India Foundation in collaboration with Nehru Memorial Museum and Library organized the third edition of the Ideas Series Talks on July 6, 2018. The session was chaired by the celebrated journalist, entrepreneur and author Hindol Sengupta.The young global leader dominates the popular culture with his quintessential narratives and was here to convene the dialogue on his book ‘The Man who Saved India: Sardar Patel and his Idea of India’. The talk observed twenty one participants in attendance and the discourse wheeled around ‘The Missing Patelian Adjective from the National Colloquies’. Sengupta constantly reiterated how Patel contributed pragmatism to the national movement when Gandhi bestowed moral principal and Nehru conferred romantic idealism. The perusal of Patel’s personal and political living reflects his profound regard to nationhood and his momentous contributions in building a country where the dreams of Gandhi and Nehru could sustain.
Drawing the character sketch of Sardar Patel, Hindol Sengupta addressed the need for a varied reading of history that recognizes the role of Patel in the making of India. The speaker expressed his concern on how history in India has primarily been written by only one school of intellectuals that has pretermitted the legacy of Patel. On this note, an anecdote was read wherein Maniben Patel questions her father on the dearth of his writings; to which Sardar Patel answered – “Some people write history and others are busy making it.”
The ensuing Question-Answer Session delved into the finer nuances of Patelian Politics in the disciplines of foreign policy, minority rights, ideological positioning and integration of India States. This academic intervention on Sardar Patel was a significant learning experience for the participants essentially because of the sincere research of Hindol Sengupta on Sardar Patel and the following interactive discussion.
Prepared By: Srishti Singh, Research Intern at India Foundation.
