Sardar

Vallabhbhai Patel Biography

One of the greatest leaders of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
played a crucial role in the freedom struggle and unifying of
India. Check out this biography to get details about his life,
profile, & timeline.
Quick Facts
Also Known
As

Sardar, Iron Man of India, Bismarck of India ,

Patron Saint

Nationality

Indian

Religion

Hinduism

Political
ideology

Indian National Congress

Born on

31 October 1875 AD

Zodiac Sign

Scorpio

Born in

Nadiad

Died on

15 December 1950 AD

Place of
death

Mumbai

Father

Jhaverbhai Patel

Mother

Laad Bai

Siblings
Spouse:

Dahiba, Kashibhai, Somabhai, Narsibhai,

Vithalbhai Patel
Jhaverba Patel

Quick Facts
Children

Maniben Patel, Dahyabhai Patel

Education

Middle Temple

Awards

1991 - Bharat Ratna

Popularly known as the Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai

Patel was one of the founding fathers of the Republic of India. A
statesman of integrity, he played a quintessential role in helping
India garner independence from the British rule. However, his
role in the independence struggle did not end with just that as
he was the man who guided the country to become a united,
independent nation. Born in a Gujarati family, Patel was
academically trained to become a lawyer. However, inspired by
the works and teachings of Gandhi, he switched to give his life
for the Indian struggle for independence. One of the leaders of
the Indian National Congress, he raised to prominence in his
home state for his outstanding work of saving peasants of
Gujarat from the oppressive policies imposed by the British Raj,
through non-violent civil disobedience. It wasnt long before
Patel became the trailblazer in the nationalist movement. It was
for his ability to lead from the front that he was given the
forename, Sardar, meaning Chief. Patel is also credited for
establishing modern all-India civil services and for the same, is
remembered as the Patron Saint of India's civil servants. It was
his sheer sense of wisdom, practical acumen, sharp mind, great
organizational skills and political insight that helped Patel

become one amongst the greatest leaders of India.

Childhood & Early Life
Born to a Gujarati family in the village of Karamsad,
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was the fourth of the six children
of his father, Jhaveribhai. He had three elder brothers,
and a younger brother and sister.
Ever since the young age, Vallabhbhai showed streak of
being tough and physically strong. Twice a month, he
would indulge in day-long fast, abstaining from food and
water.
Much of his education was attained in schools in Nadiad,
Petlad and Borsad. He completed his matriculation at the
age of 22. While others in his family thought him to be
unambitious and unfocussed, Vallabhbhai had plans of
becoming a barrister.
To fulfill the same, he spent a number of years away from
his family. He studied on borrowed books from lawyers,
worked hard and saved funds and cracked the
examination in two years.
In the early years of practice, Vallabhbhai had a reputation
of being a fierce and skilled lawyer. He practiced in
Godhra, Borsad and Anand. He even served as the first
chairman of the E.M.H.S (Edward Memorial High School).
Having enough bank balance, Vallabhbhai applied for a
pass and ticket to England, which was granted to him
under the name V.T. Patel. Vithalbhai, who bore the same
initials, lured by the opportunity to fulfil his long-since
harboured plan, requested Vallabhbhai to allow him to
travel in the latter s place.
For the sake of family honor and prestige, Vallabhbhai
allowed Vithalbhai to go in his place. Whats more, he
even financed his brother s stay and started saving again
to accomplish his goals.
It was in the year 1911 that Vallabhbhai Patel finally lived
his dream as he travelled all the way to England. He

topped the 36-month course which he had enrolled in. It

was a remarkable feat as Patel had no formal college
education, unlike most others.
T hough Patel was offered lucrative post by the British
Government, he rejected them all to come back to India.
Upon arriving in India, Patel started practicing as a
barrister in Ahmedabad. Soon he became a name to
reckon with in the legal circles. His European-style
clothes and urban mannerism had become the talk of the
town. Working hard, Patel greatly expanded his practice
and his wealth.
Entry Into Politics
In 1917, Patel stood for an election to become the
sanitation commissioner of Ahmedabad which he won
comfortably. Meanwhile, Patels interest in politics grew,
as he heard Gandhiji speak for the Swadeshi Movement.
Inspired by the words of Gandhi, Patel started active
participation in the Indian independence movement.
A meeting with Gandhi at the Gujarat Political Conference
in Godhra led to Patel being designated to the position of
the secretary of the Gujarat Sabha, which would become
the Gujarati arm of the Indian National Congress.
Patels involvement in politics grew astronomically. He
fought against servitude of Indians to Europeans,
organized relief efforts during plague and famine in Kheda
and took a leading role in the non-violent Civil
Disobedience Movement against the payment of raised
tax, levied by the British. His leadership activities earned
him the title of Sardar .
He travelled village to village, garnering support from
peasants and other villagers for a state-wide revolt by
refusing the payment of taxes. He laid emphasis on unity
and non-violent demeanor despite provocation and also
briefed the villagers of the potential hardships that they
might have to face in the process.
When the revolt was launched, the British government

