Ahmedabad: Gujarat Vidyapith, founded by Mahatma Gandhi, will share replicas of India’s Bharat Ratna and Pakistan’s Nishan-e-Pakistan—awarded to former Prime Minister Morarji Desai—with the Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library (PMML) at Teen Murti Bhavan in Delhi. The move follows a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two institutions in 2024.

The original decorations are currently displayed in a gallery dedicated to Desai at Gujarat Vidyapith, where he served as chancellor from 1963 until his death in 1995. According to Vice-Chancellor Dr. Harshad Patel, replicas of both honours will be prepared and sent to PMML for public display, as visitor footfall at the Delhi museum is significantly higher than at the Vidyapith.

The awards are exhibited at the entrance of a three-room gallery inside the historic Pranjivan Mehta Vidyarthi Bhavan, which also houses galleries on Mahatma Gandhi and, more recently, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Gandhi founded the Vidyapith in 1920 and served as its first chancellor, followed by Patel and later Desai.

Desai remains the only Indian prime minister to have received the Nishan-e-Pakistan, conferred on May 18, 1991, a few months after he was awarded the Bharat Ratna in March the same year. The decision to share replicas emerged after a February 2 visit to the Vidyapith by PMML Director Ashwani Lohani and subsequent discussions with the vice-chancellor.

Gujarat Vidyapith is the sole custodian of Desai’s personal belongings, awards, state gifts, correspondence, books, and papers, as he bequeathed all his possessions to the institution in his will dated May 4, 1991.

The MoU signed on July 15, 2024, valid for five years, provides for collaborative access to research facilities and digital resources in line with institutional policies. The initiative gained momentum after Vidyapith officials observed limited archival material on Desai at PMML. DeshGujarat