Prof. Virender Koundal
A Day that Defines a Nation
Every year on October 31, India celebrates National Unity Day or Rashtriya Ekta Diwas to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel the “Iron Man of India.” More than a date on the calendar, this day represents a reaffirmation of India’s soul, the spirit of unity in diversity that Patel devoted his life to protect. Patel’s birth anniversary is not merely a remembrance of a great statesman; it is a renewal of a promise that India shall remain one, strong, and indivisible. As the nation observes his 150th birth anniversary through a two-year programme (2024–2026), his message of “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat” (One India, Great India) resonates louder than ever. From his humble beginnings in Gujarat to his towering achievements as India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, Sardar Patel’s story is one of resilience, clarity, and courage virtues that remain crucial for India even today.
From Nadiad to the Nation: The Making of a Leader
Born on October 31, 1875, in Nadiad, a small town in Gujarat’s Kheda district, Vallabhbhai Patel’s early life was marked by simplicity and hard work. His father, Jhaverbhai Patel, was a farmer and a veteran of the 1857 revolt, while his mother, Ladbai, embodied discipline and strength qualities young Vallabhbhai imbibed deeply. Educated in Nadiad, Petlad, and Borsad, Patel’s early years displayed the stoic determination that would define his later life. He was not a prodigy but a late bloomer matriculating at the age of 22. Unfazed by financial constraints, he began working as a small-town lawyer, saving every rupee for a dream few could imagine at the time to study law in England. In 1910, Patel finally sailed for London. Enrolled at the Middle Temple Inn, he completed his law course in two years instead of three, earning distinction and a prize in Roman Law. It was a rare feat for a man of his modest background. Returning to India in 1913, Patel established a flourishing legal practice in Ahmedabad, known for his sharp intellect and disciplined life. Yet destiny had larger plans for him. His meeting with Mahatma Gandhi at the Gujarat Political Conference in Godhra (1917) was the turning point a moment that transformed a successful barrister into a freedom fighter.
He abandoned his European suits for khadi, and his courtroom for the cause of the nation. Gandhi found in him a man of action; Patel found in Gandhi a moral compass. Together, they formed one of the most effective partnerships in India’s freedom movement.
The People’s Sardar
The Kheda Satyagraha of 1918 brought Patel to national attention. Working alongside Gandhi, he organized farmers against the British government’s unjust tax policies during a devastating famine. His ability to mobilize peasants, negotiate firmly, and maintain nonviolence won admiration across the country. Ten years later, in 1928, the Bardoli Satyagraha cemented his reputation as a leader of the people. When the peasants of Bardoli refused to pay exorbitant taxes, Patel’s discipline, strategy, and courage led to a peaceful yet decisive victory. It was then that the people affectionately bestowed upon him the title “Sardar”, meaning “leader.” Bardoli became more than a geographical location it became a symbol of Patel’s political philosophy: discipline in protest, dignity in struggle, and unity in purpose. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Patel remained Gandhi’s trusted lieutenant in the Congress. His organisational brilliance strengthened the party’s grassroots base, while his pragmatic vision shaped India’s approach to governance after independence.
The Iron Man’s Greatest Test: Uniting India
When India attained independence in August 1947, the joy of freedom was shadowed by the tragedy of Partition and the challenge of uniting a land fragmented by history. Over 565 princely states existed across the subcontinent, each with its own ruler, army, and ambitions. Integrating them into one democratic nation was a herculean task one that could have easily led to chaos and disintegration.
This historic responsibility fell on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who became India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister. With remarkable tact, firmness, and foresight, he achieved in less than two years what might have taken decades the political and territorial unification of India. Patel and his secretary, V.P. Menon, crafted the Instrument of Accession, offering princely states the option to join India by transferring control over defence, foreign affairs, and communications to the Union. Most rulers, persuaded by Patel’s sincerity and assurance of fairness, signed the document. However, a few like Junagadh and Hyderabad posed major challenges. When diplomacy failed in Junagadh, where the Nawab sought to accede to Pakistan despite a Hindu-majority population, Patel swiftly ordered administrative integration. In Hyderabad, his patience reached its limit when the Nizam resisted accession. Operation Polo, a short and decisive military action in 1948, restored law and order and secured Hyderabad’s accession to India. Through a combination of persuasion and firmness, Patel unified India without plunging it into civil war. His contemporaries and even critics acknowledged that without his leadership, the subcontinent could have fragmented into multiple nations.
More Than Maps: The Architect of Administration
Patel’s contribution extended beyond territorial unification. He understood that unity demanded not just political integration but also administrative coherence. To ensure that India’s governance would not collapse under its own diversity, Patel laid the foundation of the All India Services (IAS, IPS, and others) institutions he famously called the “steel frame” of India. These services were designed to maintain administrative continuity and uphold national integrity, even amid political change. He also oversaw the rehabilitation of millions of refugees who crossed over from Pakistan during Partition a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented scale. Under his supervision, cities like Delhi and Amritsar were reorganised to accommodate the displaced, while maintaining law and order. In the Constituent Assembly, Patel’s pragmatism balanced ideological debates. When he declared that the new Constitution represented “not an alliance between democracies and dynasties, but a real union of the Indian people,” he was defining the very essence of Indian nationhood. His vision continues to echo through India’s administrative and civic institutions from the Indian Civil Service to the Indian Police Service, from cooperative federalism to disaster management frameworks.
National Unity Day: A Living Legacy
To honour Patel’s enduring contribution, the Government of India declared October 31 as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) in 2014. The day symbolizes the commitment of every citizen to preserve the nation’s unity, integrity, and security principles that guided Patel’s life. The most visible tribute to his legacy is the Statue of Unity, standing tall in Kevadia, Gujarat. At 182 meters, it is the tallest statue in the world, symbolizing not just Patel’s physical strength but also the moral and political fortitude that unified India. It is a pilgrimage site for patriotism a reminder that the foundation of India’s modern identity rests on his shoulders.
