Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel led the integration of more than 500 princely states in India before and after the country gained independence from British rule. He is considered as one of the most important faces of India’s independence movement. While Patel is a well-known figure in India, there are many unknown facts about him. On the birth anniversary of Patel – known as the Iron Man of India – let’s take a look at some lesser known facts about the personality who shaped India in the 20th century.
1. Patel was one of the top senior leaders of the Indian National Congress (INC). He became the first Deputy Prime Minister of India after independence in 1947.
2. He was also appointed as the first Home Minister of independent India. Apart from this, he also oversaw the Ministry of Information and the Ministry of States.
3. Patel passed his matriculation at the age of 22. Initially, he was not interested in politics, but after meeting Gandhiji in Godhra in 1917, he quit his job and joined Congress and became party secretary of Gujarat Sabha.
4. When he was 36, Patel traveled to England, and enrolled in a three-year course at the Middle Temple at the Inns of Court. Despite having no previous college experience, he completed the course within 30 months and qualified as a barrister.
5. In times of calamities and famines in India, he joined the movement to fight for exemption of taxes in Kheda on the call of Gandhi.
6. He was an important part of Gandhi’s non-cooperation movement. He traveled extensively in western India to recruit 3,00,000 members. He also collected over Rs 1.5 million for the party fund.
7. He spread awareness widely across the country against untouchability, caste discrimination, alcohol consumption and women empowerment.
8. During the imprisonment of Mahatma Gandhi, Patel led the Satyagraha movement in Nagpur in 1923, which was against the British law banning the hoisting of the Indian flag.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was, undoubtedly, one of the most influential figures of India in the 20th century. To honor his legacy, the ‘Statue of Unity’ – the tallest statue in the world – was unveiled in 2018. It is situated on the banks of Narmada river in Gujarat.
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