Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel remains one of the greatest leaders and statesmen India has ever produced. He, along with Gandhiji and Nehru, was mainly responsible for giving shape to the destiny of the country during the freedom struggle and in the early years after the achievement of independence.
Born on 31st October 1875 in a peasant’s family at Nadiad, Sardar went on to become a flourishing criminal lawyer. However, his meeting with Gandhiji in 1916 drew him to the freedom struggle. Thereafter, he never looked back and participated in all the movements led by Gandhiji. Waging many struggles, such as at Kheda and Borsad, he showed his mettle as an organiser in the Bardoli Satyagraha in 1928, where he led the peasants to undoubted success. No wonder he was called the “Sardar”. Bardoli put him on the centre stage of Indian politics.
In 1931, Sardar was elected President of the Indian National Congress. The Quit India Movement found him in Ahmednagar Fort prison, from where he and his comrades were released in 1945. The next five years were full of efforts and negotiations with the British Govt., which led to India’s Independence in August 1947 when he took over as Deputy Prime Minister, Home Minister and Minister-in-Charge of Information and Broadcasting and States. His achievements in these Ministries brought him renown as the most practical statesman India has ever produced.
A man of iron will, Sardar Patel dealt with the complex question of 560 and odd princely States in a masterly manner, and almost within a year, he redrew the map of India with every such State joining the Indian Union and forming a part of the political and cultural life of the mainstream. Even if Sardar had not done anything else other than this unification of the country, his name would have been written in letters of gold in Indian history.
The present photo-album has been designed to take an objective view of his contribution in proper historical perspective. It is hoped that this photo-album would serve as a source of inspiration to coming generations.
