It was the Sardar, who had united India at its most trying times after Independence, amalgamating nearly 550 Princely States within the Union of India, and providing good governance as an able administrator in diverse fields like modern farming and empowerment of tribal communities, besides rebuilding the Somnath Temple. Notyably, during Partition, the chaos over the rumours that Hyderabad was arming itself with support from the Portuguese administration in Goa and Pakistan led to communal clashes and added to the tension in the State. Nizam was getting ready to side with Pakistan. The idea of Hyderabad arming itself aided by Pakistan did not go down well with the Indian Government. Sardar Patel described the idea of an independent Hyderabad as “an ulcer in the heart of India which needed to be removed surgically.” It was when talks between India and Hyderabad started, and India decided to annex Hyderabad. This operation was named “Operation Polo”. Though it was only a five-day war that began on September 13 and lasted till September 18, it was significant as the Indian Army took over a powerful state and Hyderabad was attached to India.
World’S tallest Statue
The Statue of Unity is a testimonial to the life of Sardar Patel, a role model of unity and statesmanship. Inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October 2018, the tallest statue of the world enjoys a splendidly scenic location facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam, 3.2 kilometres away. This colossal statue stands on the isle of Sadhu-Bet in River Narmada, at Ekta Nagar, district Rajpipla in Gujarat, with the majestic Vindhyachal and Satpuda Mountain Ranges in the backdrop. The statue is fast becoming one of the country’s top tourist attractions. Aimed to inspire generations, the Statue showcases Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s vision on unity, patriotism, inclusive growth and good governance. It was designed by Indian sculptor Ram V. Sutar. Notably, the year 2010 was the year when Gujarat was celebrating golden jubilee of its formation. Various people welfare projects including ‘Vanche Gujarat’ (Gujaratis should read books), ‘Samay Dan’ (Gujarati youth should allot 100 hours in a year in the field they choose, be it education, health services, cleanliness or environment) were being launched by the Modi. In the same year, on October 6, Shri Modi unveiled grandiose plan to build the world’s tallest 182 metre high Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s ‘Statue of Unity’ on Narmada River. It was the same year when Modi was entering in tenth year in the CM Office on October 7, 2010. n
Impact
The Statue of Unity is promote socio–economic development in the form of better connectivity, healthcare, education infrastructure, research centre for agriculture development and various tribal development initiatives. With the development of the iconic Statue,
Significance
Since its inauguration, 7.94 million people have visited the Statue of Unity till May 2022. The Government had informed parliament in March 2021 that from November 2018 till February 2020, close to when the first lockdown was imposed, 4,258,060 tourists visited the Statue of Unity, with a monthly average of 266,129. According to the Gujarat Government, total income generated at Statue of Unity from selling tickets including parking fees from November 2018 to February 2020 works out to ₹116.31 crore. Notably, tourist can many other attractions visiting the Statue of Unity like exhibition hall, the wall of unity, sound and laser light show, museum, a tour of Sardar Sarovar Dam, a tour of the valley of flowers, boating, sight-seeing of historical shoolpaneshwar sanctuary, helicopter ride, trekking in Zarvani Eco-tourism area, bird watching and lot more.
