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“You will face a lot of sorrows and difficulties. You will have to bear many hardships and make sacrifices. Remember! Happiness cannot be achieved without sorrow. Tolerating sorrow is the best way.” –Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Maintaining unity among colleagues or subordinates is a challenging task, it is a mark of true leadership. However, a person who wins over even the opponents, unites them, and engages them in work for the welfare of society and the nation, deserves to be called a great man. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was such a great man.

There is an incident from 1920-21. Mahatma Gandhi had called upon the countrymen for ‘Non-Cooperation and Swadeshi’. It was the first non-violent mass action of the Mahatma for the freedom of India from the Colonial Rule and was getting widespread public support from all over the country soon after launching it. That is why; Gandhiji was planning for a non-violent experiment in a concrete manner on a small scale in one taluka. Bardoli Taluka of Surat district was finally selected for this purpose, where Vallabhbhai Patel was raising public awareness and preparing people for the prohibition campaign.

As a part of the ‘Non-cooperation and Swadeshi Movement’, Gandhiji had called for establishing national schools aimed at both educating and motivating people for constructive work and social reforms. Therefore, in several places, national schools were established with immediate effect.

Makanjibhai, a teacher of one such national school in Varad village of Bardoli Taluka used to go to the nearby villages every day after school hours and motivate people not to consume alcohol and also to avoid other intoxicants like bidi-cigarettes and tobacco etc. His efforts decreased the number of customers in Varad’s bar, angering the Parsi bar owner, Jahangirji. He became so angry with Makanjibhai’s public awareness work that he decided to teach him a lesson.

One day Jahangirji, along with four-five people of the village, hid in a field full of crops on the way from where Makanjibhai was returning after finishing his daily work, especially the work related to convincing people about prohibition.

The evening had passed. It had become dark. Makanjibhai was returning to Varad. As soon as he passed by the field, the hidden people attacked him. They beat Makanjibhai so much that he fell unconscious. While leaving after beating him badly, Jahangirji and his companions also took away the clothes from the body of the unconscious Makanjibhai.

Sometime late in the night, Makanjibhai regained consciousness. Soaked in blood he reached his house with difficulty. The villagers got frightened on seeing him. Many of them also became very angry. In no time, a huge crowd gathered at Makanjibhai’s house. The angry people prepared to burn the house of Jahangirji and also to kill him.

The angry people started walking towards the house of Jahangirji with weapons and kerosene. On the way, a wise old man intervened, reminding them of the Gandhian principles, asking, “What are you people going to do despite being disciples of Mahatma Gandhi? Whatever you people are going to do, according to my understanding, is against Gandhiji’s principles. Still, if you do not agree with what I say, then before doing anything further in this regard, ask your leaders, and then do whatever you want.”

Some people in the crowd accepted the wise words of the old man. Immediately, Kunwarjibhai Mehta, a leading Gandhian and social worker of the area, was called to Varad village. Kunwarjibhai Mehta explained the way of non-violent Satyagraha in detail to the people. But many young men were still not satisfied. Eventually, with consensus, Vallabhbhai Patel was called to the village for his advice and instructions before taking any further step in the matter.

Vallabhbhai Patel reached Varad village. The people were very furious. A huge public meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Vallabhbhai Patel. Vallabhbhai also called Jahangirji to the meeting. But he was very scared. Therefore, he was not ready to come to attend the meeting. He could be brought eventually with great difficulty to the meeting only after being assured that ‘nothing would happen to him in the presence of Vallabhbhai’.

In the public meeting, Vallabhbhai Patel made Jahangirji sit next to the injured Makanjibhai who was sitting with bandages on his entire body. The proceedings of the meeting started. Vallabhbhai addressed the people in an impressive manner. He explained the reality of Gandhi’s path in detail to them and finally said, “Our struggle is non-violent. There is no place for animosity even towards the opponent. Our path is to change the heart of the opponent even by suffering ourselves. This is the Gandhian way of welfare –the path of our unity and liberation.”

In this way, along with convincing the people, Vallabhbhai brought Jahangirji and Makanjibhai together. This had such a deep impact on Jahangirji that his heart melted, and he was completely transformed. For the welfare of the people, he closed his liquor business making the prohibition campaign a great success.  This was an excellent practical example of establishing unity with the opponent and changing his heart for a good cause.

There are many such examples related to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s remarkable ability to leave  an indelible mark on the lives of many freedom fighters as well as on opponents and making freedom struggles and efforts for the welfare of the people successful. Notable among these are the Nagpur Flag Satyagraha, Borsad Struggle and Bardoli Kisan Agitation all led by Vallabhbhai Patel himself. Right from the days of the Kheda Satyagraha (1918), Vallabhbhai Patel, as a committed Lieutenant of Mahatma Gandhi, mastered the art of transforming the hearts of opponents as a virtue. It was the practice, which played a crucial role in bringing about his historic achievements. This ability made him a true comrade of the Mahatma and a follower of the Gandhian path, playing a significant role in the freedom struggle of the country and accomplishing the mammoth task of the unification of India. Such practice has a long-term impact on the society at large. Patel’s strategies remain relevant even today, for those dedicated to national unity, integrity, prosperity, and solidarity. 

— A Padma Shri and Sardar Patel National Awardee Indologist Dr. Ravindra Kumar is a Former Vice Chancellor of CCS University,
Meerut; he is, currently the Ombudsman of Swami Vivekananda Subharati University, Meerut (India).