SARDAR VALLABHBHAI PATEL:
Patel was born to Jhaverbhai Patel on 31st October 1875 in Nadiad, Gujarat to father Javerbhai Patel and mother Ladbai. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was a well-known freedom fighter, political activist and lawyer. He was against the British Government and he refused all the posts offered by them. Sardar Patel was also known as “Iron Man of India”.
After studying law in England returned to India in 1913 and practice law in Ahmedabad and became one of the city’s most successful barristers. Initially, Vallabhbhai Patel was not much interested in the independence movement. A meeting with Mahatma Gandhi in 1917 changed his views. Leaving his law practice Patel committed himself to the independence struggle.
His notable work includes the Kheda district that faced plague, scarcity of food and also crop failures by 1918. The British government refused to exempt the land revenue. Patel led the agitation of the farmers and zamindars to get tax exemption .Patel joined Gandhi’s non-cooperation movement (1920) and travelled around west India to recruit 300000 members.
In 1923 while Gandhi was in prison Patel led the Satyagraha movement in Nagpur. When the British banned hoisting of the Indian flag he succeeded in obtaining consent to hoist the flag publicly and also got prisoners released. From 1924-1928 Patel was chosen as the president of the municipal committee of Ahmedabad .during these years he implemented several sanitation, water supply, administration and town planning programs. He also worked towards several social reforms including the prohibition of untouchability, castism, alcoholism, etc.
The success of the Bardoli Satyagraha earned him the name ‘Sardar’.he participated in the Dandi march, salt Satyagraha and Quit India Movement. Because of his efforts today India stands as an integrated nation.
Patel was the first deputy prime minister and the first home minister of independent India. He was awarded Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1991. From 2014 his birthday is celebrated as national unity day. World’s tallest statue of 182 meters called the statue of unity was built to pay tribute to this great man.