On October 31, India celebrates Rashtriya Ekta Diwas—National Unity Day—honoring the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Iron Man of India. This year holds special significance as the nation marks his 150th birth anniversary, a milestone that invites deeper reflection on his unparalleled role in shaping modern India. More than a commemorative event, this day is an invocation of Patel’s vision of a united, resilient, and inclusive India. His contributions in consolidating a fragmented post-Partition landscape into a single nation remain a cornerstone of our democratic strength. 

The Statesman Who Forged a Nation

When India attained independence in 1947, it inherited not only freedom but also a daunting challenge—how to integrate over 560 princely states, each with its own ruler, ambitions, and anxieties. The British departure left behind the option for these states to join either India or Pakistan or remain independent. The fledgling Indian state stood perilously close to disintegration before its birth.

It was Patel, as the newly independent nation’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, who confronted this monumental task. Through his pragmatic approach, administrative astuteness, and unwavering patriotism, he persuaded—and where necessary compelled—rulers to accede to India. His methods were a blend of diplomacy and determination. With V. P. Menon, he crafted the Instrument of Accession, ensuring legal and political coherence without unnecessary conflict.

Patel’s handling of contentious cases—like Junagadh, Hyderabad, and Kashmir—revealed his rare balance of moral authority and strategic firmness. Without his tireless intervention, India’s political map might have looked radically different today. It is no exaggeration to say that while Mahatma Gandhi gave India freedom, Sardar Patel gave it unity.

The Spirit of Ekta Diwas

Ekta Diwas was formally instituted in 2014 to revive and honor Patel’s legacy as the architect of modern India’s unity. Every year, October 31 calls upon citizens to reflect on how unity forms the foundation of national progress. Across India, schools, institutions, and governments organize the Run for Unity, pledge ceremonies, and cultural events celebrating the spirit of “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat”—United India, Great India.

The day transcends ceremonial symbolism. It reminds Indians that patriotism is not merely a sentiment of pride but an act of participation in national harmony. In a democracy as large and diverse as India’s, differences of ideology, language, or culture are inevitable. What binds the nation together is commitment to a shared destiny—a commitment Patel championed with unmatched resolve.

The Symbolism of the Statue of Unity

In 2018, the unveiling of the Statue of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat—a 182-meter tribute to Sardar Patel—served as a powerful reaffirmation of his legacy. Towering over the Narmada River, the world’s tallest statue stands not merely as an engineering marvel, but as a moral one—a reminder that India’s unity is its most lasting monument. Visitors from across the world now see in this colossal figure a reflection of the steadfastness that Patel embodied.

The site has become more than a tourist destination; it is a civic classroom teaching lessons in nation-building. Exhibits at the adjacent museum trace Patel’s life from the fields of Bardoli—where he earned the title “Sardar”—to the corridors of power in Delhi, where he shaped the Union of India. For millions of Indians, the pilgrimage to this statue is also a reaffirmation of constitutional faith.

Unity as Today’s Imperative

The message of Ekta Diwas assumes sharper significance in contemporary India. The success of the nation’s democratic fabric depends on the ability of its people to rise above narrow interests. The widening global crises, from climate change to conflicts, underline the necessity of internal cohesion. Strengthened by diversity, India has the moral responsibility to demonstrate that unity in plurality is not an anomaly but an achievable ideal.

Unity today must extend beyond geography—it must encapsulate solidarity in purpose, equality in opportunity, and mutual respect in identity. That was Patel’s dream: a strong India built not on uniformity, but on cooperation; not on suspicion, but on trust.

A Legacy That Guides the Future

As India marches forward in its Amrit Kaal—the 25-year journey leading to the centenary of independence—revisiting Patel’s ideals becomes imperative. His example teaches that leadership is not loud but resolute, not divisive but integrative. Unity, he showed, is not the act of merging boundaries but the art of harmonizing differences.

This Ekta Diwas, therefore, is more than an homage. It is a call to introspection—a reminder that every Indian, in thought and action, carries the duty of defending the unity that Sardar Patel painstakingly built. National integration is not a historical achievement; it is an ongoing project that demands vigilance, compassion, and conviction.

In remembering Sardar Patel, India does not merely celebrate the past—it rededicates itself to the promise of oneness. His life remains proof that when unity guides a nation’s soul, no division can ever endure.