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Introduction
India's man of steel. He used to earn thousands of rupees
every month as a lawyer. But he gave up his practice inorder to fight
for the freedom of the country. As a leader of the farmers he forced
the mighty british government to accept defeat. He was sent to prison.
As the deputy prime minister of free India, he brought about the merger of hundreds of princely
states with the Indian union, and became the architect of the
integrity of India. Honest in word and deed, he was a hero among
heroes, a lion among men. Author - shivaramu sardar patelsardar
vallabhbhai patel was known in India as the 'man of steel'.
A family of heroes
Vallabhbhai was born in nadiad. It was a small village in gujarat. His
father was jhaverbhai patel, and his mother ladbai. Jhaverbhai was a
poor farmer. He was a strong and sturdy man. His country and freedom
were as dear to him as his own life. In 1857 the people of
India fought for their freedom. Jhaverbhai, who was then a
young man, fought bravely at that time. Vithalbhai, vallabhbhai's
elder brother, was also a well-known patriot. He was the chairman of
the Indian legislative council. Once, when he was a small
boy,vallahbhai suffered from a boil in the armpit. There was a man in
the village who used to cure boils by touching them with hot iron. The
boy went to him. The man heated the iron rod till it grew red. But he
hesitated, seeing at the boy's tender years. "what are you waiting
for? The iron will grow cold. Hurry up, brand the boil," said the boy
angrily.the man was even more frightened. The boy picked up the
glowing rod and burnt the boil. Those who watched him were shocked and
screamed. But there was not even a trace of pain in the boy's face
The courageous student
This amazing boy was born on the 31st of october 1875. (this is the date generally accepted.) The elders
were filled with pride and joy at the fearlessness of the little boy;
the younger ones loved and admired him. No companion of his ever
disobeyed him. By nature he rebelled against injustice. He showed a
genuine interest in the welfare of his companions, constantly enquirer
about their needs and problems helped them as best he could, and
promoted friendship and unity. Vallabhbhai's early education was in
karamsad. Then he joined a school in petlad. After two years he joined
a high school in a town called nadiad. A teacher of this school used
to sell the books,which the pupils needed. He used to force all the
pupils to buy books only from him. If any boy bought books from
others, the teacher used to tease him.vallabhbhai thought that this
was wrong. He spoke to his companions, and saw to it that not a single
pupil attended the classes. For a whole week the school could not
work. The teacher had to correct himself. When he was in petlad he
used to cook for himself. Every week he used to carry provisions from
home, walking the entire distance. He could have gone by train, but he
did not have the money to buy a ticket. During his school days, one
day a teacher made a mistake in working a sum. Vallabh- bhai pointed
out the error. The teacher was very angry and said, "all right, you be
the teacher." the boy replied, "very well, sir." he worked the sum
correctly, and sat down in the teacher's chair! Vallabhbhai first
chose sanskrit. Then he changed to gujarati. Sanskrit was dearer to
the teacher who taught gujarati than his own subject. When vallabhbhai
entered his class, the teacher wanted to taunt him, and said,
"welcome, great man!" poor man, he did not know that the boy would one
day become a very great man. He asked the boy, in anger, "why did you
give up sanskrit and choose gujarati?" vallabhbhai answered, "if every
one chooses sanskrit, you will have no work." the teacher was in a
rage. He complained to the headmaster. Vallabhbhai narrated to the
headmaster all that had happened. The headmaster said, "i have not
seen such a bold pupil." this made the teacher even more bitter.
Vallabhbhai, too, did not wish to remain in that school. He went back.
He studied at home and passed the examination.
