National Unity Day, also known as the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, is celebrated all across India on October 31st, marking the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, the man who was responsible for bringing the nation together as one unit.
Sardar Patel was a staunch freedom fighter who ignited the minds of the country with the idea of solidarity. He was an excellent statesman and was behind bringing the slogan of ‘unity is strength’ into reality.
On the occasion of his 146th birth anniversary, we are here to brief you about the history and significance of this important day and the pivotal role of Sardar Patel in this.
National Unity Day History
In the months before and after the Independence, Vallabh Bhai Patel brought about the 562 princely states into the fold of the Union of India by working hard day and night. For his tireless efforts, the government of India announced the day of his birth anniversary as National Unity Day in the year 2014.
The Home Ministry declared an official statement saying, “this day will be marked as a reminder of the strength of our nation and will highlight the resilience of our country towards dangers posed against our security, unity, and integrity.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his 143rd birth anniversary in 2018 unveiled a statue of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, which was 182m long. The statue was named the Statue of Unity and is also marked as the tallest statue in the world. It lies on the bank of river Narmada, with the Sardar Sarovar Dam in front, in Vadodara. The Prime Minister said, “This statue will be a symbol of our nation’s resolve and integrity”.
National Unity Day Significance
Also known as the ‘Iron-Man of India’, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel was in the Indian National Congress for a very long time and stood against the British rule in India’s freedom struggle. He was the first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of India after Independence.
His efforts to bring the country together in unity and he was successful to achieve the same because of his strong beliefs, bringing the nation to an overall development made to the establishment of this day. His contribution to India’s freedom movement is what marks the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas on October 31st every year.
This is the day when we celebrate our nation as one unit and pay tribute to the efforts of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel in achieving the same.
How is National Unity Day Celebrated?
On this day, a marathon race is conducted all across the country to aware the masses of the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas and recall the contributions of this incredible man, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel. The annual festival of this day likewise permits youth to be a significant part of this nation and have an effect. Individuals of India likewise discover that to overcome any sort of danger to our country we should unite together and think, talk and walk as one country.
The government conducts various events for the people of India. Every one of the political pioneers and the people honor the statue of Sardar Patel at Patel Chowk in New Delhi. An enormous statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was made in Gujarat to respect his work and that statue is classified “The Statue of Unity” and it is known to be the greatest statue on the planet.
Projects like run for solidarity, vow taking function, and march past by police authorities are conducted by the government. The run is conducted at an exceptionally colossal level where each person of the young generation of schools, colleges, National Cadet Corps, and others participate in the same. The run begins from Vijay Chowk to India Gate early morning and honors Sardar Patel.
The second program of pledge taking, which is conducted in each administration workplace and public area, is when a vow is taken to remain united collectively and as a country and recalls the endeavors of Sardar Patel.
The third significant occasion which is conducted by the government is a march past by police officials, which also includes NCC, NSS, scouts, and guides, is performed in the urban cities, and after the walk an oath-taking function is held.
Schools and universities praise this day by doing some social activities like banner and flag making, article composing, discourse and poetry presenting, quiz competition, painting, debates, and speeches. The superb goal of this occasion is to create and keep a feeling of solidarity and uprightness among individuals of our country.
Threats to Unity In India And How To Overcome Them
For years, India has been a receiver of various threats to the unity and integrity of the nation. There are different reasons responsible and steps have been taken to ensure the safety and security of the country in times to come.
Various factors that have been responsible for bringing a void between the country’s unity are as follows:
- Border disputes have played a major role in disrupting the unity of our nation. With China and Pakistan always on the lookout for breaking India, our country has managed to stay solid so far.
- Terrorism is another factor in all of this. Not only are we losing our heroes due to terrorism, but this evil tradition has also managed to break the people of a few states.
- Communalism has been the reason behind hindering the unity of society for ages. This needs to be addressed and taken care of soon.
- Language is also one of the main criteria in breaking the unity, where a few years back the people of South India had an issue of making Hindi the official language of India but was later resolved. The issue still is evident on ground level.
