account.
Tribute to statehood martyrs
Dhami also visited the Shaheed Sthal in the Kachahari complex in Dehradun to pay homage to the martyrs of the Uttarakhand statehood movement, the government said. He underlined that the creation of a separate state was the result of the sacrifice and struggles by statehood activists and reaffirmed that their contribution would not be forgotten.
The chief minister reiterated the state government’s commitment to recognising and addressing the welfare of statehood activists and their families, as noted in official accounts of the event.
Officials present
The administration listed several senior officers who attended the Secretariat ceremony. They included:
- Principal Secretary R.K. Sudhanshu
- R. Meenakshi Sundaram
- Secretary Nitesh Kumar Jha
- Additional Secretary Vijay Kumar Jogdande
- Navneet Pandey and other senior officers and employees
| Venue | Activity | Principal Attendees |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Minister's residence | Floral tributes to Gandhi and Shastri | Pushkar Singh Dhami |
| Secretariat | Tributes; cultural rendition of "Vaishnav Jan" | Anand Bardhan, senior officers |
| Shaheed Sthal, Kachahari complex | Tribute to statehood martyrs | Pushkar Singh Dhami |
Context and significance
Gandhi and Shastri’s birth anniversaries are observed nationally as occasions to remember leaders whose policies and personal conduct are frequently invoked by political and administrative heads. In Uttarakhand, the remembrance also dovetailed with the commemoration of the statehood movement, a sensitive and symbolic part of the state's modern political history.
The state government’s emphasis on the welfare of statehood activists and their families follows longstanding demands from activists and organisations that campaigned for a separate hill state, the officials’ account noted. The visits to the Shaheed Sthal reaffirmed the official narrative that the state’s formation was enabled by sacrifice and activism.
No financial announcements or new policy measures were reported at the events. The ceremonies were limited to tributes, cultural observance and public statements recorded by the administration.
Officials present included a cross-section of senior administrative officers; the Bharatkhande Music College contribution added a cultural element to the day’s commemorations at the Secretariat.
