Gujarat is probably the only state in the entire world that has given birth to two iconic leaders celebrated as fathers of the nation in two different countries. While Porbandar-born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is revered in India, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, born in Paneli-hardly 150km from Probandar helped establish Pakistan. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, a proud soldier of Gandhi's nonviolent freedom movement, led the integration of nearly 560 princely states to create modern India, and also played a key role in transforming the predominantly British civil service into India's trusted steel frame. Suffice to say, whenever India faced a political vacuum or instability, someone from Gujarat has stepped up to meet the challenge.
Krishna, inarguably India's most loved god and cultural icon, chose to live and die in Gujarat even as he settled the political dispute in Hastinapur. Several millennia later, Gandhi and Patel did a similar job by giving strength and direction to India's freedom struggle. After the dark days of Emergency, Morarji Desai, another son of Gujarat, took the lead in saving the spirit of democracy. In 2014, it was the turn of Narendra Modi to offer India a stable government after decades of hung parliaments.
Gujarat showed India that an unpopular government could be brought down by a public movement when the Navnirman Andolan forced the Congress government of Chimanbhai Patel to quit in 1974. Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani chose to launch his rath yatra, which changed the face of Indian politics forever, from Somnath in Gujarat.
This story is from the December 18, 2022 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 18, 2022 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
There Is A Wind Blowing Against The BJP, And It Will Only Pick Up Speed
Interview - Akhilesh Yadav, Former Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh
Between hospital and home
Transitional care centres can add a lot to India's health care system
EFFORT VS EFFECT
The government's attempts to ensure quality drugs is evident, but how well new policies can be monitored on the ground remains to be seen
A way to let go of fear
Accepting the use of adult diapers is a journey with various stages-denial, concealment, rejection and reluctance
Mandeeps & a miracle
Two strangers, one deadly disease and an act of kindness. How Mandeep Mann saved Mandeep Singh, an acute leukaemia patient, by donating his stem cells
The A, B, C of cosmetic surgery
Between eight to 10 lakh cosmetic surgeries happen in India every year. Who is an ideal candidate, and what are the risks and results you can expect?
Vaccines and meningitis
In sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east, and encompassing the northern part of Nigeria, there exists a region known as the African Meningitis Belt (AMB).
Celebrating diversity and inclusivity
As Indians battle it out in our nation's 18th general election, it is again time for voters to reflect on the \"Idea of India\"-or rather, on two duelling ideas of India that are now before us and between which the nation must choose at the ballot box.
Defendant: an Hermès handbag
When Hermès was hit with a class-action lawsuit last month for \"antitrust\" activities, it didn't see it coming. Most of the luxury world has all eyes on this suit, filed by two interested consumers who claim they were denied a purchase, and whether it would go to trial.
A legacy, bound
Amal Allana's biography of her father, Ebrahim Alkazi, is as much personal as it is historical