Though the Biography of Sardar Vallabhai Patel by Rajmohan Gandhi is more than 3 decades old and much talked about, I got to read it only now due to the kindness of AK Raghunathan sir, who sent it to me with great love.
Most of the part of Patel’s illustrious life is quite known to most of us. His work with the peasants, contribution to the freedom movement, being the Bismark of India by integration of the princely states, etc need no elaboration. Yet, reading the biography was a very slow affair because, with his life is attached a national movement itself and without recounting the entire events, passing by, is difficult.
Yet, there are some interesting and important details in the book, which were completely new, at least to me. So I thought, it should benefit others, if they are given here, and if it could induce some to read the book, might be they will get benefited too.
The book starts with a startling revelation that the date of birth of Sardar is an approximation.
The Patidars, the community to which Patel belonged to, were less polished and an independent type. While others would stand with joined hands in the presence of superiors, the Patidars would immediately sit down.
As a student, there is an instance where Vallabhai stands up to his Gujarathi teacher who insists that every Hindu should learn Sanskrit to which Vallabhai said if everyone took to learning Sanskrit, the Gujarati teacher himself would be without a job. The student was asked to stand upon the bench for his impudence, which Vallabhai suffered. But when the teacher asked him to write tables, then twice, then two hundred times, the student stubbornly refused. When produced before the principal, Patel said that he had suffered the punishment of standing on the bench, but the later punishments were un called for and without justification and more over, writing tables was an insult to him because it was done by students of lower standards. He had shown this mettle.
Several instances show his wit and humour as an Advocate, and his sharp acumen and logic.
He says that ‘One reason why a people living 7,000 miles away were ruling India was that they had perfected the art of clothing a firm “no” in a blanket of polite reasonableness.
Regarding his brother having taken to public service and he having to do the advocate’s job, he said ‘my brother gave up his flourishing practice and started on a career of public service, while I bore the burden of maintaining the household. I had thus to commit all the sins and he performed all the good deeds”.
During a trial at VT after a lathi charge, when Patel would not speak, Malavya gives a big lecture to which Patel says in Hindi, ‘Does one read the bhagavat to a buffalo?’ When the European judge asks, “What was that?, Patel with a straight face says, ‘I was telling him that the lathi charge had been ordered by the Home Member who was watching the procession from the VT terrace”.
Once, when a person had asked Gandhi in a letter, how can a man weighing three maunds avoid crushing ants when he walks on this earth”, Patel remarked, ‘Tell him that he should walk with his feet on his head”. This was during their prison life.
At a meeting at Godhra, where Tilak, Jinnah, Gandhi and Patel spoke, Gandhi had insisted on Jinnah and Patel to speak in Gujarathi. Later Gandhi was to say that on that occasion he had lost Jinnah and won Patel.
In fact the entire animosity appears to have been between Jinnah and Patel.
Patel, having lost his wife, very early in life, remained unmarried thereafter and took care of his children with such great care that he becomes a role model for a father. There are poignant instances of his tender feelings for his daughter and her feelings towards her father too, at different places and times.
There is an instance in 1930 when Patel was imprisoned and was to meet his son, he changes into the best kurtha available and tells Gandhi, ‘I want him to think that I am enjoying life here’.
At first, by his unerring commitment to Gandhi, he is likened to his younger brother. But, later when he starts deviating due to the necessity of the Congress movement or in National interest, he is likened to a son, who can defy a father. Earlier, only Jawahar enjoyed the freedom to be like a son. Thereafter sibling rivalry arises.
Though it is commonly felt that Nethaji’s leaving the Congress was because of his differences with Gandhi and also with Nehru, this book gives an impression that it was more between Patel and Nethaji than between the other two. In fact, the dispute regarding the will of Vitalbhai that Nethaji produces and is disputed by Patel appears to be one basic line from where they differed. This episode is particularly not widely known. Patel goes to the extent of doubting Nethaji’s role in this affair.
