Sardar Patel

Vallabhbhai Patel (1875-1950) left his mark not only on the map of India but also on the minds of her people. He is said to have bequeathed the idea of an integrated India to the nation, and is often called the ''Iron Man,'' with an uncanny foresight and a clear vision of where independent India''s future lay. He was no superman, he was a statesman gifted with the rare quality of astuteness and pertinacity in his approach to problems. He was more than Bismark in many ways. His decisive approach to the merger of the 565 princely States into the Union of India is a hair-raising story of grit, gumption and guts. It is the story of how a man, believed to be ''the accurate bowman of Gandhi''s struggle...who knew no retreat'' wooed, cajoled and coerced Princes'' India into becoming a People''s India.