The family of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel seldom makes headlines. They are known to prefer complete solitude over public appearances.
Now, they have made an exception. And this, for a special occasion.
The family told a national daily that on the request of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they will participate in the celebrations of the 150th birth anniversary of the Iron Man of India.
The day is observed as Rashtriya Ekta Divas on October 31.
To honour the Prime Minister’s request, the family came from the US to Gujarat.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s grandson, Gautambhai Dahyabhai Patel, will be accompanied by his wife, Dr Nandita, 79, their son Kedar, 47; Kedar’s wife Reena, 47, and their 13-year-old daughter, Karina (Sardar’s great-great-granddaughter), according to the report.
Dr Nandita, the newspaper reported, said that another reason for making the trip was to help the younger generation reconnect with their family’s legacy.
She wanted her son and granddaughter to understand what their lineage stood for.
We may recall that when the Statue of Unity was inaugurated in 2018, the chief minister’s office had reached out multiple times to bring Gautambhai to the ceremony. Despite being offered gold passes that granted VVIP access near the Prime Minister, the family chose not to attend.
Their only earlier public appearance was in July 1991, when then President R Venkataraman conferred the Bharat Ratna posthumously on Sardar Patel at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The honour was received on the family’s behalf by the late Bipin Patel, Gautambhai’s elder brother.
Even in 2000, when former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee inaugurated the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Veer Vithalbhai Patel Memorial at Karamsad, the family remained absent.
Educated at St Xavier’s in Mumbai, Gautambhai earned a BE in telecommunications from Pune University before completing an MS from Santa Clara University in the US. He briefly worked with NASA, pursued a part-time MBA, and later joined the telecom industry.
In 1975, he returned to India to teach at Watumull College, Mumbai. Following his retirement in 2001, he and his wife have divided their time between Vadodara and the US.
Also Read: Republic Day 2025: Aamir Khan Pays Tribute to Sardar Patel at Statue of Unity https://www.vibesofindia.com/republic-day-2025-aamir-khan-pays-tribute-to-sardar-patel-at-statue-of-unity/