Once to a statement by Subash that Patel was undemocratic, Patel says, ‘The lion becomes a king by birth, not by an election in the jungle’.
Similarly regarding the air crash that is said to have killed Subash, Wavel writes in his diary, “It is just what would be given out if he meant to go underground”. It appears that neither the Government nor Congress believed that the plane carrying Subash had crashed.
Once when Patel and Gandhi are imprisoned together, there is a conversation between them as to why the Muslims had not been assimilated into the Hindu society. Gandhi says they were being treated like the untouchables and says that is the reason. Patel says that while Hindus are vegetarians, Muslims were not and hence that was the reason. Gandhi tells Patel that he was speaking with Gujarat alone in perspective and that majority of the Hindus are also non-vegetarians. It was astonishing to read that such a deep person like Patel would not know such a fundamental fact.
Equally surprising was to note that Patel had not known or heard about Vivekananda until after Gandhi talks about him.
The grit, determination and knack in leading the peasant movement by Patel is given in detail. It shows that a movement could succeed only if the women involve themselves in it with full vigour.
The book quotes a witty statement of Rajaji. “ Hello, this is a funny thing. All along Gandhi was saying that if we made khadi we will get Swaraj. Now he says we must make salt also!”. That was on the proposed Salt Sathyagraha. Later CR had said before his arrest at Vedaranyam, “The Mahatma was manufacturing disobedience, not salt”.
There is generally a belief that Gandhi did not do anything to stop the hanging of Bhagat Singh. P 203 of the book records that Gandhi once again told Irwin that “our Pact would be destroyed” if the hangings, scheduled for March 23 took place.
Similarly in respect of Subash Bose also (p 307) ‘the escape of Subash Bose made a great impression on Gandhiji” as quoted by Maulana Azad, though it was Nehru who was against Bose aligning with the Axis powers.
There is a poignant statement (p 215) “On April 24 the news came that “both Malaviyaji and Sarojini have been arrested”. Early in May, however, Malavyaji was released, and Patel tried to assess what this meant”.
In respect of Quit India, Patel was one of the first of Gandhi’s colleagues to support it and Nehru was the last. Nehru in fact had little to do with the Quit India movement also. Thus, when the Government was to be formed and a Prime Minister was to be selected, Gandhi prefers Nehru to Patel on grounds that the former had a mass connect. This fact Patel himself acknowledges. And Patel himself before his passing away, extracts a promise from Gadgil that ‘whatever your differences with Panditji, never leave him’.
Gandhi tells Birla, “I do not like the Sardar collecting money from businessmen”. To that Patel said, “That is not his concern. Gandhi is a Mahatma. I am not. I have to do the job”. This is the point where election funding starts.
The book contains a lot of information on the Political struggles, the internal differences between the leaders, how Gandhi was forced to accept what the Congress said, though he was against it, the partition, the bargainings, the riots, differences arising between Nehru and Patel, Gandhi mediating, assassination of Gandhi, the problem of Kashmir, problem with Tibet and a hurt and tired Sardar leaving for his eternal abode. It is difficult to bring out all the details here.
It is very difficult to bring out the pangs of a generation, for Swaraj of this Country. The turbulence they faced. The personal tragedies they faced on the way. And one would be forced to ask, whether the present generation realizes all this?
Vallabhai’s brother dies in Geneva. Patel is in prioson. He would not ask for parole. However, his friends asked him to be released for his brother’s cremation. The Raj’s response was that Patel could be released for 48 hours provided, he “undertook” to make no political speech and also to present himself for a re-arrest “at a previously agreed time and place”. Patel simply kicked the offer saying, “I cannot purchase my liberty at the sacrifice of my honour and self-respect”.
The freedom has been taken for granted. And as a result we are at a state where we do not know that it will be threatened too.
This book has referred
me to another valuable source - ‘Day-to-day with Gandhi’, the diary recordings
of Mahadev Desai when he was in prison along with Gandhi, a major part during
which Patel also was with them.
