SUBA INDIA

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Vallabhbhai Patel</div>
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<span class="kno-ecr-st-val" style="padding-right: 5px;">Barrister</span></div>
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Sardar Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel was an Indian barrister and statesman, one of the leaders of the Indian National Congress and one of the founding fathers of the Republic of India. <a class="fl q kno-desca-lnk" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vallabhbhai_Patel" style="color: #999999; cursor: pointer; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"><span class="kno-desca" style="white-space: nowrap;">Wikipedia</span></a></div>
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<span class="kno-fh" style="font-weight: bolder;"><a class="fl" href="https://www.google.co.in/search?q=sardar+patel+children&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAGOovnz8BQMDgwYHnxCHfq6-Qbp5drmWVHaylX5Ban5BTiqQKirOz7NKzsjMSSlKzTPgsfXv-3rj9hsus6uNF-fPLC2VEQUAm_lF50UAAAA&sa=X&ei=vcCtUpjbM4X3rQfN_ICgDA&ved=0CMQBEOgTKAEwEw" style="color: #1e0fbe; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Children</a>: </span><span class="kno-fv"><span class="kno-fv-vq fl" data-vq="/search?q=%22vallabhbhai+patel%22+%22children%22+%22maniben+patel%22&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAGOovnz8BQMDAx8HsxKHfq6-Qbp5drkDoyNzy_REG0WOlZav43g3tnk32KleBQDsvrMVKwAAAA"><a class="fl" href="https://www.google.co.in/search?q=maniben+patel&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAGOovnz8BQMDgzEHnxCHfq6-Qbp5drkSJ4iVHJ-dZqgllZ1spV-Qml-Qkwqkiorz86ySMzJzUopS8-4uCLujZNwmu3R2aOK-aw-6zljMOwoA2wnp4FAAAAA&sa=X&ei=vcCtUpjbM4X3rQfN_ICgDA&ved=0CMUBEJsTKAIwEw" style="color: #1e0fbe; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Maniben Patel</a></span>, <span class="kno-fv-vq fl" data-vq="/search?q=%22vallabhbhai+patel%22+%22children%22+%22dahyabhai+patel%22&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAGOovnz8BQMDAx8HsxKHfq6-Qbp5drkDo0VN3DMVvd9PFjh7mjxsXVusUbX1CgBtcEZAKwAAAA"><a class="fl" href="https://www.google.co.in/search?q=dahyabhai+patel&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAGOovnz8BQMDgzEHnxCHfq6-Qbp5drkSJ4iVHJ-dka4llZ1spV-Qml-Qkwqkiorz86ySMzJzUopS8_6tcde_dudhUkfOrbvNIhGW3txuHQA71oG4UAAAAA&sa=X&ei=vcCtUpjbM4X3rQfN_ICgDA&ved=0CMYBEJsTKAMwEw" style="color: #1e0fbe; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Dahyabhai Patel</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was known in India as the 'Man of</span></div>
<div>
Steel'.</div>
<div>
Vallabhbhai was born in Nadiad. It was a small village in</div>
<div>
Gujarat. His father was Jhaverbhai Patel, and his mother Ladbai.</div>
<div>
Jhaverbhai was a poor farmer. He was a strong and sturdy man. His</div>
<div>
country and freedom were as dear to him as his own life. In 1857 the</div>
<div>
people of India fought for their freedom. Jhaverbhai, who was then a</div>
<div>
young man, fought bravely at that time. Vithalbhai, Vallabhbhai's</div>
<div>
elder brother, was also a well-known patriot. He was the Chairman of</div>
<div>
the Indian Legislative Council.</div>
<div>
Once, when he was a small boy, Vallahbhai suffered from a boil</div>
<div>
in the armpit. There was a man in the village who used to cure boils</div>
<div>
by touching them with hot iron. The boy went to him. The man heated</div>
<div>
the iron rod till it grew red. But he hesitated, seeing at the boy's</div>
<div>
tender years.</div>
<div>
"What are you waiting for? The iron will grow cold. Hurry up,</div>
<div>
brand the boil," said the boy angrily.</div>
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Page 1 of 20Sardar Patel</div>
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The man was even more frightened. The boy picked up the</div>
<div>
glowing rod and burnt the boil. Those who watched him were</div>
<div>
shocked and screamed. But there was not even a trace of pain in the</div>
<div>
boy's face.</div>
<div>
This amazing boy was born on the 31st of October 1875. (This</div>
<div>
is the date generally accepted.) The elders were filled with pride and</div>
<div>
joy at the fearlessness of the little boy; the younger ones loved and</div>
<div>
admired him. No companion of his ever disobeyed him. By nature he</div>
<div>
rebelled against injustice. He showed a genuine interest in the</div>
<div>
welfare of his companions, constantly Enquirer about their needs and</div>
<div>
