Sardar Patel

Sardar Patel
Author: Rajnikant Puranik
Publisher: Independently Published
Total Pages: 286
Release: 2018-09-28
Genre:
ISBN: 9781724121035

..".[then] it seemed to me that Jawaharlal should be the new President [of Congress in 1946

Had Sardar Patel Been the First Prime Minister

Had Sardar Patel Been the First Prime Minister
Author: Som Nath Aggarwal
Publisher: Garuda Prakashan
Total Pages: 556
Release: 2020
Genre: India
ISBN: 9781942426387

When a nation begins to pine for a person from its past, wishing he remained at the helm for longer, it indicates that the path taken by that nation is not the correct one. With Sardar Patel, especially vis-a-vis Nehru, the Indian nation still mourns the fact that the former did not become the first Prime Minister of India. This book, written by Justice (retd.) S N Aggarwal, author of "Nehru's Himalayan Blunders", establishes the real reasons why we still pine for Patel's longer presence at the horizon of our national leadership. The book, quoting from authentic sources, also gives ample insight into the views and understanding of the affairs of the nation, which Sardar not only preached but also practiced. Usually, Sardar Patel, the "Iron Man" that he was, is lauded for his role in the unification of post-independent India. With Nehru botching up the only princely state he handled - namely, Jammu and Kashmir - Patel's contribution in unifying more than 500 princely states in the Indian union becomes all the more laudable. However, this book goes beyond. "Had Sardar Patel been the first Prime Minister, the country would have been fully armed to defend herself, there could have been no danger from outside. By following the principles of patriotism, moral values and high character and discipline, there would have been no internal problem," writes the author. And, like the case of Kashmir, in these matters too, Nehru's conduct makes one wish all the more strongly that Sardar should have been the first Prime Minister of India.

Sardar Patel

Sardar Patel
Author: Rajnikant Puranik
Publisher:
Total Pages: 508
Release: 2018-01-28
Genre:
ISBN: 9781977024398

This book is unlike any biography on Sardar Patel,and unlike any narrative on Freedom Struggle.Its USP is that it is not just a biography or an interesting story of the life of Sardar Patel.Rather, its USP is that, leaving no vital aspect uncovered, and interspersed with interesting episodes and no-holds-barred comments and observations, it is an engaging, gripping and comprehensive story with a wide sweep, unlike anything written so far, on the following, with Sardar Patel in the background or in the foreground, and bringing out why Sardar Patel was the best PM we never had!- Interesting, and non-so-well-known biographical details of Sardar Patel.- Select compilation of what other stalwarts said about Sardar Patel.- Select compilation of what Sardar said and wrote.- Comprehensive and chronological coverage of India's Gandhian Freedom Struggle, and the role of Sardar and others in it.- Dispassionate evaluation of the Gandhian Freedom Movement.- Comprehensive coverage on "What constitutes a nation?", Partition, and the Creation of Pakistan.- Sardar's steller and decisive role during 1945-47 leading to India's freedom.- The shocking story of Nehru's unjust and illegal anointment as the Congress President in 1946, and the first PM of India, by Gandhi, sidelining Sardar.- The fascinating story of the Integration of the 562 Princely States into India, expanding its geographical area by 40%--all thanks to Sardar Patel. - Sardar's decisive role in the forcible merger of Junagadh and Hyderabad.- Kashmir, Sardar, and botch-up by Nehru.- Sardar vs. Nehru on China and Tibet.- Sardar vs. Nehru's Foreign Policy Blunders.- Sardar vs. Nehru's Socialistic Nightmare.- Sardar vs. Nehru-Gandhi's "Secularism".- Sardar's functioning and his unmatched administrative abilities. (it's a long sweep), www.rkpbooks.com...[then] it seemed to me that Jawaharlal should be the new President [of Congress in 1946--and hence Prime Minister] ...I acted according to my best judgement but the way things have shaped since then has made me to realise that this was perhaps the greatest blunder of my political life... My second mistake was that when I decided not to stand myself, I did not support Sardar Patel.-- Abul Kalam Azad, 'India Wins Freedom'The Sardar, as Congress's strongman was called, was determined to stay and solve whatever problems remained, rather than running away from them. He had long viewed Nehru as a weak sister and often wondered why Gandhi thought so highly of him.--Stanley Wolpert, 'Nehru: A Tryst with Destiny'Patel possessed the organising ability of Bismarck, the astute statesmanship of Chanakya, and the single-minded devotion to the cause of national unity of Abraham Lincoln.--VV Giri, ex-President of IndiaYou saw his [Sardar's] face;it grew year by year in power and determination...-- Acharya Kriplani...Here was a man with a crystal-clear mind who could see to the core of the problem within the shortest possible time...--Frank AnthonyYou know, I never go to Nehru to seek advice or guidance. I take a decision and just present it to him as a fait accompli. Nehru's mind is too complex to wrestle with the intricacies of a problem. Those who go to him for advice rarely get a lead--and that only serves to delay matters... Nehru does not understand economics, and is lead by the nose by 'professors' and 'experts' who pander to his whims and fancies... We should have absorbed Kashmir for good and all... I do not know where we are going. The country needs a man like Patel."--Rafi Ahmed Kidwai, Nehru's close friend and confidantSir Stafford Cripps had estimated it would take India 10 to 15 years, if not more, to liquidate the Indian Princely States and merge them with India. It was a surprise to all, and a tribute to the Sardar's abilities, that he took, not 10 to 15 years, but less than 10 to 15 months to merge all the 548 Princely States with India, extending its area by 40%.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Author: B., Krishna
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2018-12-30
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9353024811