The lawyer
Vallabhbhai's cherished ambition was to become a barrister. But in
order to realize this ambition, he had to continue his studies in
england. But his family was in utter poverty. He did not have enough
money evens to join a college in India.in those days a candidate could
study in private and sit for an examination in law. Vallabhbhai's
brother, vithalbhai, also was a lawyer. He attended coaching classes
before entering himself for the exami- nation. But vallabhbhai did not
even attend coaching classes. He borrowed books from the lawer of his
acquaintance and studied their judgements.occasionally he attended
courts of law. He studied their judgments. He listened attentively to
the arguments of lawyers. He observed keenly lawyers of all types -
the timid ones, the dashing ones and the skillful ones. He listened to
them all.vallabhbhai passed the examination.vallabhbhai had absolutely
no facilities to begin practice of law. He borrowed some money from
his friends and hired a room in a town called godhra. He furnished it
with a couple of chairs, and also mats for those who wished to squat
on the floor.before long clients were attracted to this enthusiastic
young man. If he took up a subject, vallabhbhai made a thorough study
of it.in a short time vallabhbhai made a name as a very eminent
lawyer. By then he was married. Two children were born - a daughter,
manibehn, and a son,dhayabhai. Vallabhbhai's wife fell ill, and he
sent her to bombay for treatment.
Plenty of money
As vallabhbhai wished to become a barrister, he was saving money
andmaking preparations to go to england. He wrote a letter to a travel
agency about his trip to england. By chance it fell into the hands of
vithalbhai. He told vallabhbhai, "i shall go to england first; you can
go later."without the slightest hesitation vallabhbhai agreed. "take
it that my money and my ticket are yours. Make use of them gladly. And
if you need money in england write to me. I shall send you the money,"
he told his brother.vithalbhai's wife was not a woman who would easily
adopt herself to circums- tances. She 'was worded; what was she to do
if her husband went abroad? Who would look after her? Vallabhbhai
said, "come and stay with us till my brother returns. Think of my
house as yours."three years passed, and the elder brother returned
from england.
The telegram
One day vallabhbhai had to appear in a very important case. He was
arguing before the judge with the almost concentration. He was still
on his feet when an urgent telegram was handed to him. He glanced at
the contents and folded and put the paper in his pocket, and went on
with the argument. It was only after he concluded his speech and sat
down that even those near him learnt the contents of the telegram -his
wife was dead!vallabhbhai had read the news -and had gone on with his
arguments as if nothing had happened. Such was his sense of duty. All
through his life, troubles never discouraged him. With a will of iron
he completed whatever task he had under taken.patel was only
thirty-three years old when his wife died. He did not wish to marry
again. After his brother's return, vallabhbhai went to england. He
studied with single-mInded devotion. The glitter and luxury of
fashion- able life did not tempt him. The library was at a distance of
eleven miles from his lodging. Every morning he walked to the library,
and walked back in the evening. He stood first in the barrister-at-law examination.as soon as he returned to
India, vallabh- bhai set up
practice as a barrister at ahmedabad. Day by day his fame and his
influence grew. The elder brother, vithal- bhai, said, "you look after
the family; i shall work, for the country." "yes," said vallabhbhai.
At the time he was earning eight to ten thousand rupees a month. He
spent his leisure hour's playing cards in a local club. He dressed
like the english. He was not at all interested in politics. He
sometimes laughed at satyagraha (nonviolent non-cooperation) and
service to the country as dreams of crazy fellows.
Then came gandhiji
Gradually the spell of gandhiji spread all over gujarat. It changed
vallabhbhai's life, too. Gandhiji attended the political conference at
godhra. He andvallabhbhai met at that time, and soon became friends.
