THE MAN WHO SAVED INDIA: SARDAR PATEL AND HIS IDEA OF INDIA

by EA PUBLICATION

‘Sardar Patel was the silent one of the trinity along with Gandhi and Nehru who
dedicated his life to the struggle for an independent India. His lasting legacy is a
United India rather than the land which throughout history was split in rival
warring kingdoms. Hindol Sengupta has given us the story of Sardar’s life for
the new generations of India so that they can understand and admire a unique
personality. Read this book and discover India’s history in the first half of the
last century. And reclaim your legacy’—Lord Meghnad Desai, bestselling author
and economist
‘It is dangerous to put dreamers in power. Sardar Patel’s pragmatism was the
perfect antidote to Nehru’s idealism in the early years of Independence. If only
Patel had lived longer, India would have been spared the excesses of the License
Raj and the Kashmir problem. This is one of the messages of this lively, highly
readable book’—Gurcharan Das, bestselling author
‘The Man Who Saved India is the most authoritative and accessible biography of
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, lovingly referred to as the “Iron Man of India”. In his
impeccable narrative style, Hindol Sengupta rescues the memory of this beloved
Indian leader from the vaults of obscurity. The book brings out the true story of
independence as well as stability of India following it, which was achieved
through the sweat and blood of its leaders like Patel.
The Man Who Saved India reverses one of the historical ironies of modern
India by bringing into light many of the unknown facts of Patel’s life, based on
the author’s field visits, interviews and extensive research, which is an onerous
task in itself considering the fact that Patel neither maintained records of his
work nor preserved his documents of communications.
Hindol begins the narration of the larger-than-life tale of Patel by describing
his visit to the birth home of Patel in Nadiad, now in dilapidated condition, an
image not unlike the less-than-optimal public memory of Patel in modern India.
Hindol discusses the numerous sacrifices Patel made in public life, bowing to
the political ambitions of his peers, while never wavering from his duty to India.
The Man who Saved India clearly charts Patel’s leadership skills and
statesmanship during the numerous non-cooperation and civil disobedience
movements such as the Bardoli and Kheda satyagrahas, and the timely military
action in independent India. It was Patel’s sheer strength of resolve that helped
forge the Bharat that would capture the imagination of the masses of
independent India.
The hitherto unknown details of Patel’s personal life and his complex
relations with his peers and other contemporary national leaders including
Gandhi, Nehru and Bose, help understand the grace with which he gave up key
political positions more than once. In addition, Hindol also clearly describes the
personal sacrifices Patel made at the altar of Mother India, not only of his
personal life, but also the lives of his children, even to the chagrin of his family
and friends.

526 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 7, 2022