HOW NATIONAL UNITY DAY IS CELEBRATED
National Unity Day is an initiative celebrated every year to commemorate Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s birth anniversary. It is celebrated by the people of India by organizing variety of events. A floral tribute is given to the statue of Sardar Patel every year at the Patel Chowk, Parliament Street, New Delhi in the morning. Various programmes are organized by the government of India to mark the occasion such as run for unity, pledge taking ceremony march past by the Indian police. Run for Unity programme is held in the major cities, district towns and various places in the rural areas. Youths from the schools, colleges, universities, educational institutes, National Cadet Corps, National Service Scheme, etc take part in the programme very actively. It is organized at huge level in the National capital from Vijay Chowk to India Gate on the Rajpath at 8.30 am in the morning.
Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) was introduced by the Government of India and inaugurated by Indian Prime MinisterNarendra Modi in 2014. The intent is to pay tribute to Vallabhbhai Patel, who was instrumental in keeping India united. It is to be celebrated on 31 October every year as annual commemoration of the birthday of the Iron Man of India Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, one of the founding leaders of Republic of India. The official statement for Rashtriya Ekta Diwas by the Home Ministry of India cites that the National Unity Day “will provide an opportunity to re-affirm the inherent strength and resilience of our nation to withstand the actual and potential threats to the unity, integrity and security of our country.”[1]
National Unity Day celebrates the birthday of Patel because, during his term as Home Minister of India, he is credited for the integration of over 550 independent princely states into India from 1947-49 by Independence Act (1947). He is known as the “Bismarck[a] of India.
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