Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Biography
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Known as the “Iron Man of India”, Vallabhbhai Patel was born in Gujarat. He was the fourth of the six children of his father, Jhaveribhai. Patel is credited for being almost single-handedly responsible for unifying India on the eve of independence.
He completed his matriculation at the age of 22
due to the poor financial condition of family. Patel had a
desire to study to become a lawyer. So he started to work
and save funds. He went to England to study law. He passed
examinations within two years and travelled back to India.
Patel started practicing as a barrister in Ahmadabad. In
1917, Patel elected as the sanitation commissioner of
Ahmadabad. He displayed extraordinary devotion to duty and
personal courage in fighting an outbreak of plague and led a
successful agitation for the removal of an unpopular British
municipal commissioner. Inspired by the words of Gandhi,
Patel started active participation in the Indian
independence movement.
In 1920, Patel was nominated and elected as the
President of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee where he
served in the same post till 1945. In 1923 Patel acquired
country-wide recognition after his successful leadership in
the satyagraha in Nagpur against a law banning the raising
of the Indian flag. In 1928 he led a successful campaign
against the hike in the land revenue in Bardoli of Surat
district. It was after this campaign that Vallabhbhai was
given the popular title sardar. He played a vital role in
the decision making process of All India Congress Committee.
1942 Vallabhbhai Patel was arrested for three years during
Quit India Movement.
After India’s Independence 1947, Patel became
India’s first Home Minister and Minister of Information and
Broadcasting. At the time of independence, India was divided
into many parts mainly territories rules by hereditary
rulers. It is due to Patel’s relentless effort that results
in successfully unification of more than 500 states with
India.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel breathed his last on
December 15, 1950 in Delhi after a massive heart attack.
In 1991, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was awarded posthumously
with India’s highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna.