Patel was very fond of children, but he was never given to an
exhibition of hisaffection. When manibehn shyly asked him, "how are
you, father?" he made a brief answer: "i am all right." dhayabhai
sometimes tried to engage his father in conversation; but vallabhbhai
seldom responded. Gandhiji entered patel's
home, too. He was like a
father to the two children. The training and refinement she received
inculcated several good qualities in manibehn. Love of simple life and
good habits developed in her. When public life imposed a severe strain
on her father she devoted herself to his service. She became his
private secretary, took care of his health, and found joy and
fulfillment in serving him. She was convinced that she could best
serve the country by sharing his burden to the best of her ability
A friend of the peasants
In 1918 heavy rains destroyed the crops in gujarat. The farmers in
kaira district were particularly in distress. The government demanded
the payment of the revenue taxes to the last pie. The farmers turned
to gandhiji as their refuge. Gandhiji said, "i need some one who will
assume the entire responsibility for this struggle." "i shall be
responsible," said vallabhbhai patel, and assumed the leadership of
the struggle. He infused the peasants with courage, saying, "why are
you afraid of the english? If the people are united no government can
do anything." he gave up his western clothes, and began to dress like
the poor and humble peasants. He walked from village to village along
rough tracks full of stones and thorns andbrought about unity among
the farmers. The farmers were filled with reverence and admiration for
this prominent barrister from ahmedabad who toiled for them day and
night. One word from him, and they were ready to lay down their lives
for him. So the government had to yield finally. The taxes were
remitted. The struggle led by patel was successful. In june 1918 the
farmers celebrated their victory. They invited gandhiji and presented
him with an address. Said gandhiji, "the credit of this victory should
go to vallabhbhai patel. You are fortunate to be led, by such a great
hero." patel said with modesty, "the people of kaira district have
fought with courage and endurance. Theirs is the honor of this
triumph."
'We shall not pay'
Vallabhbhai lived up to his ideals. In 1920 the congress party passed
a resolution on non-cooperation; it resolved not to cooperate with the
foreign government in any way. Patel gave up his practice as a
barrister, which used to bring him thousands of rupees every month. He
asked people not to send their children to schools run by the
government. He founded the gujarat vidyapeetha to educate the children
to grow up to be patriots. He collected lakes of rupees for this
institution and built it up. In 1923 the government ordered that no
one should carry the tricolored flag in any road in nagpur where
government officers lived. Who could object to the display of our flag
in our country? The people decided to disobey this offensive order.
They invited vallabhbhai patel to guide them. As soon as he arrived
the struggle grew more spirited. Satyagrahis began to pour in from
other parts of the country. The agitation went on for three and a half
months. Finally the government withdrew the order, and the satyagraha
ended in a victory for the people. The people of borsad taluk were
subjected to great suffering at that time. A dacoit, babar by name,
and his gang began to Indulge in murder and looting. A police force
arrived to put him down. But the police became as much a menace as the
robbers. They frightened the people and took away money, jewels and
grains. In the meanwhile the government imposed a new tax on the
people to meet the expenses of the police force. (this kInd of tax is
called punitive tax'.) This was adding insult to injury. The people
grounded under the burden. In this hour of distress vallabhbhai raced
to the rescue of the people. He formed a team of young volunteers from
the neighboring villages for protection from the bandits. As soon as
these young men swung into action the dacoit disappeared. Patel told
the government: "we do not want your police force here; and we are not
going to pay the new tax." the officers of the government tried to
frighten the people in a number of ways. But their tricks were of no
use. The government had to withdraw its order tamely. Vallabhbhai's
fame spread to every nook and corner of India.
The servant of the people
That year the rains played havoc in gujarat. There were floods
everywhere. The roads were under water. Thousands of houses were
washed away. Lakes of people lost everything. Vallabhbhai came to
their rescue. His efforts brought 2,000 volunteers together. They
supplied food and clothes to those that had suffered vowing to the
floods and looked after them. But their services were still needed.
Hardly had the floods subsided when a terrible famine broke out. The
farmers had no oxen, and no seeds; how were they to till the land?
People were in utter despair. Patel drew the attention of the
government to the sufferings of the people. He argued that the
government collected taxes from the people, and therefore, it was the
duty of the government to help them in their distress. So forceful was
his demand that finally the government had to spend fifteen million
rupees to help those in the famine stricken areas. Patel organized the
relief works very efficiently so that the money was used properly. The
world realized that he was not only a great fighter but also a superb
organizer.