responded by conducting raids at the holdings of the

farmers. T hey even imprisoned thousands of villagers.
T he revolt had attained a national status and earned
empathy from people across the country.
Embarrassed by the same, the government agreed to
negotiate with Patel. Not only did they suspend the
payment of revenue for the year, they even scaled back
the rate of tax, thus making Patel a national hero.
In 1920, Patel was nominated and elected as the
President of the newly formed Gujarat Pradesh Congress
Committee. He supported the non-cooperative movement
initiated by Gandhi.
Once a follower of Western fashion, Patel switched to
khadi. He even organized several bonfires of British goods
in Ahmedabad. Apart from these, Patel supported the
empowerment of women and worked for abolishing
alcoholism, untouchability and caste discrimination from
the society.
In his three terms as Ahmedabad's municipal president, he
transformed the city completely. He extended electricity,
drainage and sanitation facility to all parts of the city and
conducted major educational reforms. He even fought for
the recognition and payment of teachers
What is interesting to note is that Sardar Patel was
successful in building unity and trust among the people,
who despite falling into different caste and community and
divided by socio-economic lines, were united for a cause.
In 1928, the village of Bardoli suffered from famine and
steep tax hikes. To curb the problem, Sardar Patel
organized a struggle, which called for non-violent unity
from the villagers and a demand for complete denial of the
taxes to the Government.
T he fate of the satyagraha started in Bardoli was similar
to that of Kheda as the British government agreed on
repealing the tax hike. T he victory brought Sardar Patel
into limelight and highlighted his role as a typical Sardar

or leader . Due to this, more and more people started

addressing him as Sardar Patel.
Vallabhbhai Patel was appointed as the interim leader of
Congress in the 1931 Karachi session. During his term,
Patel committed to protecting the fundamental rights and
human freedom and envisioned India as a secular nation.
It was during this time that the relationship between
Gandhi and Patel blossomed. T he two, despite having
arguments and contrasting theories, shared a close bond
of love, affection, trust and respect.
Since 1934, Patel played a significant role in the Indian
National Congress; he became chairman of its Central
Parliamentary Board. His profile included raising funds,
selecting candidates and determining Congress stance on
issues and opponents. T hough he did not contest in the
election, he helped several Congressmen in getting
elected in the provinces and at the national level
Role in Quit India Mov e m e nt
An ardent supporter of Gandhi, Vallabhbhai Patel took
active participation in the Gandhi-led Quit India
Movement. He believed that the mass civil disobedience
would compel the British to leave the nation like in
Singapore and Burma.
Under the pressure of Gandhi and Patel, the All India
Congress Committee launched the mass civil
disobedience in the form of Quit India Movement on
August 7, 1942.
Patel influenced the large crowd that had assembled to
take part in the civil disobedience, which included forced
shutdown of the civil services and refusal to pay taxes. It
was his powerful speech that electrified nationalist, even
those who were sceptical about the rebellion.
Vallabhbhai Patel was arrested two days later on August 9
and was released after three years on June 15, 1945.
Strikes, protests and revolutionary activities ruled India

