The Iron Man's Legacy of Unity

In the year 1946, Razakars, a private militia owned by a hardcore militant Qasim Rizvi held sway over Hyderabad and the adjoining areas. His men were on a search and kill mission. Armed with swords, they were looking for easy targets. My father who had gone there in search of a job barely managed to escape with his life.

At that time, Hyderabad was ruled by Mir Osman Ali Khan. The Nizam was misled into thinking that the princely state of Hyderabad would be better off being a part of Pakistan - a country thousands of miles away from the Indian mainland. Nehru wanted a peaceful settlement and advocated talking to the Razakars. But Sardar Patel didn’t see much merit in the argument and launched ‘Operation Polo’ named after an equestrian ball game patronized by the royalty of the Deccan.

He ordered the Indian army to crush the militants. September 1948 - the Razakars were decimated in less than five days and Hyderabad became a part of India. Once peace was restored, my father went back to Hyderabad and settled there.

We often hear of Mergers and Acquisitions (M & A) in today’s business world. Imagine the complexities of integrating 565 princely states into the union of India; each a different cup of tea. The onerous task required diplomacy, tact, negotiation skills, patience and a deep understanding of capacity building. Patel was brilliance personified who would crack insoluble problems with consummate ease. Kashmir, Junagarh … the list is endless.

Patel had a mind of his own. Despite his differences with Nehru which were out in the open, he did what he thought was right, keeping in view the interests of the nation.

The significant takeaway from the Iron Man:

Peace is good but not an answer to every problem. It comes with an expiry date. Patel had thegutsand gumption to stand up to militants like Qasim Rizvi and the lashkars from Waziristan. The statue of unity adjacent to the Sardar Sarovar dam is a fitting tribute to a man who held India together despite of the many challenges he had to face.

The Sardar lives on.

Photo credit - livemint.com

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