This year’s National Unity Day celebrations at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat will move to the evening and centre on the end of armed Naxalism, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan said in New Delhi on Wednesday, 21 October. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at the Statue of Unity on 31 October and then review the Unity Parade, a day after attending a theatre production based on Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s Anandmath.
The briefing, released by the Ministry of Home Affairs through the Press Information Bureau, set out several changes from past years: evening timings because of daytime heat, tableaux designed by ordinary citizens instead of ministries, and a cultural programme built with families from other states who have lived in Gujarat for generations.
Key facts
- Dates: 30 October (NSD play on Anandmath) and 31 October (tribute at the Statue of Unity, Unity Parade)
- Venue: Ekta Nagar, Gujarat; all events in the evening
- Parade theme: the end of armed Naxalism, with State Police and CAPF contingents
- NSD show: “Naxal Mukt Bharat” with about 2,000 artists from 126 formerly affected districts
- Audience: about 5,000 invitees from the same 126 districts
- Cultural theme: 150 years of Vande Mataram; about 5,000 artists
- Tableaux: 15, all chosen through public design contests on MyGov and in Gujarat’s districts
A parade built around the end of armed Naxalism
According to the Home Secretary, the parade will celebrate what the government describes as India becoming free of armed Naxalism in 2026. Contingents from State Police forces and Central Armed Police Forces, which led operations in the affected regions, will march past the Prime Minister while large LED screens play a short film on the government’s record.
The National School of Drama will stage a production titled “Naxal Mukt Bharat” featuring around 2,000 performers selected from 126 districts that once saw armed Naxal activity. Around 5,000 residents of those districts have been invited to watch and to share, in conversations, what life was like during the peak of the conflict. Officials said the aim is to show development replacing insurgency in those areas.
Citizen-designed tableaux and a Vande Mataram theme
For the first time, the 15 tableaux at Ekta Nagar will come entirely from designs submitted by the public through a national contest on MyGov and district-level contests in Gujarat. Ministries and departments will have no role in their design, the briefing said.
The wider cultural programme marks 150 years of Vande Mataram. About 5,000 artists will take part, and roughly 50 groups of families whose roots lie in other states but who have long lived in Gujarat will present the traditions of their home regions under the “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” idea. Last year’s NSD production focused on Sardar Patel himself; this year’s play draws on Anandmath, the novel in which Vande Mataram first appeared.
Why it matters for readers in Maharashtra
Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli and Gondia districts in Vidarbha were among the areas long affected by Naxal violence, and state police units such as the C-60 commandos were part of the counter-insurgency effort. The parade’s focus on police forces and on residents of formerly affected districts therefore has a direct link to the state. National Unity Day, observed on Sardar Patel’s birth anniversary every 31 October, also sees Run for Unity events in towns across Maharashtra, including Jalna and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
Ekta Nagar is about a day’s drive from Marathwada, and the Home Ministry has invited people from across the country to attend the parade and visit the Statue of Unity. For background on Patel’s political journey, see our explainer on Gandhi and Sardar Patel’s partnership and the story of the Kheda Satyagraha of 1918.
What happens next
Rehearsals for the parade and cultural programmes are expected in the days leading up to 31 October. The release mentioned Bharat Parv 2026 in its title but did not give its dates or programme; those details are likely to follow from the government.
FAQ
When is National Unity Day 2026?
It falls on Saturday, 31 October 2026, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Why are the events in the evening this year?
The Home Ministry said daytime temperatures at Ekta Nagar are high, so all events have been shifted to the evening.
Who designed the tableaux?
Members of the public, through design competitions on MyGov and in every district of Gujarat.
Source: Press Information Bureau (Ministry of Home Affairs) — https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2326168
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