and Indians during this time with the result turning out in
the countrys favour, as British decided to leave India and
transfer the power to Indians.
Role in Partition
In the 1946 election for the Congress Presidency, Patel
was nominated as the candidate for the elections.
However, he refused the position on the advice of Gandhi,
which was eventually taken over by Jawaharlal Nehru.
T he election was important in terms of the fact that the
elected President would lead free India's first Government.
Patel was free-Indias first Home Minister and Minister of
Information and Broadcasting. He was also the first of the
Congress leaders to support the partition of India, as a
solution to curb the rising communal violence and Muslim
separatist movement, led by Mohammad Jinnah.
He managed to lobby for the partition successfully, by
making Nehru, Gandhi and other Congress leaders accept
the proposal. He represented India on the Partition
Council, and oversaw the division of public assets.
T hough patel argued to have agreed for the partition to
cease communal violence, little did he anticipate the
bloody violence and population transfer that would take
place as a result of it.
Role in Indias Inte gration
At the time of independence, India was divided into three
parts. T he first was the one directly under control of the
British Government, the second was the territories rules
by hereditary rulers and third was the territory colonized
by France and Portugal.
Patel had realized that the dream for a unified and free
India could only be achieved if the three territories were
integrated as one. Blessed with practical acumen, great
wisdom and political foresight, he took up the uphill task
of unifying India.
He began lobbying with the princes and monarchs of the

separate states to accede to the government in full faith,

who were given two choices by the British either to join
India or Pakistan or stay independently.
Patels untiring efforts and relentless appeals reaped
fruitful result as he successfully persuaded 565 states,
except the three states of Jammu and Kashmir, Junagadh,
and Hyderabad. He used the tactics of invoking patriotism
in the Indian rulers and proposed favourable terms for the
merger
Junagadh on the other hand had acceded to Pakistan.
With more than 80% population as Hindu and its distance
from Pakistan, Patel demanded Pakistan to annul
accession and forced the Nawab of Junagadh to accede
to India. Hyderabad too joined the Indian Union by force,
after tha Razakar forces failed to match up to the Indian
army.
As for Kashmir, it was during the Pakistani invasion of
Kashmir in September 1947 that Kashmir's monarch
acceded to India. Patel then oversaw India's military
operations to secure Srinagar and the Baramulla Pass. In
the days to follow, Indian forces retrieved much territory
from the invaders.
Pe rsonal Life & Le gacy
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel tied the knot at the age of 18, to
Jhaverba, who was twelve years of age then. Following
the traditional Hindu customs, which allowed the bride to
stay with her parents until her husband had a decent
income and an established household, the two stayed
apart for a few years until Sardar Patel had definite
income to fall back on.
Along with Jhaverba, he set up a house in Godhra. T he
couple was blessed with a daughter, Manibehn, in 1904,
and a son, Dahyabhai, two years later.
In 1909, Jhaverba, who was suffering from cancer,
underwent a major surgical operation. T hough the
operation was successful, Jhaverbas health continued to

decline. She passed away the same year. Patel was

against remarrying and instead raised his children with the
help of his family.
Patels health started declining in the summer of 1950.
T hough he was taken care of intensely, his health
worsened. To recuperate, he was flown to Mumbai, where
he lodged at the Birla House.
Sardar Patel breathed his last on December 15, 1950 after
a massive heart attack. He was cremated at Sonapur the
ceremony was attended by a million people, including
Prime Minister Nehru, Rajagopalachari and President
Prasad.
Posthumously, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was awarded with
Indias highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna in 1991. His
birthday, which falls on October 31, is celebrated as
Sardar Jayanti.
While his home in Karmsad has been preserved in his
memory, in 1980 Sardar Patel National Memorial was
established, which houses a museum, a gallery of
portraits and historical pictures and a library.
A number of educational institutes in India have been
named after him, including the nations premier institutes
Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology,
Sardar Patel University, and Sardar Patel Vidyalaya,
Sardar Pate l Statue of Unity
In order to honour the pivotal contribution of Sardar Patel
in integrating India,after independence, by uniting 562
princely states, Government of India is planning to build a
182 metres (597 ft) tall statue of Sardar Patel. It will be
the world's tallest statue and will be built directly facing
the Narmada Dam, 3.2 km away on the river island called
Sadhu Bet near Vadodara in Gujarat. T he total cost of the
whole project will be Rs 2,979 crore.
Triv ia
He is popularly known by two names, the Iron Man of

India and Bismarck of India.

For his leadership activities and the ability to lead
thousands of people, he was given the forename Sardar .
He was instrumental in the founding the Indian
Administrative Service and the Indian Police Service and
is therefore known as the Patron Saint of India's services
He successfully completed the uphill task of unifying the
princely states of India to join the Indian union. He
persuaded the princes of 565 states to accede to India.