National Integration of India –

India is a country of continental proportions and rich cultural heritage. The civilizational history of India goes back to more than 5000 years. In ancient times India was considered as one of the leading lights of the world and its glory was spread far and wide all across the corners of the earth. Throughout its history, India has evolved and reinvented herself . India is the birthplace and cradle of four popular religions of the world, namely, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. The contributions and achievements of Indians in the fields of science & technology, architecture, and culture is widely acknowledged.

After Independence -

The euphoria of independence was short-lived as partition brought disastrous consequences for India in the wake of communal conflict. Partition unleashed untold misery and loss of lives and property as millions of Hindu and Muslim refugees fled either Pakistan or India. Both nations were also caught up in a number of conflicts involving the allocation of assets, demarcation of boundaries, equitable sharing of water resources, and control over Kashmir. At the same time, Indian leaders were faced with the stupendous task of national integration and economic development.

India's Man of Steel. He used to earn thousands of rupees every month as a lawyer. But he gave up his practice inorder to fight for the freedom of the country. As a leader of the farmers he forced the mighty British Government to accept defeat. He was sent to prison. As the Deputy Prime Minister of free India, he brought about the merger of hundreds of princely states with the Indian Union, and became the architect of the integrity of India. Honest in word and deed, he was a hero among heroes, a lion among men.

Vallabhbhai was born in Nadiad. It was a small village in Gujarat. His father was Jhaverbhai Patel, and his mother Ladbai. Jhaverbhai was a poor farmer. He was a strong and sturdy man. His country and freedom were as dear to him as his own life. In 1857 the people of India fought for their freedom. Jhaverbhai, who was then a
young man, fought bravely at that time. Vithalbhai, Vallabhbhai's elder brother, was also a well-known patriot. He was the Chairman of the Indian Legislative Council.

Once, when he was a small boy,Vallahbhai suffered from a boil in the armpit. There was a man in the village who used to cure boils by touching them with hot iron. The boy went to him. The man heated the iron rod till it grew red. But he hesitated, seeing at the boy's tender years.

"What are you waiting for? The iron will grow cold. Hurry up, brand the boil," said the boy angrily.

The man was even more frightened. The boy picked up the glowing rod and burnt the boil. Those who watched him were shocked and screamed. But there was not even a trace of pain in the boy's face.

The Courageous Student

This amazing boy was born on the 31st of October 1875. (This is the date generally accepted.) The elders were filled with pride and joy at the fearlessness of the little boy; the younger ones loved and admired him. No companion of his ever disobeyed him. By nature he rebelled against injustice. He showed a genuine interest in the welfare of his companions, constantly Enquirer about their needs and problems helped them as best he could, and promoted friendship and unity.

Vallabhbhai's early education was in Karamsad. Then he joined a school in Petlad. After two years he joined a high school in a town called Nadiad. A teacher of this school used to sell the books,which the pupils needed. He used to force all the pupils to buy books only from him. If any boy bought books from others, the teacher used to tease him.Vallabhbhai thought that this was wrong. He spoke to his companions, and saw to it that not a single pupil attended the classes. For a whole week the school could not work. The teacher had to correct himself.

When he was in Petlad he used to cook for himself. Every week he used to carry provisions from home, walking the entire distance. He could have gone by train, but he did not have the money to buy a ticket.

During his school days, one day a teacher made a mistake in working a sum. Vallabh- bhai pointed out the error. The teacher was very angry and said, "All right, you be the teacher." The boy replied, "Very well, sir." He worked the sum correctly, and sat down in the teacher's chair!

Vallabhbhai first chose Sanskrit. Then he changed to Gujarati. Sanskrit was dearer to the teacher who taught Gujarati than his own subject. When Vallabhbhai entered his class, the teacher wanted to taunt him, and said, "Welcome, great man!" Poor man, he did not know that the boy would one day become a very great man.

He asked the boy, in anger, "Why did you give up Sanskrit and choose Gujarati?"

Vallabhbhai answered, "If every one chooses Sanskrit, you will have no work."

The teacher was in a rage. He complained to the headmaster. Vallabhbhai narrated to the headmaster all that had happened. The headmaster said, "I have not seen such a bold pupil." This made the teacher even more bitter. Vallabhbhai, too, did not wish to remain in that school. He went back. He studied at home and passed the examination.

The Architect of Integrity

There were more than 600 states in India at that time. Except a few they were small states.Some of the Maharajas and Nawabs who ruled over these were sensible and patriotic. But most of them were drunk with
wealth and power. They were dreaming of becoming independent rulers once the British quit India. They argued that the government of free India should treat them as equals. Some of them went to the extent of planning to send their representatives to the United Nations Organization.

