Balubhai himself did spinning work, raising the morale of the people, many
sold the cotton thread in Khadi store sutra and songs like “Inklab Zindabad,
and used that money to purchase khadi thode din me Gandhi Raj”, “Ek do,
clothes. Even during government jobs, kali topi fenk do”... were sung in the
most of his attire was of khadi. Half the procession.
clothes in his closet are of khadi. To
achieve independence was his ‘passion’.
In the same year when India got
Independence in 1947, 15-year old
Premilaben was married to Shri
Nathubhai !
JOURNEY OF INDIA
FROM 1947 TO 2017
When we enter the 70th year of India’s
independence, it is appropriate that
we spotlight some of the achievements
made by India in spite of a need
of improvement in infrastructure,
education, economic policies, foreign
and defence strategies and other areas.
Food Grain production
India was mostly importing food grains
and depended upon international food
aid up to mid-1960s. Today India is
self-sufficient in food production and
exports various food grains. India is the
largest producer of fresh fruits, milk,
pulses and oil seeds, sunflower seeds
and second largest producers of wheat,
rice, sugarcane, potato, tea, cotton, etc
in the world.
Eradication of epidemics and polio
Smt Premilaben Nathubhai Mistry
Various epidemics and Polio have been
successfully eradicated. Life expectancy
Smt Premilaben, at the age of 10,
had also experienced the zeal and
Shri Nathubhai Naranji Mistry
enthusiasm of freedom struggle in her
Lakhanpore gaam. The daily activities Many people had different experiences
under the leadership of her father during the freedom struggle. If one
Shri Vallabhbhai led his name to the has an opportunity to meet a famous
government’s attention. Being at the person, it is considered a memorable
forefront of the procession, many moment of life. One such experience is
a times he was beaten by military that of Shri Nathubhai.
police. However, in order to see that
people’s enthusiasm and passion were
not affected and that they were not
discouraged, he bore the beatings
grew to 68.89 years, when it was only 32
years at the time of independence. This
is one of the major achievements taking
into account that India comprises 17% of
the world’s population.
Indian Armed Forces
India is one of the four largest military
powers in the world today, and has got
Once in his village Vadoli, when Shri one of the most sophisticated missile
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel came to programmes in the world.
address the “Bardoli” Satyagraha
movement, the belt of his slipper broke First voting after India’s independence
due to some stumble. The village chief India is the only nation in the world
In those days, there was no telephone immediately sent Shri Nathubhai to a which gave every adult the right to vote
or mobile phone to contact the cobbler (Jagakaka) to get the slipper from its first day. In the US, the world’s
people in the village. In the silent repaired. Instead of repairing, the second largest democracy, this right
atmosphere of the village, appropriate slipper was thrown into a dustbin and was given more than 150 years after
“whistle” or “bugle” signals were used a new pair of slippers was given to their independence.
which the uneducated people of the Shri Vallabhbhai for which he was very village would understand and quickly happy and thanked the two.
without any complaint.
acted accordingly.
Even today, remembering the occasion
The people of the village were that if he had not thrown the two-rupee
taught the techniques of Lathi to slipper of that time, but kept it safely
defend themselves. The small streets then.....!
of the village were cleansed and
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vol. 42 | Prajapati Sandesh 2017
Union of Indian princely states
Just after re-birth, the world’s largest
merger and acquisition activity took
place, when 560 small princely states
joined (merged) into the Union of India;
neither any blood drop was spilled nor
was any bullet fired.