Remembering "Iron Man of India" Sardar vallabh Bhai Patel on 70th death anniversary

December 15 marks the death anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, a great freedom fighter. Also, known as Iron Man. Today marks his 70th death anniversary.

He was born to father Zaverbhai Patel and mother Ladbai Patel in Nadiad, Gujrat. He was married to Jhaverba and had two siblings –Maniben Patel and Dahyabhai Patel.

Sardar Patel was conferred with all the princely states during the period of independence and secured every state to be a part of independent India. Sardar Patel was a strong revolutionary, due to which, all the princes were drawn towards him for consolidation.

He not only played a crucial role in India’s freedom struggle but also a much more instrumental role after the Independence.

A lawyer by profession, Patel was an ardent supporter of Mahatma Gandhi. His relationship with Gandhi got deeper during the Kheda Satyagraha in 1918, which was started to seek exemption from payment of the land revenue assessment since the crops had failed.

Taking to Twitter, the Prime Minister said the path shown by Sardar Patel will always inspire people to protect the unity of the country. "The path he showed us will always inspire us to protect the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the country," he stated in a tweet in Hindi.

Patel's family home in Karamsad is preserved in his memory. The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial in Ahmedabad was established in 1980 at the Moti Shahi Mahal. It comprises a museum, a gallery of portraits and historical pictures, and a library containing important documents and books associated with Patel and his life. Amongst the exhibits are many of Patel's personal effects and relics from various periods of his personal and political life.

Here's list of book you can read to know more about Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's life and his vision:

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India's iron man
Book by B. Krishna

Patel, a life
Book by Rajmohan Gandhi

India's bismarck, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Book by B. Krishna

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel: The Man Who Unified India
Book by B. Krishna

The Story of the Integration of the Indian States
Book by V. P. Menon

The Man Who Saved India
Book by Hindol Sengupta

Selected Speeches and Writings of Vallabhbhai Patel
Book by Vallabhbhai Patel

The Collected Works of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Book by Vallabhbhai Patel

Bharat Vibhajan
Book by Vallabhbhai Patel

The Sardar of India: Biography of Vallabhbhai Patel
Book by Chopra P. N.

The Life and Times of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Book by Sushil Kapoor