Rashtriya Ekta Diwas or National Unity Day is celebrated on 31 October since 2014. The day is celebrated with patriotic events to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel – the man who played an important role in the unification of India. He is popularly known as the “Iron Man of India”. Patel was a life member of the Indian National Congress (INC) and fought against the British during India’s independence movement. In independent India, he became the country’s first Deputy Prime Minister.
In the months before and after independence, Patel was instrumental in persuading over 500 princely states to join independent India. Despite facing many obstacles, Patel managed to integrate these areas largely without violence.
To honor his contribution to India’s independence and unity, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced in 2014 that National Unity Day would be celebrated every year on Patel’s birth anniversary.
Rashtriya Ekta Diwas “will provide an opportunity to reaffirm the inherent strength and resilience of our nation in the face of real and potential threats to the unity, integrity and security of our nation,” the MHA said in an official statement in 2014.
On Patel’s birth anniversary in 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a 182-metre tall statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, called the ‘Statue of Unity’. The world’s tallest statue, it is located on the banks of the Narmada River in Kevadiya, facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam near the city of Vadodara, Gujarat.
This day is celebrated to consider the ways to maintain the unity of the country. On this day, government officials and members of civil society also spread awareness about Patel’s contribution to Indian history.
Patriotic programs are organized in schools, colleges and workplaces across the country to commemorate this day. Employees working in state and central government offices also take a pledge to maintain the unity, integrity and security of the nation.
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