problems helped them as best he could, and promoted friendship and</div>
<div>
unity.</div>
<div>
Vallabhbhai's early education was in Karamsad. Then he joined</div>
<div>
a school in Petlad. After two years he joined a high school in a town</div>
<div>
called Nadiad. A teacher of this school used to sell the books, which</div>
<div>
the pupils needed. He used to force all the pupils to buy books only</div>
<div>
from him. If any boy bought books from others, the teacher used to</div>
<div>
tease him.Vallabhbhai thought that this was wrong. He spoke to his</div>
<div>
companions, and saw to it that not a single pupil attended the</div>
<div>
classes. For a whole week the school could not work. The teacher</div>
<div>
had to correct himself.</div>
<div>
When he was in Petlad he used to cook for himself. Every week</div>
<div>
he used to carry provisions from home, walking the entire distance.</div>
<div>
He could have gone by train, but he did not have the money to buy a</div>
<div>
ticket.</div>
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Page 2 of 20Sardar Patel</div>
<div>
During his school days, one day a teacher made a mistake in</div>
<div>
working a sum. Vallabhbhai pointed out the error. The teacher was</div>
<div>
very angry and said, "All right, you be the teacher." The boy replied,</div>
<div>
"Very well, sir." He worked the sum correctly, and sat down in the</div>
<div>
teacher's chair!</div>
<div>
Vallabhbhai first chose Sanskrit. Then he changed to Gujarati.</div>
<div>
Sanskrit was dearer to the teacher who taught Gujarati than his own</div>
<div>
subject. When Vallabhbhai entered his class, the teacher wanted to</div>
<div>
taunt him, and said, "Welcome, great man!" Poor man, he did not</div>
<div>
know that the boy would one day become a very great man.</div>
<div>
He asked the boy, in anger, "Why did you give up Sanskrit and</div>
<div>
choose Gujarati?"</div>
<div>
Vallabhbhai answered, "If every one chooses Sanskrit, you will</div>
<div>
have no work."</div>
<div>
The teacher was in a rage. He complained to the headmaster.</div>
<div>
Vallabhbhai narrated to the headmaster all that had happened. The</div>
<div>
headmaster said, "I have not seen such a bold pupil." This made the</div>
<div>
teacher even more bitter. Vallabhbhai, too, did not wish to remain in</div>
<div>
that school. He went back. He studied at home and passed the</div>
<div>
examination.</div>
<div>
Vallabhbhai's cherished ambition was to become a barrister.</div>
<div>
But in order to realize this ambition, he had to continue his studies in</div>
<div>
England. But his family was in utter poverty. He did not have enough</div>
<div>
money evens to join a college in India.</div>
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Page 3 of 20Sardar Patel</div>
<div>
In those days a candidate could study in private and sit for an</div>
<div>
examination in Law. Vallabhbhai's brother, Vithalbhai, also was a</div>
<div>
lawyer. He attended coaching classes before entering himself for the</div>
<div>
examination. But Vallabhbhai did not even attend coaching classes.</div>
<div>
He borrowed books from the lawer of his acquaintance and studied</div>
<div>
their judgements.Occasionally he attended courts of law. He studied</div>
<div>
their judgments. He listened attentively to the arguments of lawyers.</div>
<div>
He observed keenly lawyers of all types - the timid ones, the dashing</div>
<div>
ones and the skillful ones. He listened to them all.</div>
<div>
Vallabhbhai passed the examination.</div>
<div>
Vallabhbhai had absolutely no facilities to begin practice of law.</div>
<div>
He borrowed some money from his friends and hired a room in a</div>
<div>
town called Godhra. He furnished it with a couple of chairs, and also</div>
<div>
mats for those who wished to squat on the floor.</div>
<div>
Before long clients were attracted to this enthusiastic young</div>
<div>
man. If he took up a subject, Vallabhbhai made a thorough study of it.</div>
<div>
In a short time Vallabhbhai made a name as a very eminent</div>
<div>
lawyer. By then he was married. Two children were born - a daughter,</div>
<div>
Manibehn, and a son, Dhayabhai. Vallabhbhai's wife fell ill, and he</div>
<div>
sent her to Bombay for treatment.</div>
<div>
As Vallabhbhai wished to become a barrister, he was saving</div>
<div>
money and making preparations to go to England. He wrote a letter to</div>
<div>
a travel agency about his trip to England. By chance it fell into the</div>
<div>
hands of Vithalbhai. He told Vallabhbhai, "I shall go to England first;</div>
<div>
