Sardar Patel: An Icon of India?s Unity

The political landscape of India has undergone significant transformation in the twenty-first century. With the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party as a strong nationalist force, historical figures such as Sardar Patel, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, and Deendayal Upadhyaya have been projected as key heroes of the freedom struggle alongside others. This has led to a redefinition and reprioritization of the leadership profile of the Indian independence movement.

This book tries to understand Sardar Patel not from the traditional approach of viewing him just as an integrator of princely states or Iron Man but investigate the different dimensions of Patel’s thinking towards India. It discusses his ideas on secularism and minorities, status of women, ideas on cleanliness and environment, scheduled castes, Indian administration, farmers and agricultural rights and land reforms, India’s foreign policy and relations with its neighbours especially China and the greater world powers.

First of its kind, this book will be of interest to scholars and researchers of Indian politics, Indian history, Nationalist movement, political sociology, and South Asian history.

Harish K. Thakur is the former Chairperson of the Departments of Political Science and Defence & Strategic Studies at Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla. He has also served as Director of the Centre for Canadian Studies. A poet, critic, and essayist, Prof. Thakur has been a frequent contributor to national and international dailies and newsletters such as The Hindu, The Hindustan Times, Indian Express, The New Indian Express, The Quint, Live Mint, Eurasian Review, and Modern Diplomacy. He specializes in Foreign Policy, State Politics, Gandhian Studies, and Tribal Studies. Author of over fifteen books, Prof. Thakur is also Editor of Himachal Pradesh University Journal: Humanities & Social Sciences and has also successfully completed four major research projects with the ICSSR, New Delhi.