As prime minister of Britain, Winston Churchill had ordered the preparation of an imperial strategy with the intention of Balkanizing India and tightening Britain's post-war hold over her. The strategy envisaged two Pakistans, one in the west and the other in the east, both large in size at India's expense; the west to include the non-Muslim east Punjab; the east, the whole of Bengal (despite Hindus comprising almost half the population), and the predominantly Hindu Assam. Within her borders, India was to be Balkanized with the creation of independent confederations of princely states. Attlee's policy statement of 20 February 1947 was to implement the same, and Mountbatten was given the mandate to transfer power and quit India by June 1948, a date that was advanced to August 1947. However, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel foiled Churchill's strategy. This book examines Patel's extraordinary contribution, from his unflinching support to Gandhi's satyagrahas and the Indian freedom struggle, to his farsighted and courageous approach in building a strong, integrated India.

Wof: Vallabhbhai Patel

Wof: Vallabhbhai Patel
Author: Sardar Patel
Publisher: Penguin Books India
Total Pages: 132
Release: 2017-10
Genre: History
ISBN: 0143414011

Vallabhbhai Patel, popularly known as Sardar Patel, was one of India's towering leaders, whose contribution to the Indian Republic is immense. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi to join the freedom struggle, Patel was at the forefront of the Quit India movement, and was arrested by the British a number of times. After Independence, he served as India's first home minister and deputy prime minister. A successful lawyer, he used his legendary negotiation skills to unite the 550 princely states and colonial provinces under the Union of India, to create the nation we know today. The speeches and writings collected here showcase Vallabhbhai Patel's unique vision for his beloved country-his staunch belief in communal harmony, benefits of freedom for all citizens and in peace and cooperation between different regions.

VP Menon

VP Menon
Author: Narayani Basu
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 675
Release: 2020-02-04
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9386797690

With his initial plans for an independent India in tatters, the desperate viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, turned to his seniormost Indian civil servant, Vappala Pangunni Menon—or VP—giving him a single night to devise an alternative, coherent and workable plan for independence. Menon met his stringent deadline, presenting the Menon Plan, which would change the map of the world forever. Menon was unarguably the architect of the modern Indian state. Yet startlingly little is known about this bureaucrat, patriot and visionary. In this definitive biography, Menon’s great-granddaughter, Narayani Basu, rectifies this travesty. She takes us through the highs and lows of his career, from his determination to give women the right to vote; to his strategy, at once ruthless and subtle, to get the princely states to accede to India; to his decision to join forces with the Swatantra Party; to his final relegation to relative obscurity. Equally, the book candidly explores the man behind the public figure— his unconventional personal life and his private conflicts, which made him channel his energy into public service. Drawing from documents—scattered, unread and unresearched until now—and with unprecedented access to Menon’s papers and his taped off-the-record and explosively frank interviews—this remarkable biography of VP Menon not only covers the life and times of a man unjustly consigned to the footnotes of history but also changes our perception of how India, as we know it, came into being.