you can go later."</div>
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Page 4 of 20Sardar Patel</div>
<div>
Without the slightest hesitation Vallabhbhai agreed. "Take it</div>
<div>
that my money and my ticket are yours. Make use of them gladly.</div>
<div>
And if you need money in England write to me. I shall send you the</div>
<div>
money," he told his brother.</div>
<div>
Vithalbhai's wife was not a woman who would easily adopt</div>
<div>
herself to circumstances. She was worded; what was she to do if her</div>
<div>
husband went abroad? Who would look after her? Vallabhbhai said,</div>
<div>
"Come and stay with us till my brother returns. Think of my house as</div>
<div>
yours."</div>
<div>
Three years passed, and the elder brother returned from</div>
<div>
England.</div>
<div>
One day Vallabhbhai had to appear in a very important case.</div>
<div>
He was arguing before the judge with the almost concentration. He</div>
<div>
was still on his feet when an urgent telegram was handed to him. He</div>
<div>
glanced at the contents and folded and put the paper in his pocket,</div>
<div>
and went on with the argument. It was only after he concluded his</div>
<div>
speech and sat down that even those near him learnt the contents of</div>
<div>
the telegram -his wife was dead!</div>
<div>
Vallabhbhai had read the news -and had gone on with his</div>
<div>
arguments as if nothing had happened. Such was his sense of duty.</div>
<div>
All through his life, troubles never discouraged him. With a will of iron</div>
<div>
he completed whatever task he had under taken.</div>
<div>
Patel was only thirty-three years old when his wife died. He did</div>
<div>
not wish to marry again.</div>
<div>
Page 5 of 20Sardar Patel</div>
<div>
After his brother's return, Vallabhbhai went to England. He</div>
<div>
studied with single-minded devotion. The glitter and luxury of</div>
<div>
fashionable life did not tempt him. The library was at a distance of</div>
<div>
eleven miles from his lodging. Every morning he walked to the library,</div>
<div>
and walked back in the evening. He stood first in the Barrister-at-Law</div>
<div>
Examination.</div>
<div>
As soon as he returned to India, Vallabhbhai set up practice as</div>
<div>
a barrister at Ahmedabad. Day by day his fame and his influence</div>
<div>
grew. The elder brother, Vithalbhai, said, "You look after the family; I</div>
<div>
shall work, for the country."</div>
<div>
"Yes," said Vallabhbhai. At the time he was earning eight to ten</div>
<div>
thousand rupees a month. He spent his leisure hour’s playing cards</div>
<div>
in a local club. He dressed like the English. He was not at all</div>
<div>
interested in politics. He sometimes laughed at Satyagraha</div>
<div>
(nonviolent non-cooperation) and service to the country as dreams of</div>
<div>
crazy fellows.</div>
<div>
Gradually the spell of Gandhiji spread all over Gujarat. It</div>
<div>
changed Vallabhbhai's life, too. Gandhiji attended the Political</div>
<div>
Conference at Godhra. He and Vallabhbhai met at that time, and</div>
<div>
soon became friends.</div>
<div>
Patel was very fond of children, but he was never given to an</div>
<div>
exhibition of his affection. When Manibehn shyly asked him, "How are</div>
<div>
you, father?" he made a brief answer: "I am all right."</div>
<div>
Dhayabhai sometimes tried to engage his father in</div>
<div>
conversation; but Vallabhbhai seldom responded.</div>
<div>
Page 6 of 20Sardar Patel</div>
<div>
Gandhiji entered Patel's home, too. He was like a father to the</div>
<div>
two children.</div>
<div>
The training and refinement she received inculcated several</div>
<div>
good qualities in Manibehn. Love of simple life and good habits</div>
<div>
developed in her. When public life imposed a severe strain on her</div>
<div>
father she devoted herself to his service. She became his private</div>
<div>
secretary, took care of his health, and found joy and fulfillment in</div>
<div>
serving him. She was convinced that she could best serve the</div>
<div>
country by sharing his burden to the best of her ability.</div>
<div>
In 1918 heavy rains destroyed the crops in Gujarat. The</div>
<div>
farmers in Kaira District were particularly in distress. The Government</div>
<div>
demanded the payment of the revenue taxes to the last pie. The</div>
<div>
farmers turned to Gandhiji as their refuge.</div>
<div>
Gandhiji said, "I need some one who will assume the entire</div>
<div>
responsibility for this struggle."</div>
<div>
"I shall be responsible," said Vallabhbhai Patel, and assumed</div>