If these states had not become a part of free India there would have been many problems. India would have had to take their permission for trains to pass through their states. If inter-state rivers flowed through these states, India would have had to seek their permission to use the waters. Their permission would have been needed to build dams. And, in the event of a war between India and any other country, how would these 600 states behave? Whom would they support? It was impossible to tell. These 600 states would have been 600 sores in the body of India. The question of one of them, Kashmir, was not settled immediately; even now Pakistan occupies a part of that state. This is still a headache to India. If the problem of the states had not been solved quickly, there would have been several problems like that of Kashmir.

"if we unite, we can soon make this country prosperous. Come and join us. Cooperate with us," so Sardar invited the rulers even before Independence Day. He also warned them: "If you do not join us before the 15th of August, thereafter the position will be different.

You may not then get the consideration and the concessions you now get." Patel also met a number of rulers and held discussions with them. As a result, a number of patriotic rulers joined the Indian Union.

But the rulers of Junagadh and Hyderabad were plotting secretly to Join Pakistan.

Patel sent an army under Brigadier Gurudayalsimha to the border of Junagadh to deal with Pakistan. The people of the state who wished to join India rebelled against the ruler and set up a People's Government. The Nawab, who had tried to betray the people, ran away. Patel reached Junagadh on the 12th of November 1947. In the course of a speech there, hewarned that the Nizam of Hyderabad would share the fate of the Nawab of Junagadh if he did not behave sensibly.

But the Nizam was slow to learn thelesson. He sent millions of rupees to Pakistan.One of his men, Kasim Razvi by name, began to harass the Hindus. His gang was called the Razakars. They tried to drive the Hindus out of Hyderabad. There was no limit to their crimes. They tried to get arms and ammunition from outside.

Finally Sardar Patel sent some forces under General Chowdury to undertake 'Police Action'. Within five days the Nizam was forced to surrender. Kasim Razvi ran away to Pakistan. The atrocities of the Razakars came to an end and peace returned to Hyderabad. The firm policy of Sardar Patel, the Man of Steel, crushed all the plots against India.

A similar problem arose in Kashmir. The Maharaja and the Legislative Assembly decided that the state should join India. But the Pakistan army forcibly occupied two-fifths of Kashmir. The Ministry was handling the Kashmir question for Foreign Affairs and there was nothing Patel could do.

Sardar Patel was a man of remarkable foresight. In 1962 China sent her army across the border and India reeled under the blow. This is the saddest episode in the history of Free India. But as long back as on the 7th of November 1950, Patel wrote a letter to Jawaharlal Nehru and declared that China was not to be trusted. He wrote: 'The Government of China speaks of its desire for peace and is trying to mislead us. Hereafter, in planning the defense of our country,we must remember the intentions of Communist, China.'

Five weeks later Patel passed away. About twelve years after his death China attacked India.

When the British relinquished their claims to paramountcy, the 562 independent princely states were given the option to join either of the two nations.

A few princely states readily joined Pakistan, but the rest--except Hyderabad (the largest of the princely states with 132,000 square kilometres and a population of more than 14 million), Jammu and Kashmir (with 3 million inhabitants), and Junagadh (with a population of 545,000)--merged with India. India successfully annexed Hyderabad and Junagadh after "police actions" and promises of privileges to the rulers. The Hindu maharajah of predominantly Muslim Jammu and Kashmir remained uncommitted until armed tribesmen and regular troops from Pakistan infiltrated his domain, inducing him to sign the Instrument of Accession to India on October 27, 1947. Pakistan refused to accept the legality of the accession, and, as a result, war broke out. Kashmir remains a source of friction between the neighbours. The assassination of Mahatma Gandhi on January 30, 1948, in New Delhi, by a Hindu extremist opposed to Gandhi's openness to Muslims ended the tenuous celebration of independence and deepened the hatred and mutual suspicion in Hindu-Muslim relations.

Economic backwardness was one of the serious challenges that India faced at independence. Under three successive five-year plans, inaugurated between 1951 and 1964 under Nehru's leadership, India produced increasing amounts of food. Although food production did not allow self-sufficiency until fiscal year 1984, India has emerged as the nation with the seventh largest gross national product (GNP) in the world.

Linguistic regionalism eventually reached a crisis stage and undermined the Congress' attempts at nation building. Whereas in the early 1920s, the Congress had deemed that the use of regional vernaculars in education and administration would facilitate the governance of the country, partition made the leaders, especially Nehru, realize how quickly such provincial or subnational interests would dismantle India's fragile unity. However, in the face of widespread agitation for linguistic separation of states, beginning with the Telangana Movement in 1953, in 1956 Nehru reluctantly accepted the recommendations of the States Reorganisation Commission, and the number of states grew by reorganization along linguistic lines. The states became the loci for democratization of political processes at district levels, for expression of regional culture and popular demands against a national culture and unity, for economic development at strategic localities in the rural areas, and for proliferation of opposition parties that ended the possibility of a pan-Indian two-party system.