Glimpses of Great Souls
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
T
he history of India would have
been different had it not been
for Sardar Patel the Deputy
Prime Minister when India became
independent in 1947. Sardar Patel
consolidated the country into one
united whole in a unique manner. His
strength of character, the sharpness of
his mind, his organizing skills, and all
his energy were offered for achieving
the freedom of India and for India's
consolidation after independence. We
admire a man who rises to a political or
financial peak, but are moved by one
whose sole purpose in life is the
strength and well being of his
compatriots. And we are moved even
more when we discover that next to
the steel in his soul is tenderness for
colleagues. In successive phases of his
life Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel showed
the defiance of the oppressed, a trial
lawyer's brilliance, the daring to give
up a flourishing career, the discipline of
a soldier in the battle for freedom, the
strategies of a General,the
indifference as a prisoner of the Raj,
the generosity of the strong, the
fir [