When Iron Man Had Come Calling To Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The year was 1938. Then, Iron Man of India Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had accompanied Mahatma Gandhi to attend an agro and village enterprise exhibition at Beraboi in Delanga area of Puri district.

That was the only time Patel, who went on to become the first home minister of independent India, visited Odisha, which celebrated his 144th birth anniversary on Thursday along with the rest of the country.

To commemorate the occasion, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik paid tributes to the Iron Man. of India.

The CM tweeted: “Humble tribute to Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on birth anniversary. His immense contribution to integrate India into a powerful nation will always be remembered.”

Also on Thursday, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan flagged off and participated in ‘Run for Unity’ event to mark the occasion in Bhubaneswar on Thursday.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s birth anniversary is celebrated across the country as ‘National Unity Day’ or Rashtriya Ekta Diwas as a tribute to India’s first home minister.

Notably, Patel joined India’s struggle for independence after he met Mahatama Gandhi in 1917.

In 1920, he was elected the president of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee and fought against alcoholism, untouchability and caste discrimination. He supported Mahatma Gandhi’s Non-Cooperation Movement and switched to wearing only khadi clothes.

Patel died on December 15, 1950, in then Bombay after suffering a massive heart attack.