The hero of bardoli
Bardoli is a taluk in gujarat. The people of this taluk were in sheer
distress, having suffered because of the floods and the famine. But,
in this hour of distress, the foreign government raised the revenue
taxes by thirty percent. The people did not know what to do. They went
to patel and said, "you are our only hope." said patel, "if you oppose
the government your sufferings will multiply. You will lose your lands
and houses, the government will do its best to crush you. You will not
have a grain of rice or a drop of milk, and the women and the children
will suffer sheer misery. Consider well. If you are confident that you
have the grit to face all this, let us fight." "we are ready. We will
die rather than bow to injustice," said the farmers. First of all,
patel wrote to the governor, and appealed to him to reduce the taxes.
But he turned a deaf ear to patel. The government even announced the
date of the collection of the taxes. "no one shall pay a pie as tax,"
patel instructed the farmers. The bugles of war sounded. Patel divided
bardoli district into several zones. Each zone had a center, and a
leader and some volunteers manned each center. There were messengers
to carry messages from one center to another. Patel also appointed
spies to report on the movements of government officials. "we shall
use all our powers and crush the agitation," declared the governor of
bombay. The government sent ruffians to frighten the villagers. The
ruffians would enter villages and beat up the villagers. They used to
force their way into houses and carry away grain, goods and money.
They insulted the women. But the farmers refused to yield. They did
not pay a single pie. The government began to auction the houses and
the lands. But not a single man came forward to buy them. Vallabh-
bhai had appointed volunteers in every village to keep watch. As soon
as he sighted the officials who were coming to auction the property,
the volunteer would sound his bugle. The farmers would leave the
village and hide in the jungles. The officials would fInd the entire
village empty. They could never fInd out who owned a particular house.
Patel was with the villagers all day and night, and infused courage in
them. "if you still have a shred of fear," he told them, "throw it to
the bottom of the well. It is the government which is now frightened,
not we." "i, too, am a farmer," said patel. "i know the mInd of the
farmers. I want that the farmers should be respected and am able to
hold their heads erect. I can have peace of mInd only when that is
achieved." patel learnt that some rich men were coming from cities to
buy the lands of the farmers, which were being auctioned. "i am the
sardar (chief) in gujarat," declared patel; "let them come, i know
what to do." there was total social boycott of those who bought the
lands. The rich men who had come from, outside could not get a grain
of rice or a drop of water, and were glad to escape alive.
Sardar patel
Sardar patel several members of the bombay legislative assembly
opposed the unjust policies of the government and resigned.
Government, too, lost heart. The people's agitation triumphed.
Vallabhbhai came to be known as sardar vallabhbhai patel. The farmers
of bardoli presented him with an address and praised his greatness and
leadership. In reply patel said: "it was mahatma gandhi who gave me
the herb of satyagraha. All that i did was to administer the medicine.
And you strictly followed that doctor's instructions. So all that you
have said in praise of me in your address should belong to him and to
you; all that remains for me is the blank sheet of paper. The
prosperity of the country is in the hands of the youth. Do not forget
- in every country it is the young who have won and consolidated
freedom, and passed it on to later generations." all India now knew
patel as the sardar.
The lion in the cage
Sardar's fiery words provoked the british government. It sent him to
prison twice in 1930. But this only increased his influence. Sardar
patel was elected president of the karachi session of the national
congress, which met in 1931. In his speech patel declared in
unmistakable words, "swaraj (Independence) is our goal. There cannot
be the slightest modification of that goal." the government was even
more infuriated, and sent him to prison again. He was freed only in
1934. The sardar's experiences in the prison make interesting reading.
He was treated as an ordinary prisoner. There was only one lavatory in
the prison. Every morning the prisoners had to queue up for their
turn. And they had to wait in another queue for water. There was no
secluded place where they could pass urine. The food served in the
prison was rotten. But nothing could dishearten the sardar.the
officials of the prison loved to give the prisoners pinpricks. Some
friends gave the sardar as presents a few articles for his use in the
prison. Among them was a razor. The officials would not let patel have
it. Finally patel protested.patel said, "why not give me the razor and
let me shave all the prisoners? That will give me some work to do, and
i can spend sometime."everyone including the clerks who heard him
burst into laughter. Patel's faith in god and in religion was not
obvious to outward view, but when he was in prison he got copies of
the bhagavad gita and the ramayana through the authorities of the
prison. He studied and pondered on them every dayplain in speech and
action elections to the legislatures of provinces were held in 1937.