<div>
the leadership of the struggle. He infused the peasants with courage,</div>
<div>
saying, "Why are you afraid of the English? If the people are united</div>
<div>
no government can do anything." He gave up his western clothes,</div>
<div>
and began to dress like the poor and humble peasants. He walked</div>
<div>
from village to village along rough tracks full of stones and thorns and</div>
<div>
brought about unity among the farmers. The farmers were filled with</div>
<div>
reverence and admiration for this prominent barrister from</div>
<div>
Ahmedabad who toiled for them day and night. One word from him,</div>
<div>
and they were ready to lay down their lives for him. So the</div>
<div>
government had to yield finally. The taxes were remitted. The</div>
<div>
Page 7 of 20Sardar Patel</div>
<div>
struggle led by Patel was successful. In June 1918 the farmers</div>
<div>
celebrated their victory. They invited Gandhiji and presented him with</div>
<div>
an address.</div>
<div>
Said Gandhiji, "The credit of this victory should go to</div>
<div>
Vallabhbhai Patel. You are fortunate to be led, by such a great hero."</div>
<div>
Patel said with modesty, "The people of Kaira District have</div>
<div>
fought with courage and endurance. Theirs is the honor of this</div>
<div>
triumph."</div>
<div>
Vallabhbhai lived up to his ideals. In 1920 the Congress Party</div>
<div>
passed a resolution on non-cooperation; it resolved not to cooperate</div>
<div>
with the foreign government in any way. Patel gave up his practice as</div>
<div>
a barrister, which used to bring him thousands of rupees every</div>
<div>
month. He asked people not to send their children to schools run by</div>
<div>
the government. He founded the Gujarat Vidyapeetha to educate the</div>
<div>
children to grow up to be patriots. He collected lakhs of rupees for</div>
<div>
this institution and built it up.</div>
<div>
In 1923 the government ordered that no one should carry the</div>
<div>
tricolored flag in any road in Nagpur where government officers lived.</div>
<div>
Who could object to the display of our flag in our country? The people</div>
<div>
decided to disobey this offensive order. They invited Vallabhbhai</div>
<div>
Patel to guide them. As soon as he arrived the struggle grew more</div>
<div>
spirited. Satyagrahis began to pour in from other parts of the country.</div>
<div>
The agitation went on for three and a half months. Finally the</div>
<div>
government withdrew the order, and the satyagraha ended in a</div>
<div>
victory for the people.</div>
<div>
Page 8 of 20Sardar Patel</div>
<div>
The people of Borsad Taluk were subjected to great suffering at</div>
<div>
that time. A dacoit, Babar by name, and his gang began to indulge in</div>
<div>
murder and looting. A police force arrived to put him down. But the</div>
<div>
police became as much a menace as the robbers. They frightened</div>
<div>
the people and took away money, jewels and grains. In the</div>
<div>
meanwhile the government imposed a new tax on the people to meet</div>
<div>
the expenses of the police force. (This kind of tax is called punitive</div>
<div>
tax'.) This was adding insult to injury. The people grounded under the</div>
<div>
burden.</div>
<div>
In this hour of distress Vallabhbhai raced to the rescue of the</div>
<div>
people. He formed a team of young volunteers from the neighboring</div>
<div>
villages for protection from the bandits. As soon as these young men</div>
<div>
swung into action the dacoit disappeared.</div>
<div>
Patel told the Government: "We do not want your police force</div>
<div>
here; and we are not going to pay the new tax." The officers of the</div>
<div>
government tried to frighten the people in a number of ways. But their</div>
<div>
tricks were of no use. The government had to withdraw its order</div>
<div>
tamely. Vallabhbhai's fame spread to every nook and corner of India.</div>
<div>
That year the rains played havoc in Gujarat. There were floods</div>
<div>
everywhere. The roads were under water. Thousands of houses were</div>
<div>
washed away. Lakes of people lost everything. Vallabhbhai came to</div>
<div>
their rescue. His efforts brought 2,000 volunteers together. They</div>
<div>
supplied food and clothes to those that had suffered vowing to the</div>
<div>
floods and looked after them.</div>
<div>
But their services were still needed. Hardly had the floods</div>
<div>
subsided when a terrible famine broke out. The farmers had no oxen,</div>
<div>
Page 9 of 20Sardar Patel</div>
<div>
