31 October 2024
Gujarat Regional holiday | Thursday |
Sardar Patels Birthday is a regional public holiday in the Indian state of Gujrat on October 31st. This holiday commemorates the birthday of Indias first Deputy Prime Minister, who was born on this day in 1875. Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel was born on October 31st 1875 in Nadiad, a village in modern-day Gujarat. After completing a law degree in England, he returned to India in 1913 to start a law practice in Gujarat. He was a strong opponent of the British rule of India and entered politics after hearing a lecture by
Mahatma Gandhi.
Committing to the ideals and ambitions of Gandhi, Patel rose through the ranks of the Indian National Congress, becoming its President in 1931 and gaining the title Sardar - which means "chief" in Hindi, Urdu, and Persian. After India achieved independence in 1947, Patel became the first Home Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister. Patel played a crucial role in post-independence India by successfully integrating over 500 princely states under the Indian Dominion. His uncompromising approach to national integration earned him the sobriquet "Iron Man of India". Patel died on December 15th 1950. He was posthumously conferred the Bharat Ratna, Indias highest civilian honour, in 1991. His birthday, October 31st was declared Rashtriya Ekta Divas (National Unity Day) in 2014.
As the first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of India, Patel organised relief efforts for refugees fleeing to Punjab and Delhi from Pakistan and worked to restore peace. He led the task of forging a united India, successfully integrating into the newly independent nation those British colonial provinces that had been "allocated" to India. Besides those provinces that had been under direct British rule, approximately 565 self-governing princely states had been released from British suzerainty by the Indian Independence Act of 1947. Patel persuaded almost every princely state to accede to India.