MAHAMANAV SARDAR PATEL

SHRI DINKAR JOSHI IS NOW A FAMILIAR AND WELL-KNOWN NAME FOR READERS OF MARATHI LITERATURE. DINKAR JOSHI PIONEERED THE INTRODUCTION AND ESTABLISHMENT OF THE GENRE OF BIOGRAPHICAL FICTION INTO THE WORLD OF GUJARATI LITERATURE. HE HAS FICTIONALIZED THE LIVES OF VARIOUS MEN OVER DIFFERENT TIME PERIODS, EACH WITH THEIR DISTINCTIVE STYLES AND PERSONALITIES, SUCH AS ACHARYADRONA, TATHAGATHA BUDDHA, GURUDEV RABINDRANATH TAGORE, KAVI NARMAD, MOHAMMED ALI JINNAH AND MAHATMA GANDHI’S SON ,HARILAL GANDHI .

IN “MAHAMANAV”, THE READER GETS A DETAILED GLIMPSE INTO THE LIFE WORK OF SARDAR VALLABHBHAI PATEL. A SUCCESSFUL BARRISTER, SARDAR PATEL WAS ONLY DISTANTLY AWARE OF THE INDIAN POLITICAL SCENE TILL THE AGE OF 42. SPELLBOUND BY MAHATMA GANDHI’S TOWERING PERSONALITY, HE ENTERED POLITICS. AFTER DOING SO, HE DEVOTED HIS LIFE TO THE INDIAN FREEDOM STRUGGLE AND INDIAN POLITICS.

THE WRITER HAS WELL CHARACTERIZED HIM AS A LOVING FATHER, RESPONSIBLE BROTHER, UPRIGHT FEARLESS POLITICIAN AND PRINCIPLED LEADER THROUGH VARIOUS INCIDENTS IN THE NARRATIVE. DINKAR JOSHI HAS SUCCINCTLY CAPTURED THE VARIOUS FACETS OF HIS PERSONALITY AND RENDERED TO THE READER A NARRATIVE WHICH DEFINES A MULTI-TALENTED MAN, A MAN WHO HAD A KEEN INSIGHT INTO THE NATIONAL AND GLOBAL SOCIO-POLITICAL CLIMATES, AND A PASSIONATE ZEAL FOR THE BETTERMENT OF HIS NATION AND FELLOW INDIANS. JOSHI GIVES US A CLEAR PICTURE OF THE MAN WHO VERY WELL DESERVED THE TITLE “ MAN OF IRON” – A TITLE THAT WAS SEEMINGLY AT ODDS WITH HIS VERY SENSITIVE NATURE BELYING HIS FORMIDABLE ‘IRON CLAD’ EXTERIOR.

SARDAR PATEL WAS COMPLETELY AWARE AND CONVINCED THAT UNLESS ALL THE 562 PRINCELY STATES IN POST PARTITION INDIA ACCEDED INTO THE UNION, THERE COULD BE NO ONE AND FREE INDIAN NATION. THE SUCCESSFUL ACCESSION OF ALL THE PRINCIPALITIES INTO FREE AND UNITED INDIA WAS THE BRIGHTEST FEATHER IN THE SARDAR’S CAP.

DINKAR JOSHI HAS SUPERBLY CAPTURED THIS NARRATIVE OF THE VARIOUS MEANS PATEL EMPLOYED IN ORDER TO CAJOLE, COAX AND AT TIMES SHOW GREAT DIPLOMACY , TACT AND PRINCIPLED RIGOUR WHILE BRINGING ABOUT THE ACCESSION OF ALL PRINCELY STATES INTO THE UNION.
ON MANY OCCASIONS IN THE NARRATIVE, DINKAR JOSHI HAS CREATIVELY DEPICTED SARDAR PATEL’S DIFFERENCE OF OPINIONS WITH BOTH JAWAHARLAL NEHRU AND MAHATMA GANDHI, AND HOW THOSE DIFFERING IDEOLOGICAL POSITIONS NEVER IMPACTED HIS TRUE AND GENUINE PERSONAL RELATIONS WITH EITHER OF THE TWO MEN.
THE EASE WITH WHICH HE RELINQUISHED A SURE AND CERTAIN PRIME-MINISTERSHIP AT MAHATMA GANDHI’S BEHEST IS PROOF OF HIS DEPTH OF CHARACTER.

DINKAR JOSHI HAS HITHERTO PORTRAYED HISTORICAL-BIOGRAPHICAL FICTIONALIZED NARRATIVES OF MOHAMMED ALI JINNAH IN “ PRATINAYAK” AND HARILAL GANDHI IN “PRAKASHACHISAWLI”. “MAHAMANAV” IS JUST SUCH A WORK OF BIOGRAPHICAL FICTION.