The sardar was the chairman of the congress parliamentary board. Under
his stewardship the congress secured a majority of seats in eight
provinces and formed ministries. The reins of all of them were in the
hands of the sardar. He unhesitatingly took to task any minister who
did wrong. In 1942 the congress called on the british to quit India.
It started what came to be known as the 'quit India movement' or the 'chalejav
movement'. The government jailed all the important leaders of the
congress, including sardar patel. Patel fell ill in the prison. The
government would not allow his doctor to examine him in the prison.
All the leaders were released after three years. At the time the
muslim league went on creating complications, and made the achievement
of freedom more difficult. Patel declared, "we shall fight all those
who come in the way of India's freedom."
Free India's good fortune
Freedom dawned on the 15th of august 1947. Pandit jawaharlal nehru
became the first prime minister of ndependent India. Sardar patel
became the deputy prime minister. He was in charge of
homes
affairs,
information and broadcasting and the ministry of states.
The architect of integrity
There were more than 600 states in India at that time. Except a few
they were small states.some of the maharajas and nawabs who ruled over
these were sensible and patriotic. But most of them were drunk with
wealth and power. They were dreaming of becoming Independent rulers
once the british quit India. They argued that the government of free
India should treat them as equals. Some of them went to the extent of
planning to send their representatives to the united nations
organization.if these states had not become a part of free India there
would have been many problems. India would have had to take their
permission for trains to pass through their states. If inter-state
rivers flowed through these states, India would have had to seek their
permission to use the waters. Their permission would have been needed
to build dams. And, in the event of a war between India and any other
country, how would these 600 states behave? Whom would they support?
It was impossible to tell. These 600 states would have been 600 sores
in the body of India. The question of one of them, kashmir, was not
settled immediately; even now pakistan occupies a part of that state.
This is still a headache to India. If the problem of the states had
not been solved quickly, there would have been several problems like
that of kashmir. "if we unite, we can soon make this country
prosperous. Come and join us. Cooperate with us," so sardar invited
the rulers even before Independence day. He also warned them: "if you
do not join us before the 15th of august, thereafter the position will
be different.you may not then get the consideration and the
concessions you now get." patel also met a number of rulers and held
discussions with them. As a result, a number of patriotic rulers
joined the Indian union.
The man of steel
But the rulers of junagadh and hyderabad were plotting secretly to
join pakistan. Patel sent an army under brigadier gurudayalsimha to
the border of junagadh to deal with pakistan. The people of the state
who wished to join India rebelled against the ruler and set up a
people's government. The nawab, who had tried to betray the people,
ran away. Patel reached junagadh on the 12th of november 1947. In the
course of a speech there, hewarned that the nizam of hyderabad would
share the fate of the nawab of junagadh if he did not behave sensibly.
But the nizam was slow to learn thelesson. He sent millions of rupees
to pakistan.one of his men, kasim razvi by name, began to harass the
hIndus. His gang was called the razakars. They tried to drive the
hIndus out of hyderabad. There was no limit to their crimes. They
tried to get arms and ammunition from outside. Finally sardar patel
sent some forces under general chowdury to undertake 'police action'.
Within five days the nizam was forced to surrender. Kasim razvi ran
away to pakistan. The atrocities of the razakars came to an end and
peace returned to hyderabad. The firm policy of sardar patel, the man
of steel, crushed all the plots against India. A similar problem arose
in kashmir. The maharaja and the legislative assembly decided that the
state should join India. But the pakistan army forcibly occupied
two-fifths of kashmir. The ministry was handling the kashmir question
for foreign affairs and there was nothing patel could do. Sardar patel
was a man of remarkable foresight. In 1962 china sent her army across
the border and India reeled under the blow. This is the saddest
episode in the history of free India. But as long back as on the 7th
of november 1950, patel wrote a letter to jawaharlal nehru and
declared that china was not to be trusted. He wrote: 'the government
of china speaks of its desire for peace and is trying to mislead us.
