Shimla, July 11 -- Vande Mataram transformed love for the motherland into a sacred national duty, inspiring generations of freedom fighters with courage, sacrifice and hope, said Vice President C P Radhakrishnan on Friday. He was virtually addressing the inauguration of the Permanent Exhibition on Journey of Vande Mataram and the International Seminar on 'Sardar Patel's Vision: Integration, Unification and Federalism',organised by the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), Shimla. The VP said that the nation was commemorating two historic milestones -- the 150th anniversary of the national song Vande Mataram and the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Speaking to media persons on the sidelines of the inauguration, governor Kavinder Gupta said the seminar would help present historical facts backed by research and introduce younger generations to the contributions of India's freedom fighters and nation-builders. "This international seminar is an important academic initiative. For many years, several aspects of India's history both before and after Independence were presented in a distorted manner. The contributions of our freedom fighters and great national leaders did not always receive the recognition they deserved. Through this seminar and exhibition, supported by serious research, the younger generation will get an opportunity to understand the true historical significance of Vande Mataram and the role played by Sardar Patel in nation-building," Gupta said. The governor said Vande Mataram remained a powerful source of inspiration during the freedom struggle and stressed that historical narratives should be revisited through research rather than politics....