Who is the true father of India?
The Britishers came into India as traders, became our rulers, looted us for 200 years with all enthusiasm and sowed seeds of discontent and struggle that we are forced to live with till date. The central pillar of their rule over such a huge land with massive diversity was simple - break the Indian unity.They believed that once they left India, India would simply balkanise into a number of small states due to lack of a central leadership. The rulers had no idea that a man whose vision was broader than Bismarck and skills sharper than Robert Clive and Warren Hastings combined, was waiting in the queue.
Many people including many Indians themselves believe that India would never had come into picture if there was no colonial rule. However the facts state otherwise. When the British left India, India still had about 565 princely states. Think of our country as a jigsaw puzzle of 500+ pieces. Some pieces are small, some are enormous, some immaterial, some vital, and while some are easy to fix some are intricate and hard to fit in place. Now, the thing about jigsaw puzzles is even if you finish almost all the piece it is still incomplete. The true picture only emerges if you get all the pieces right. The complexity of the situation and immensity of the task of unification could have driven anyone crazy.
Sardar Patel applied open talk, diplomacy, force, military power, and ultimately enabled the accession of almost every princely state. The hollow threats of most Nawabs and Kings were laid bare as Sardar quelled whatever little opposition arose.
He was the Iron Man of India who gave us the nation we know today. So, don't you think that he was the true father of India.
Many people today know about Bismarck who was a great politician and the unifier of the German nation state. However it's a pitiful fact that very few people outside India are aware about this great personality who united a state which was about 10 times bigger than Germany. The reason is that we never gave him the respect that he deserved. We bestowed him with Bharat Ratna (the highest civilian award of India) in 1991 much after his death while Nehru and Indira Gandhi were awarded this respect even when they were alive.
We need something to show our respect and reverence to this great underrated legend.
Economic benefits:
Till now we talked about political reasons and moral duties. Now, let's talk about the controversy.
First let me tell you some facts:
Do You know that statue of unity is funded by Gujarat government and not central government ?
The iron needed for the statue and other structures was to be collected from farmers of villages all around India in a form of donation of their used farming instruments.The drive was named the 'Statue of Unity movement'. During this 3 month long period, over 5000 metric tonnes of iron were collected. Can you see the love and respect that Gujaratis have for our beloved leader?
People raise many questions like why are wasting such huge sums of money? If you wish to view this from economic point of view. This seems to be a good investment. It is not a ordinary statue, it is going to be the world's tallest statue. It will bolster Gujarat tourism manifoldly. Let me present you the example of Statue of Liberty. Every year, it receives approximately 4.5 million visitors. Statue of Unity will be 2.5 times as tall as Statue of Liberty. So, don't you think that it has the potential to attract this many visitors?
If times are depressing and daunting, Sardar Patel reminds us of India's and Indians' potential. When times are good, we can think of him with glad gratitude !
So, yes I feel that it's the right thing to do.
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