Across the nation, “Run for Unity” events have become the heartbeat of Ekta Diwas celebrations. Citizens from every walk of life students, soldiers, civil servants, and common people come together to run distances of 3 to 10 kilometres, pledging themselves to the cause of unity. The sight of thousands running for one purpose embodies Patel’s vision: a people in motion, united by purpose. To recognise extraordinary efforts in this cause, the Government instituted the Sardar Patel National Unity Award in 2019 India’s highest civilian honour dedicated to promoting national integration. Conferred by the President of India, it acknowledges individuals and organisations that strengthen the fabric of unity through their work in diverse fields.
The Sardar@150 Nationwide Celebrations
Marking Patel’s 150th birth anniversary (2024–2026), a nationwide programme has been launched to revisit his ideals and educate new generations about his leadership. The centrepiece of these celebrations is the “Sardar@150 Unity March”, covering 152 kilometres from his birthplace Karamsad to the Statue of Unity in Kevadia. The march symbolises the journey of Patel’s life from humble beginnings to monumental achievements and will involve lakhs of young Indians from organisations like the NSS, NCC, and MY Bharat. The youth, running along the same soil that once nurtured the Iron Man, will symbolically carry forward his dream of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat. Various exhibitions, lectures, cultural performances, and inter-state exchange programmes are being organised nationwide to highlight Patel’s life, values, and his philosophy of nation-building. The celebrations aim not just to look back at history, but to inspire a new civic consciousness based on unity, integrity, and collective responsibility.
The Iron Man’s Relevance in a Changing India
Seven decades after Patel’s passing, his legacy remains more relevant than ever. In a world increasingly divided by identity, region, and ideology, Patel’s vision offers a roadmap for resilience. He believed that true unity could only be built on trust, cooperation, and shared purpose, not on uniformity or fear.
His pragmatic nationalism combined moral conviction with administrative efficiency — a rare blend that India still strives for. Patel never saw diversity as a weakness; he saw it as the raw material of strength. His famous belief that “India’s unity will be its greatest achievement” reminds us that freedom was only the beginning preserving unity is the continuing challenge. Today, as India faces complex challenges from economic disparities and regional aspirations to digital polarisation Patel’s example urges us to balance firmness with fairness, progress with compassion, and modernisation with national cohesion. His leadership teaches that dialogue is stronger than division, that clarity of purpose outweighs the noise of politics, and that unity is a living act, not a historical relic.
The Symbolism of the Statue of Unity
Standing by the banks of the Narmada River, the Statue of Unity is not merely an engineering marvel but a moral symbol. It represents the monumental unity Patel achieved not by coercion but by persuasion; not through conquest but through conviction. The statue’s towering height mirrors the vastness of Patel’s vision. Its reflection in the tranquil waters of the Narmada evokes an enduring truth that strength and serenity can coexist, just as firmness and faith coexisted in Patel’s leadership. Tourists visiting Kevadia see more than bronze and concrete; they witness an embodiment of India’s collective gratitude. The statue’s message transcends generations: the measure of leadership lies not in power acquired, but in unity achieved.
The Iron Man and the Steel Frame
Among Patel’s many legacies, his creation of the All India Services remains foundational. He called civil servants the “steel frame of India” because he saw them as the guardians of national unity. Even today, these services IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS operate as the connective tissue binding the states and the Union. They represent the continuity of the Republic, ensuring that governance remains impartial and efficient across linguistic, cultural, and political lines. Patel believed that without a disciplined, patriotic, and incorruptible civil service, India’s democracy could not survive. His foresight ensured that the administrative machinery remained stable through the storms of politics, preserving national integrity through professionalism and service.
Unity as a Civic Virtue
National Unity Day is not just a tribute to Patel; it is an invitation to every citizen to practice unity as a daily virtue. Patel once said, “Manpower without unity is not a strength unless it is harmonised and united properly, then it becomes a spiritual power.” Unity, for him, was not a slogan but a moral discipline a habit of empathy and cooperation. It meant standing together in adversity, respecting diversity in thought, and placing national interest above sectional interests. In today’s India, where economic ambitions and regional aspirations often collide, Patel’s approach offers guidance. Unity cannot be legislated; it must be lived. It must manifest in how we speak, vote, work, and care for one another.
Conclusion: The Eternal Relevance of Sardar Patel
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s legacy endures because it rests on timeless values integrity, courage, and commitment to the collective good. His leadership transformed a fractured land into a functioning nation, proving that determination, diplomacy, and discipline could move mountains.
The celebration of his birth anniversary each year is more than a remembrance; it is a reaffirmation of the ideals that sustain India. The Run for Unity events, the Sardar Patel National Unity Award, and the Sardar@150 celebrations are not mere rituals they are the living continuation of Patel’s vision. The Statue of Unity stands as an eternal sentinel reminding every Indian that our future depends not on our differences but on our shared resolve to remain one.
As India navigates the complexities of the 21st century from technology to geopolitics the Iron Man’s vision continues to light the path forward. It tells us that unity is not an accident of history; it is a daily act of nationhood. Sardar Patel’s life teaches that nations are not built by force, but by faith faith in each other, in our Constitution, and in the destiny of India as one united family. On this Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, as the tricolour flutters from Delhi to Kevadia, from Kanyakumari to Kargil, we remember the man who made that flag belong to one nation, one people, one future.
[Prof Virender Koundal is Director Department of Strategic and Regional Studies, University of Jammu] |
