Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

The great political leader Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was one of the right-hand men of Gandhi. Everybody admired him; he had tremendous will and was known as the Iron Man of India. He encouraged and inspired millions of people to fight against the British rule.

Once he was giving a talk about the freedom of India. In the middle of the talk, a messenger came to Vallabhbhai Patel and gave him a telegram. He opened it only to learn of the unexpected death of his wife. But Vallabhbhai Patel did not say a word to anyone. He continued lecturing for an hour or so. Then he answered everyone's questions with utmost calm and quiet.

Afterwards, tears were flowing from his eyes. Everybody came up to him, asking, "What happened? What is the matter?"

He showed them the telegram. Then he said, "Duty comes first. My Motherland comes first. My wife was dear to me, but my Motherland is infinitely dearer."

From:Sri Chinmoy,India, my India. Mother India's summit-prides, Agni Press, 1997
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/imi