Sardar Patel’s vision and the meaning of national unity today

toThe same year, on October 31, India celebrates Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) to honor the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of independent India. Few shaped the foundations of the republic as decisively as Patel, who brought together more than 560 princely states to form a single political entity after 1947.

Patel’s realism, patience and determination prevented the disintegration of the subcontinent following Partition. Without his powers of persuasion and determination, Junagarh, Hyderabad and Jammu & Kashmir might well have faded into obscurity. The idea of ​​unity he espoused was never uniformity; It was a federation of minds and hearts bound by a common heritage. This belief continues to be India’s pillar in an age of increasing diversity and new aspirations.

The decision to commemorate Patel’s birthday as National Unity Day in 2014 recognized that unity is not an established fact but an act of constant national renewal. Schools, civic organizations and citizens across the country are reaffirming the promise to preserve the integrity of the nation. Events such as the ‘Unity Run’ embody Patel’s call for collective action and remind us that patriotism must move from emotion to participation.

His 150th birth anniversary, which falls this year, will be celebrated with special programs in Ekta Nagar near the 182-metre-tall Statue of Unity, a monumental tribute to Patel’s nation-building legacy. Cultural parades, tableaux from the US and performances by over 900 artists will celebrate the idea that India’s strength lies in many voices speaking as one.

In a country where languages, beliefs and folk traditions coexist in abundance, culture has long been the most enduring bond of unity. From regional cultural centers to national museums, institutions affiliated with the Ministry of Culture are working to democratize heritage and ensure that no region feels isolated from the national narrative.

Programs like ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ institutionalize this spirit by pairing States and Union Territories for exchange of languages, cuisine and arts. When students in Maharashtra learn about Bihu or the young artists of the Assamese stage Lavani in Pune, they are applying Patel’s idea that knowing each other is the first step to standing together.

Tourism is also a tool of adaptation. The ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ campaign and the enhanced ‘Incredible India’ digital platform encourage citizens to explore their own land, from the Golden Temple of Punjab to the backwaters of Kerala, from the tea gardens of Assam to the deserts of Rajasthan. In 2024 alone, domestic tourism has crossed 294 crore visits; This reflects the growing curiosity and pride in India among Indians.

Programs like Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD go beyond infrastructure to create local livelihoods. When a woman in Nagaland runs a homestay for visitors from Gujarat, or an artisan in Jodhpur sells handicrafts to travelers from Tamil Nadu, she is doing more than just exchanging goods; They share experiences that bring the Republic closer.

Patel taught us that unity is a task renewed with every generation. It must be defended against the fragmenting impulses of apathy, ignorance and regionalism.

‘Panch Pran’, the five resolutions of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, places the promise of national solidarity at the center of India’s journey towards 2047.

As India celebrates the centenary of Sardar Patel’s birth, the true tribute to the Iron Man is not in marble or memories but in ensuring that every Indian feels part of the same national story. Every act of participation, whether through a cultural performance, a museum exhibition, or a journey between States, strengthens the invisible ties that bind this civilization together.

In Sardar Patel’s words and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reiteration of them, unity remains both the instrument and the goal of India’s destiny – Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat.

(The writer is Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, Government of India)