Ahmedabad, Feb 12 Gujarat Vidyapith, the historic institution founded by Mahatma Gandhi, is set to extend the legacy of former Prime Minister Morarji Desai to a national audience by sharing replicas of his Bharat Ratna and Nishan-e-Pakistan awards with the Prime Ministers' Museum and Library (PMML) in New Delhi.
The initiative follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two institutions in 2024.
The Morarji Desai Museum at the Vidyapith, established in 2003, preserves the late Prime Minister’s personal belongings, state gifts, correspondence and other artefacts, all donated to the institution in accordance with his will.
Advaita Dave, Museum Coordinator at Gujarat Vidyapith, told IANS, “In his will, Desai mentioned that all his belongings, including gifts, should be donated to Vidyapith. We are only sharing the replicas. The originals will remain here.”
The museum houses a wide array of items reflecting Desai’s personal and official life. Dave highlighted that the collection includes his khadi clothes and shoes, personal diary, letters of felicitation, a miniature charkha, wooden exercise and acupressure equipment, a pair of golden scissors from a formal inauguration, coins from Budapest and across India, gifts from Thailand and Nagaland, and objects made from cattle horn.
“For Gujarat Vidyapith, this is a moment of pride. Desai served as Chancellor for over three decades and deeply valued the institution. He attended convocations and often stayed for a week to engage with students and faculty,” she said.
The decision to share replicas was influenced by PMML Director Ashwani Lohani’s visit to the Vidyapith earlier this month to review the collection.
“Compared to Vidyapith, there is limited material related to Desai in Delhi,” Dave explained.
The initiative will allow a wider audience to view Desai’s achievements, particularly the honours that highlight his contributions to Indo-Pak relations.
Desai remains the only Indian Prime Minister to have received Pakistan’s Nishan-e-Pakistan, which was conferred in 1991, shortly after he was awarded the Bharat Ratna. The process of preparing and transferring the replicas is expected to be completed within three to four months.
The MoU also enables both institutions to collaborate on research and digital resource sharing, ensuring that Desai’s legacy is preserved and made accessible to scholars and the public alike.
In 2025, the Vidyapith museum recorded an average annual footfall of nearly 3,000 visitors, most of them students. The collaboration with PMML is expected to amplify this reach, showcasing Gujarat Vidyapith’s role as the custodian of one of India’s most respected Prime Ministers’ legacies.
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