Samipya 2000 Vol 17 Ank 03 04

Author(s): Bhartiben Shelat, R T Savalia
Publisher: Bholabhai Jeshingbhai Adhyayan Sanshodhan Vidyabhavan

Page 38

and strong political atmosphere in Gujarat was visible. (2) This association named as 'Gujarat Sabhā' was founded an year earlier than the establishment of the INC in 1885. (3) This miniature of the Mahāsabhā, this Gujarat based association got the status of pioneering institution in the history of the National Freedom Movement. (4) The object of this association was to bring to the knowledge of the government people's difficulties and injustice through memoranda, representations et cetera, which were also the aims of the INC in the beginning. (5) Thus the origin of the Gujarat Sabhā became, so to say, the precursor of the Mahasabha. (6) Desire for freedom was a genuine aspiration that took several forms of which Gujarat Sabhā was one. (7) Both Gandhiji and Sardar Patel were the Presidents of this Sabhä. (8) As per the Nagpur Congress resolution in 1920. Provincial Committees of the Congress were constituted. Hence Gujarat Sabhā then became 'Gujarat Pradesh Congress Samiti'.
Thus before the establishment of the all India body in the wake of nation's freedom movenient, Gujarat thus was enlightened politically showing its policised awareness in the national perspective and contributed basically by resisting steps taken by British Government by establishing political body viz. Gujarat Sabha and taking constructive measures of Swadeshi.
In an overview such as this, space and time do not permit a detailed account and its analysis of the various efforts made by our historians to enlarge the scope of using the verbal sources for writing our history; for our country has witnessed a drama since millions of years with actors of different races, different faiths, different languages and cultures in different regions at different times through the ages. One could imagine the enormity of verbal traditions we have had during all these years. Take an event and just try to register information after information and one would need a volume to do full justice to it. If these were to be the case of one incident at one time what about the whole of India since the beginning of man's culture ? This shows that the area of verbal sources too is quite large in width and breadth. The larger the vision of knowledge the larger the horizon of information.
I am sure that we would certainly realise the fact that this discipline is a rich heritage from the past down to this day. I do hope we would exert our utmost strength to nourish and cherish this blooming lotus from mud and mire so that its beauty and fragrance may spread far and wide for illuminating the love and labour that our elder generations showed for fighting for the cause of nation's freedom of which we now celebrate its 50th year.
Fellow historians and archaeologists, once again I thank you all for having chosen me for this high office and crave your indulgence by giving me patient hearing for these rambling and scattered remarks. I wish the deliberations all success. Abhār. Astu.
Dynamics of National Awareness in Gujarat Before 1885)
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