Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel the iron-man of India was
born on 31st October, 1875, in a small village in Nadiad. His father Jhaverbhai
Patel was a simple farmer and mother Laad Bai was a simple lady. From his
childhood itself, Patel was a very hard-working individual. He used to help his
father in farming and studied in a school at N. K. High school, Petlad. He
passed his high-school examination in 1896. Throughout school he was a very
wise and intelligent student. Inspite of poor financial conditions his father
decided to send him to college but Vallabhbhai refused. Around three years he
stayed at home, worked hard and prepared for the District Leader's examination,
hence passing with very good percentage.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is a historical figure who
moves you to tears. Mostly these are tears of joy, for he achieved a thrilling
Indian unity. Yet some are tears of pity, for the Sardar suffered and
sacrificed much. Sardar Patel hated to work for anyone especially the
Britishers. He was a person of independent nature. He started his own practice
of law in a place called Godhara. Soon the practice flourished. He saved money,
made financial arrangement for the entire family. He got married to Jhaberaba.
In 1904, he got a baby daughter Maniben, and in 1905 his son Dahya was born. He
sent his elder brother to England for higher studies in law. In 1908,
Vitthabhai returned as barrister and started practising in Bombay. In 1909 his
wife became seriously ill and was taken to Bombay for treatment Vallabhbhai had
to go for the hearing of an urgent case and his wife died. He was stunned. He
admitted his children in St. Mary's school Bombay, and he left for England. He
became a barrister and retuned to India in 1913.
He started his practice in Ahmedabad and soon he became
aware of the local life, activities and people's problems. He became an
extremely popular person and he got elected in the Municipal Corportaion in
1917. Around 1915, he came across Mahatma Gandhi. The Swadeshi Movement was at
its peak. Gandhiji gave a lecture at a place in Ahmedabad where Patel
heard him and was very impressed and started actively participating in the
freedom movement. The British government's atrocities were increasing. The
government declared to confiscate all the lands of farmers. He forced the
British government to amend the rules. He brought together the farmers and
encouraged them and hence got the title of 'Sardar' and thus became famous.
The British government considered him as a threat and his
lectures were considered anti-government and he was imprisoned several times.
In 1942, he took part in the Quit India Movement under the leadership of
Mahatma Gandhi. He was arrested along with other leaders and was sent to
Ahmednagar jail. Inspite of the British Rule, rulers of the small kingdoms were
spending a lot of public money, and were having a nice time. Sardar Vallabh
Bhai opposed this.
With great wisdom and political foresight, he consolidated
the small kingdoms. The public was with him. He tackled the Nizam of Hyderabad
and the Nawab of Junagarh who intially did not want to join India. There were a
lot of problems connected with the reunion of the numerous states into India. Sardar
Patel's untiring efforts towards the unity of the country brought success.
Due to the achievement of this massive task, Sardar Patel got the
title of 'Iron Man'. ' He is one of the prestigious leaders of the world who
became immortal by uniting a scattered nation without any bloodshed. His
enthusiasm to work for the independent nation got a big jolt when Gandhiji was
murdered. Patel was very attached to Gandhiji and considered him, his
elder brother and teacher. He was encouraged by Mahatma Gandhi in all his work. Gandhiji's
death left him broken. On 15th December, 1950 he died of a cardiac arrest. The
news of his death spread all over the world. The entire nation plunged into
deep sorrow; everyday life came to a standstill. A grateful nation paid a
tearful homage to its beloved leader. In 1991 the grateful nation conferred
upon him the honour of Bharat Ratna.
This man of steel learnt early to be tough, for he was born
as a middle child in a family of impoverished peasant proprietors. As
Vallabhbhai would himself recall, his parents' hopes seemed centered on the
eldest two sons, Soma and Narsi, and their affection on the youngest two, Kashi
and the only daughter, Dahiba. The ones in the middle, Vallabh and Vithal, were
remembered last when clothes or sweets were to be distributed, and at once when
a chore had to be done. The rough schools he went to as a boy, and the courts
where he defended alleged criminals, also contributed to Vallabhbhai's mental
muscle and stern appearance. Yet this tough man smiled at the world and at
gloomy moments helped others to laugh. Also, he did not hesitate to step aside
for another --for his older brother Vithal when the latter wanted to use his
passport and ticket to London, and, years later, for Jawaharlal Nehru, when
Mahatma Gandhi desired that Nehru should sit in a chair to which Patel seemed
entitled. And this strong man before whom rajas and maharajas trembled, and to
whom rich men gave large funds for India's national movement, did not allow a
rupee to stick to his fingers, and he saw to it that his children, a son and a
daughter, lived simple lives during and after their father's lifetime.
His strength of character, the sharpness of his mind, his
organizing skills, and all his energy were offered up for achieving the freedom
of India under Gandhi's leadership, and after independence for India's
consolidation. We admire a man who rises to a political or financial peak, but
are moved by one whose sole purpose in life is the strength and wellbeing of
his compatriots. And we are moved even more when we discover that next to the
steel in his soul is tenderness for colleagues and a readiness to accept
whatever results God ordains. In successive phases of his life, Vallabhbhai
Patel showed the defiance of the oppressed, a trial lawyer's brilliance,
the daring to give up a flourishing career, the discipline of a soldier in
freedom's battles, the strategies of a General, indifference as a prisoner of
the Raj, the generosity of the strong, the firmness of a patriot, and the
farsightedness of a statesman. If times are depressing or daunting, Sardar
Patel reminds us of India's and Indians' potential. When times are good,
we can think of him with glad gratitude.
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