and no seeds; how were they to till the land? People were in utter</div>
<div>
despair. Patel drew the attention of the government to the sufferings</div>
<div>
of the people. He argued that the government collected taxes from</div>
<div>
the people, and therefore, it was the duty of the government to help</div>
<div>
them in their distress. So forceful was his demand that finally the</div>
<div>
government had to spend fifteen million rupees to help those in the</div>
<div>
famine stricken areas. Patel organized the relief works very efficiently</div>
<div>
so that the money was used properly. The world realized that he was</div>
<div>
not only a great fighter but also a superb organizer.</div>
<div>
Bardoli is a Taluk in Gujarat. The people of this Taluk were in</div>
<div>
sheer distress, having suffered because of the floods and the famine.</div>
<div>
But, in this hour of distress, the foreign government raised the</div>
<div>
revenue taxes by thirty percent. The people did not know what to do.</div>
<div>
They went to Patel and said, "You are our only hope."</div>
<div>
Said Patel, "If you oppose the government your sufferings will</div>
<div>
multiply. You will lose your lands and houses, The Government will</div>
<div>
do its best to crush you. You will not have a grain of rice or a drop of</div>
<div>
milk, and the women and the children will suffer sheer misery.</div>
<div>
Consider well. If you are confident that you have the grit to face all</div>
<div>
this, let us fight."</div>
<div>
"We are ready. We will die rather than bow to injustice," said</div>
<div>
the farmers.</div>
<div>
First of all, Patel wrote to the Governor, and appealed to him to</div>
<div>
reduce the taxes. But he turned a deaf ear to Patel. The Government</div>
<div>
even announced the date of the collection of the taxes.</div>
<div>
Page 10 of 20Sardar Patel</div>
<div>
"No one shall pay a pie as tax," Patel instructed the farmers.</div>
<div>
The bugles of war sounded.</div>
<div>
Patel divided Bardoli District into several zones. Each zone had</div>
<div>
a center, and a leader and some volunteers manned each center.</div>
<div>
There were messengers to carry messages from one center to</div>
<div>
another. Patel also appointed spies to report on the movements of</div>
<div>
Government officials.</div>
<div>
"We shall use all our powers and crush the agitation," declared</div>
<div>
the Governor of Bombay. The Government sent ruffians to frighten</div>
<div>
the villagers.</div>
<div>
The ruffians would enter villages and beat up the villagers.</div>
<div>
They used to force their way into houses and carry away grain, goods</div>
<div>
and money. They insulted the women. But the farmers refused to</div>
<div>
yield. They did not pay a single pie.</div>
<div>
The government began to auction the houses and the lands.</div>
<div>
But not a single man came forward to buy them. Vallabhbhai had</div>
<div>
appointed volunteers in every village to keep watch. As soon as he</div>
<div>
sighted the officials who were coming to auction the property, the</div>
<div>
volunteer would sound his bugle. The farmers would leave the village</div>
<div>
and hide in the jungles. The officials would find the entire village</div>
<div>
empty. They could never find out who owned a particular house.</div>
<div>
Patel was with the villagers all day and night, and infused</div>
<div>
courage in them.</div>
<div>
Page 11 of 20Sardar Patel</div>
<div>
"If you still have a shred of fear," he told them, "throw it to the</div>
<div>
bottom of the well. It is the government which is now frightened, not</div>
<div>
we."</div>
<div>
"I, too, am a farmer," said Patel. "I know the mind of the</div>
<div>
farmers. I want that the farmers should be respected and am able to</div>
<div>
hold their heads erect. I can have peace of mind only when that is</div>
<div>
achieved."</div>
<div>
Patel learnt that some rich men were coming from cities to buy</div>
<div>
the lands of the farmers, which were being auctioned. "I am the</div>
<div>
Sardar (chief) in Gujarat," declared Patel; "let them come, I know</div>
<div>
what to do." There was total social boycott of those who bought the</div>
<div>
lands. The rich men who had come from, outside could not get a</div>
<div>
grain of rice or a drop of water, and were glad to escape alive.</div>
<div>
Several members of the Bombay Legislative Assembly</div>
<div>
opposed the unjust policies of the government and resigned.</div>
<div>
Government, too, lost heart. The people's agitation triumphed.</div>
<div>