Hereafter, in planning the defense of our country,we must remember the
intentions of communist, china.' five weeks later patel passed away.
About twelve years after his death china attacked India.
'I must speak the truth'
Many people misunderstood patel. There was false propaganda that he
did not like muslims. On the 6th of january 1948, speaking in lucknow,
he said, "there is a cry that i am against muslims. But i am their
true friend. I cannot beat about the bush. I cannot dissemble. Let no
one try to have his two feet in two different boats. Let every one
choose one boat. Let us all, who belong to India, swim or sink
together."the sardar's plain words made some people angry. They
complained to gandhiji. What sardar patel said at that time shows the
superbself-confidence of this mighty man: "i cannot speak anything but
the truth. I cannot turn back on my duty, just to please some one."
Gandhiji dead
The 30th of january 1948, was a dark day in the history of India. An
evil man killed gandhiji on that day. Gandhiji was like an elder
brother and a guru to patel. They had been put in the same jail
several times gandhiji has said of their days in prison, "vallabhbhai's
affection for me remInded me of my mother. Before that time i had not
realized that such a tender,affectionate heart was hidden in him."
sardar patel undertook several measures to uphold the greatness of
India. The sight of the great somanatha temple practically in ruins
because of the repeated attacks of foreigners was most painful to him.
He undertook the renovation of that temple. He made it the symbol of
the power and the victory of resurgent India who had shaken off the
slavery of centuries and felt a new energy throbbing in her veins. It
was from him that kania lal munshi got the inspiration to found the
bharatiya vidya bhavan in bombay.
Patel's example lives
Once the engine of the airplane in which he was travelling failed, and
the vehicle had to make a forced landing on the bank of a river at a
distance of about thirty miles from jaipur. The delhi airport had lost
all contact with the airplane. For about four hours delhi did not know
what had happened. But luckily the sardar was safe. Two days later the
sardar entered the lok sabha. Forgetting all rules the members greeted
him with cries of 'sardar patel jIndabad'.the speaker congratulated
the sardar who was unhurt and said, "the misery and the anxiety of the
entire nation until news came that he was safe show what a place he
has won in the hearts of the people."eight days later the members
ofparliament got up a function to felicitate him.even in his old age
the sardar was sobusy that he did not have a moment's rest. He had to
tour extensively all over the country this affected his health. He
passed away in bombay on the morning of the 15th of december 1950. The
general of bardoli, the lion of gujarat, India's man of steel, the
sardar of the country's fight for freedom, the mighty architect of the
integrity of India, the vallabhbhai patel of rock-like will power, was
no more.he wasthen seventy-five. Prime minister nehru said, "his name
will live for ever in history. He is the architect of. Modern India.
He was a wise counselor in the hour of trial, a trustworthy friend and
a mine of courage and inspiration." patel was known as the man of
steel. But tenderness was very much alive in the steel of his nature.
He looked after not only gandhiji but also other friends like kania
lal munshi with the affection of a mother, when they were all in
prison. He did not believe in making speeches. He was a man of very
few words. He accepted with a calm mInd whatever life brought him-
happiness or sorrow. Pain and sorrow could not alter a single line of
his face. When necessary he could be dominating; but by nature he was
very courteous. After the bardoli satyagraha he became famous all over
India. When he went to attend the congress session he forgot to take
his pass with him. The volunteers stopped him. He went back. Next day
thevolunteers understood who he was, and were ashamed. But patel was
not at all displeased. It is a hundred years since this hero, the
sardar, was born. Let us remember him with reverence and bow to him.
Let us emulate his admirable qualities.
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