Ahmedabad, May 29, 2026: An exhibition on the life and legacy of Shri Rasiklal U. Parikh was inaugurated at the Ahmedabad Management Association on Friday. Titled, ‘A Visionary Statesman: The Public Life of Rasiklal U. Parikh’, the exhibition revisits the journey of the statesman who played a key role in shaping governance in post-independence Saurashtra and Gujarat through archival material, historical accounts and narratives from his public life.
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, has brought together academics, students, civic leaders, historians and citizens interested in Gujarat’s political and institutional history.
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 AarziHukumat, 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.
Moving away from a conventional commemorative format, the exhibition presents a research-led and reading-oriented narrative experience through archival material, interpretive panels and historical accounts. Visitors are invited to engage with the realities of governance, institution-building and public service during the formative years of Saurashtra and Gujarat.
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. The initiative is envisioned not merely as a memorial project, but as a travelling public archive that would continue to engage audiences across Gujarat over the coming months.”
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.