Vallabhbhai came to be known as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The</div>
<div>
farmers of Bardoli presented him with an address and praised his</div>
<div>
greatness and leadership. In reply Patel said: "It was Mahatma</div>
<div>
Gandhi who gave me the herb of Satyagraha. All that I did was to</div>
<div>
administer the medicine. And you strictly followed that doctor's</div>
<div>
instructions. So all that you have said in praise of me in your address</div>
<div>
should belong to him and to you; all that remains for me is the blank</div>
<div>
sheet of paper. The prosperity of the country is in the hands of the</div>
<div>
youth. Do not forget - in every country it is the young who have won</div>
<div>
and consolidated freedom, and passed it on to later generations."</div>
<div>
Page 12 of 20Sardar Patel</div>
<div>
All India now knew Patel as the Sardar.</div>
<div>
Sardar's fiery words provoked the British Government. It sent</div>
<div>
him to prison twice in 1930. But this only increased his influence.</div>
<div>
Sardar Patel was elected President of the Karachi Session of the</div>
<div>
National Congress, which met in 1931. In his speech Patel declared</div>
<div>
in unmistakable words, "Swaraj (independence) is our goal. There</div>
<div>
cannot be the slightest modification of that goal." The government</div>
<div>
was even more infuriated, and sent him to prison again. He was freed</div>
<div>
only in 1934.</div>
<div>
The Sardar's experiences in the prison make interesting</div>
<div>
reading. He was treated as an ordinary prisoner. There was only one</div>
<div>
lavatory in the prison. Every morning the prisoners had to queue up</div>
<div>
for their turn. And they had to wait in another queue for water. There</div>
<div>
was no secluded place where they could pass urine. The food served</div>
<div>
in the prison was rotten. But nothing could dishearten the Sardar.</div>
<div>
The officials of the prison loved to give the prisoners pinpricks.</div>
<div>
Some friends gave the Sardar as presents a few articles for his use in</div>
<div>
the prison. Among them was a razor. The officials would not let Patel</div>
<div>
have it. Finally Patel protested.</div>
<div>
Patel said, "Why not give me the razor and let me shave all the</div>
<div>
prisoners? That will give me some work to do, and I can spend</div>
<div>
sometime."</div>
<div>
Everyone including the clerks who heard him burst into</div>
<div>
laughter.</div>
<div>
Page 13 of 20Sardar Patel</div>
<div>
Patel's faith in God and in religion was not obvious to outward</div>
<div>
view, but when he was in prison he got copies of the Bhagavad- Gita</div>
<div>
and the Ramayana through the authorities of the prison. He studied</div>
<div>
and pondered on them every day.</div>
<div>
Elections to the Legislatures of Provinces were held in 1937.</div>
<div>
The Sardar was the Chairman of the Congress Parliamentary Board.</div>
<div>
Under his stewardship the Congress secured a majority of seats in</div>
<div>
eight provinces and formed ministries. The reins of all of them were in</div>
<div>
the hands of the Sardar. He unhesitatingly took to task any minister</div>
<div>
who did wrong.</div>
<div>
In 1942 the Congress called on the British to quit India. It</div>
<div>
started what came to be known as the 'Quit India Movement' or the</div>
<div>
'Chalejav Movement'. The government jailed all the important leaders</div>
<div>
of the Congress, including Sardar Patel. Patel fell ill in the prison. The</div>
<div>
government would not allow his doctor to examine him in the prison.</div>
<div>
All the leaders were released after three years. At the time the</div>
<div>
Muslim League went on creating complications, and made the</div>
<div>
achievement of freedom more difficult. Patel declared, "We shall fight</div>
<div>
all those who come in the way of India's freedom."</div>
<div>
Freedom dawned on the 15th of August 1947. Pandit</div>
<div>
Jawaharlal Nehru became the first Prime Minister of independent</div>
<div>
India. Sardar Patel became the Deputy Prime Minister. He was in</div>
<div>
charge of Home Affairs, Information and Broadcasting and the</div>
<div>
Ministry of States.</div>
<div>
There were more than 600 states in India at that time. Except a</div>
<div>
few they were small states.Some of the Maharajas and Nawabs who</div>
<div>
Page 14 of 20Sardar Patel</div>
<div>
ruled over these were sensible and patriotic. But most of them were</div>
<div>
drunk with wealth and power. They were dreaming of becoming</div>
