Today, the country is celebrating the 145th birth anniversary of the iron man Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid rich tributes to Patel saying that he was the pioneer of National Unity and Integrity.

After the independence of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel played a significant role in uniting the whole nation. This is the reason that Vallabhbhai Patel’s birth anniversary is celebrated as National Unity Day in the country. National Unity Day was first observed in 2014. Sardar Patel was also the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of the country after independence.

Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra on this day also remembered the Iron Man and said that he was the force behind uniting India.

Let’s know 10 facts about Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel –

1. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was born on 31 October 1875 in Nadiad, Gujarat. In London, he studied as a barrister and returned to India to practice in Ahmedabad. Inspired by the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi, he participated in India’s freedom movement.

2. Sardar Patel’s first and major contribution to the freedom movement was in the Kheda struggle in 1918. He also successfully led the peasant movement in the Bardoli Satyagraha held in 1928.

3. Iron man Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of India.

4. After the independence, his contribution in the creation of a united India by unifying the princely states cannot be forgotten. He created Indian unity by merging 562 small and big princely states into the Indian Union.

5. Mahatma Gandhi gave the title of Iron Man to Sardar Patel.

6. A 182 meter (597 ft) high iron statue (Statue of Unity) of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was constructed in front of Sardar Sarovar Dam of Narmada in Gujarat. It is the tallest statue in the world. It was dedicated to the country on 31 October 2018. The Statue of Liberty is only 93 meters in height.

7. It was Sardar Patel’s vision that the Indian Administrative Services would play an important role in keeping the country united. He gave a strong emphasis on strengthening the Indian Administrative Services. He called the civil services a steel frame.

8. After the success of the Bardoli Satyagraha movement, the women there gave Vallabhbhai Patel the title of ‘Sardar’.

9. The foundation of any country lies in its unity and integrity and Sardar Patel was the architect of the unity of the country. For this reason, his birthday is celebrated as National Unity Day.

10. Sardar Patel ji died in Mumbai on 15 December 1950. In 1991, Sardar Patel was posthumously awarded the ‘Bharat Ratna’.