Prime Minister Priti

Prime Minister Priti
Author: Duncan Brack
Publisher: Biteback Publishing
Total Pages: 461
Release: 2021-07-27
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1785906917

"She woke with a start. Could it really have happened, or was it just a cruel dream? One way to find out. She reached for the remote control ... 'You're watching GB News, the fair and balanced way to start your day,' intoned the voice of Andrew Neil, overlaid on a remix of 'Land of Hope and Glory'. And then it hit her, as she took in the newsreader's first headline. 'The new Prime Minister, Priti Patel, is about to announce her first Cabinet appointments...' The new Prime Minister... So it was real." What does it take to change history? Clement Attlee dying on the battlefield, perhaps? John Lennon surviving that bullet, or Theresa May finally (finally!) passing her Brexit deal? Or maybe the pivotal recent years of UK history turned on one man's decision to have just one more drink... This is the world of political counterfactuals. Here, twenty-three fictional accounts, written by experts in their fields, tell the tales of what might have been – and what might still come to pass. Captivating and illuminating, these stories are guaranteed to make you smile – or gasp in horror...

The Man Who Saved India

The Man Who Saved India
Author: Hindol Sengupta
Publisher: Penguin Random House India Private Limited
Total Pages: 481
Release: 2018-08-31
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 9353052009

There is perhaps no political figure in modern history who did more to secure and protect the Indian nation than Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. But, ironically, seventy years after Patel brought together piece by piece the map of India by fusing the princely states with British India to create a new democratic, independent nation, little is understood or appreciated about Patel's enormous contribution to the making of India. Caricatured in political debate, all the nuances of Patel's difficult life and the daring choices he made are often lost, or worse, used as mere polemic. If Mahatma Gandhi was the spiritual core of India's freedom struggle and Jawaharlal Nehru its romantic idealism, it was Sardar Patel who brought in the vital pragmatism which held together the national movement and the first ideas of independent India. A naturally stoic man, Patel, unlike Gandhi or Nehru, wrote no personal history. He famously argued that its was better to create history than write it. This is why even his deepest misgivings and quarrels have been easily buried. But every warning that Patel left for India - from the dangers of allowing groups to create private militias to his thoughtful criticism on India's approach to Kashmir, Pakistan and China - are all dangerously relevant today. It is impossible to read about Patel, who died in 1950, and not feel that had he lived on, India might have been a different country. It is also impossible to ignore Patel and understand not only what the idea of India is but also what it could have been, and might be in the future. The Man Who Saved India is a sweeping, magisterial retelling of Sardar Patel's story. With fiercely detailed and pugnacious anecdotes, multiple award-winning, best-selling writer Hindol Sengupta brings alive Patel's determined life of struggle and his furious commitment to keep India safe. This book brings alive all the arguments, quarrels and clashes between some of the most determined people in Indian history and their battle to carve out an independent nation. Through ravages of a failing body broken by decades of abuse in and outside prison, Patel stands out in this book as the man who, even on his death bed, worked to save India. Hindol Sengupta's The Man Who Saved India is destined to define Patel's legacy for future generations.

India

India
Author: Durga Das
Publisher: Rupa Publications
Total Pages: 499
Release: 2004
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9788171675913

This book is a fascinating and wholly absorbing contribution to the history of the twentieth century. This fast-moving, lively and independent account of the politics and international affairs is enriched by intimate, perceptive and far from uncritical sketches of great leaders such as Gandhi, Jinnah, Nehru, Desai and Patel. Perhaps no other book reminds the reader so firmly that politics, even at its most exalted and dramatic, is about people. Certainly no one who is interested in India, in the history of British imperialism or in the realities of present day Asia can neglect this goldmine of a book.