<div>
independent rulers once the British quit India. They argued that the</div>
<div>
government of free India should treat them as equals. Some of them</div>
<div>
went to the extent of planning to send their representatives to the</div>
<div>
United Nations Organization.</div>
<div>
If these states had not become a part of free India there would</div>
<div>
have been many problems. India would have had to take their</div>
<div>
permission for trains to pass through their states. If inter-state rivers</div>
<div>
flowed through these states, India would have had to seek their</div>
<div>
permission to use the waters. Their permission would have been</div>
<div>
needed to build dams. And, in the event of a war between India and</div>
<div>
any other country, how would these 600 states behave? Whom would</div>
<div>
they support? It was impossible to tell. These 600 states would have</div>
<div>
been 600 sores in the body of India.</div>
<div>
"if we unite, we can soon make this country prosperous. Come</div>
<div>
and join us. Cooperate with us," so Sardar invited the rulers even</div>
<div>
before Independence Day. He also warned them: "If you do not join</div>
<div>
us before the 15th of August, thereafter the position will be different.</div>
<div>
You may not then get the consideration and the concessions</div>
<div>
you now get." Patel also met a number of rulers and held discussions</div>
<div>
with them. As a result, a number of patriotic rulers joined the Indian</div>
<div>
Union.</div>
<div>
But the rulers of Junagadh and Hyderabad were plotting</div>
<div>
secretly to Join Pakistan.</div>
<div>
Page 15 of 20Sardar Patel</div>
<div>
Patel sent an army under Brigadier Gurudayalsimha to the</div>
<div>
border of Junagadh to deal with Pakistan. The people of the state</div>
<div>
who wished to join India rebelled against the ruler and set up a</div>
<div>
People's Government. The Nawab, who had tried to betray the</div>
<div>
people, ran away. Patel reached Junagadh on the 12th of November</div>
<div>
1947. In the course of a speech there, he warned that the Nizam of</div>
<div>
Hyderabad would share the fate of the Nawab of Junagadh if he did</div>
<div>
not behave sensibly.</div>
<div>
But the Nizam was slow to learn thelesson. He sent millions of</div>
<div>
rupees to Pakistan.One of his men, Kasim Razvi by name, began to</div>
<div>
harass the Hindus. His gang was called the Razakars. They tried to</div>
<div>
drive the Hindus out of Hyderabad. There was no limit to their crimes.</div>
<div>
They tried to get arms and ammunition from outside.</div>
<div>
Finally Sardar Patel sent some forces under General Chowdury</div>
<div>
to undertake 'Police Action'. Within five days the Nizam was forced to</div>
<div>
surrender. Kasim Razvi ran away to Pakistan. The atrocities of the</div>
<div>
Razakars came to an end and peace returned to Hyderabad. The firm</div>
<div>
policy of Sardar Patel, the Man of Steel, crushed all the plots against</div>
<div>
India.</div>
<div>
A similar problem arose in Kashmir. The Maharaja and the</div>
<div>
Legislative Assembly decided that the state should join India. But the</div>
<div>
Pakistan army forcibly occupied two-fifths of Kashmir. The Ministry</div>
<div>
was handling the Kashmir question for Foreign Affairs and there was</div>
<div>
nothing Patel could do.</div>
<div>
Sardar Patel was a man of remarkable foresight. In 1962 China</div>
<div>
sent her army across the border and India reeled under the blow.</div>
<div>
Page 16 of 20Sardar Patel</div>
<div>
This is the saddest episode in the history of Free India. But as long</div>
<div>
back as on the 7th of November 1950, Patel wrote a letter to</div>
<div>
Jawaharlal Nehru and declared that China was not to be trusted. He</div>
<div>
wrote: 'The Government of China speaks of its desire for peace and</div>
<div>
is trying to mislead us. Hereafter, in planning the defense of our</div>
<div>
country, we must remember the intentions of Communist, China.'</div>
<div>
Five weeks later Patel passed away. About twelve years after</div>
<div>
his death China attacked India.</div>
<div>
Many people misunderstood Patel. There was false</div>
<div>
propaganda that he did not like Muslims. On the 6th of January 1948,</div>
<div>
speaking in Lucknow, he said, "There is a cry that I am against</div>
<div>
Muslims. But I am their true friend. I cannot beat about the bush. I</div>
<div>
cannot dissemble. Let no one try to have his two feet in two different</div>
<div>
boats. Let every one choose one boat. Let us all, who belong to India,</div>
