Iron Man of India: Interesting Facts About Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on His 150th Birth Anniversary

On the 31st of October each year, the nation celebrates the Jayanti of India’s first Home Minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, regarded as the ‘Iron Man of India,’ to honour him on his birth anniversary. On August 15, 1947, when India became an independent nation, Patel was appointed India’s first Home Minister and worked diligently under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to strengthen the country’s position as a sovereign nation.

Who Was Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel?

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was born into a farming Patidar family in Nadiad, Gujarat, on October 31, 1875. Sardar Patel pursued law at London’s Middle Temple and returned to India to practice in Ahmedabad. A leading figure in India’s struggle for independence, Sardar Patel was the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of independent India.
Patel was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi and played a crucial role in uniting more than 560 princely states into the Indian Union post-independence, a remarkable achievement that earned Sardar Patel the title “Iron Man of India.”

Interesting Facts About Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

• Sardar Patel passed his matriculation at the age of 22 and went on to become one of India’s most distinguished lawyers.
• After independence, Sardar Patel was appointed India’s first Deputy Prime Minister.
• In 1917, Sardar Patel joined the freedom movement after meeting Mahatma Gandhi.
• Assisting Mahatma Gandhi’s political campaigns, Patel became the Secretary of the Gujarat Sabha in 1917.
• The Iron Man of India underwent a three-year law course at the Inns of Court, Middle Temple, in London at the age of 36.
• Instead of the usual 36-month duration to qualify as a barrister, Sardar Patel completed his law course within 30 months.
• Ensuring that the newly freed nation remained united, Patel brought together 562 princely states post-independence.