Ahmedabad: An exhibition on the life and legacy of Shri Rasiklal U. Parikh was inaugurated at the Ahmedabad Management Association on Friday.

Curated as a research-led public history initiative, the project is developed by Raj Patel, an intern from the Institute of Design, Nirma University, as part of his graduation project, with support from members of the Parikh family and archival researchers. The two-day exhibition, inaugurated on Parikh’s 116th birth anniversary.

The project seeks to revisit and document Parikh’s contribution, whose work in state-building, land reforms and governance has often remained underrepresented in mainstream historical memory.

Born on May 29, 1910, in Limbdi, Parikh was a freedom fighter, administrator and political leader who played a significant role in the formation and governance of Saurashtra and later Gujarat. He served as the Home Minister and later Chief Minister of Saurashtra State, and went on to hold key portfolios including revenue, land, home and industry in the Bombay and Gujarat governments. A member of the Constituent Assembly of India, Parikh also participated in the freedom movement and was imprisoned during the Salt Satyagraha and the Quit India Movement. He was widely recognised for his role in implementing land reforms in Saurashtra and remained deeply associated with education and public institutions throughout his life.

Spread across five thematic sections, the exhibition traces Parikh’s journey from the freedom movement to the challenges of governance in post-independence India. It explores his role in the integration of princely states, the Junagadh annexation, formation of the Aarzi Hukumat, implementation of the Saurashtra Land Reform Act, and the administrative complexities of building new institutions in a newly independent nation. The exhibition also reflects on his intellectual life, political convictions, personal struggles and public legacy.

Ms Gauri Wagenaar, Parikh’s granddaughter, said, “The exhibition emerged from a long-standing desire to reclaim and preserve an important yet increasingly overlooked chapter of Gujarat’s political history.”

Several invited speakers and guests remained present at the inaugural ceremony on Friday at AMA, who shared personal recollections and reflections on Parikh’s public life, work ethic and contribution to governance. DeshGujarat