<div>
swim or sink together."</div>
<div>
The Sardar's plain words made some people angry. They</div>
<div>
complained to Gandhiji. What Sardar Patel said at that time shows</div>
<div>
the superbself-confidence of this mighty man:</div>
<div>
"I cannot speak anything but the truth. I cannot turn back on my</div>
<div>
duty, just to please some one."</div>
<div>
The 30th of January 1948, was a dark day in the history of</div>
<div>
India. An evil man killed Gandhiji on that day. Gandhiji was like an</div>
<div>
elder brother and a Guru to Patel. They had been put in the same jail</div>
<div>
several times.</div>
<div>
Page 17 of 20Sardar Patel</div>
<div>
Gandhiji has said of their days in prison, "Vallabhbhai's</div>
<div>
affection for me reminded me of my mother. Before that time I had</div>
<div>
not realized that such a tender, affectionate heart was hidden in him."</div>
<div>
Sardar Patel undertook several measures to uphold the</div>
<div>
greatness of India. The sight of the great Somanatha Temple</div>
<div>
practically in ruins because of the repeated attacks of foreigners was</div>
<div>
most painful to him. He undertook the renovation of that temple. He</div>
<div>
made it the symbol of the power and the victory of resurgent India</div>
<div>
who had shaken off the slavery of centuries and felt a new energy</div>
<div>
throbbing in her veins. It was from him that Kania Lal Munshi got the</div>
<div>
inspiration to found the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Bombay.</div>
<div>
Once the engine of the airplane in which he was travelling</div>
<div>
failed, and the vehicle had to make a forced landing on the bank of a</div>
<div>
river at a distance of about thirty miles from Jaipur. The Delhi Airport</div>
<div>
had lost all contact with the airplane. For about four hours Delhi did</div>
<div>
not know what had happened. But luckily the Sardar was safe.</div>
<div>
Two days later the Sardar entered the Lok Sabha. Forgetting all</div>
<div>
rules the members greeted him with cries of 'Sardar Patel Jindabad'.</div>
<div>
The Speaker congratulated the Sardar who was unhurt and</div>
<div>
said, "The misery and the anxiety of the entire nation until news came</div>
<div>
that he was safe show what a place he has won in the hearts of the</div>
<div>
people."</div>
<div>
Eight days later the members ofParliament got up a function to</div>
<div>
felicitate him.</div>
<div>
Page 18 of 20Sardar Patel</div>
<div>
Even in his old age the Sardar was sobusy that he did not have</div>
<div>
a moment's rest. He had to tour extensively all over the country this</div>
<div>
affected his health. He passed away in Bombay on the morning of the</div>
<div>
15th of December 1950. The General of Bardoli, the Lion of Gujarat,</div>
<div>
India's Man of Steel, the Sardar of the country's fight for freedom, the</div>
<div>
Mighty Architect of the integrity of India, the Vallabhbhai Patel of rock-</div>
<div>
like will power, was no more.</div>
<div>
He was then seventy-five.</div>
<div>
Prime Minister Nehru said, "His name will live for ever in</div>
<div>
history. He is the Architect of. Modern India. He was a wise counselor</div>
<div>
in the hour of trial, a trustworthy friend and a mine of courage and</div>
<div>
inspiration."</div>
<div>
Patel was known as the Man of Steel. But tenderness was very</div>
<div>
much alive in the steel of his nature. He looked after not only Gandhiji</div>
<div>
but also other friends like Kania Lal Munshi with the affection of a</div>
<div>
mother, when they were all in prison. He did not believe in making</div>
<div>
speeches. He was a man of very few words. He accepted with a calm</div>
<div>
mind whatever life brought him- happiness or sorrow. Pain and</div>
<div>
sorrow could not alter a single line of his face. When necessary he</div>
<div>
could be dominating; but by nature he was very courteous. After the</div>
<div>
Bardoli Satyagraha he became famous all over India. When he went</div>
<div>
to attend the Congress Session he forgot to take his pass with him.</div>
<div>
The volunteers stopped him. He went back. Next day thevolunteers</div>
<div>
understood who he was, and were ashamed. But Patel was not at all</div>
<div>
displeased.</div>
<div>
Page 19 of 20Sardar Patel</div>
<div>
It is a hundred years since this hero, the Sardar, was born. Let</div>
<div>
us remember him with reverence and bow to him. Let us emulate his</div>
<div>
admirable qualities.</div>
</div>

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