Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel and Comrade Mao Tse-Tung: A Comparative Study with Reference to Peasantry

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This book on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and the revolutionary farmer leader Comrade Mao Tse-Tung offers a very interesting, qualitative and comparative study. Sardar and Mao worked for the progress of farming community, awoke its consciousness, and contributed effectively to the freedom struggle of their respective countries-India and China.

The author has traced out amazing and significant similarities between India and China which exist among the peasants of these countries, their backwardness, poverty, illiteracy, suspicions and mistrusts, exploitation by the landlords, misconduct and high-handed treatment by the capitalists and businessmen, threats of the dacoits and robbers and vices of liquor and other addictions etc. Oppressed and poor farmers, who form the economic backbone of both the countries faced in human treatment of bonded labour. The open saga of their suffering has been thoroughly brought to light by the author.

This interesting book which combines the political science with contemporary historical facts will be useful to all those interested in the subject and add to the tremendous source of knowledge for the benefit of Historians, Agrarian Reformers, Biographers and Political Scientists.

DR. RAVINDRA KUMAR (b. 1959) is an Eminent Scholar, Writer, Indologist. He is the Former Vice- Chancellor of C.C.S. University, Meerut.

Dr. Ravindra Kumar has been closely associated with a number of academic, cultural, educational and social institutions in India and abroad. He has 50 outstanding works and 150 research articles to his credit. Some of his famous works, of which many are of international repute and have been translated in several Indian and foreign languages, viz., Towards Peace Vol. I., Morality and Ethics in Public Life, Religion and World Peace, Life and work of Kanjibhai Desai, Nehru and Peasantry, Essays on Gandhism & Peace, Correspondence and Selected Documents of Subhas Chandra Bose, Collected Essays: Voice of an Indologist, Sagai Ka Din and Kulpati Kaksha Tak. He is the Founder and Secretary of the N.V. Gadgil National Society, Founder of the World Peace Movement, The Indo-Thai Academic & Cultural League, Annual Kakasaheb Gadgil National & International Awards, a member of I.C.P.A. and Executive Councils/Senates of several Indian Universities. He has visited many countries of the world.

While being involved in various activities related to farming during twenty two years of my life, it never occurred to me that one day I would analyse the conditions of the farmers, its relevance and significance in a project. It is just a coincidence or self-imposed duty that in January 1986 when I went to meet Prof. Ramlal Parikh, the Vice-Chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapeeth, Ahmedabad, alongwith Nathubhai Naranji Naik, Director, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial, to discuss certain academic issues, he told me that someone should take up a research work to project Sardar Patel as a farmer-leader because he was greater than Mao Tse-Tung as a farmer leader.

At that time, I had just finished my Ph.D. research and was working as a Research Representative at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial. Sardar Patel was multifaceted personality as he was duteous and industrious, organizor like Lenin and a superb unifying leader like Bismark. His leadership had a distinctive quality, but he developed these virtues as a farmer first or one may say that the fountain-head of Sardar Patel's ideology lay in the 'farmer community'. Believing in it inwardly, I decided to work on the role of Sardar for the farmers.

The idea of comparing Sardar with Mao Tse-Tung was already initiated by Prof. Ramlal Parikh. Therefore, I broached the topic then and there with Morarjibhai Desai also, but he disagreed with the idea. What I concluded from his comments was that Mr. Morarjibhai was a staunch Gandhian, therefore, he did not approve of the idea that a man like Sardar should be compared with Mao, but a research project comparing them, their policy about the farmers, and their contributions in this field was the need of the day. In June 1986, I consulted the leading educationist and leader of the masses, Sh. Babubhai Patel, in this matter especially because he is also a farmer leader and farmer in his true bearing also. He told me to show him the detailed synopsis of the project. I did so and he gladly approved of my plan. I had consulted many political scientists. Ultimately, I began my post-doctoral research project systematically and officially on "Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Mao Tse-Tung: A comparative study with reference to peasantry"-at the suggestion of Sardar Patel National Memorial. So the credit for completing the project actually goes to Sardar Patel Memorial, which offered me all co-operation and assistance.

As the study progressed, I realised at every step that these leaders-Sardar and Mao-held the similar thoughts and even shared fundamental source of their ideology though they followed different means. They were the need of the day. Not only that, their thoughts and values are the common inheritance of mankind of the world at large, especially for these countries which are agricultural in their basic structure. The study makes a central point that they covered their journey towards their goals from different ways to reach the same destination.

In modern India, with its changing perspective, the farmer has a decisive role to play. It is certain that sooner or later, there will occur a change in the political-economic scenario. Therefore, it is necessary that they should be acquainted with the ways and means of Mao and Sardar. That is why, the present research work cannot be evaluated in brief. To what extent the findings are useful, the political scientists, farming community and the people would themselves judge. I present them as they are the need of the day.

Post-doctoral research project of Dr. Ravindra Kumar on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and the revolutionary farmer leader of China Comrade Mao Tse-Tung offers a very interesting, qualitative and comparative study. Sardar and Mao worked for the progress of farming community, awoke its consciousness, and contributed effectively to the freedom struggle of their respective countries-India and China. From this perspective the present research project makes a significant contribution.

The research scholar has traced out amazing and significant similarities between India and China which exist among the peasants of these countries, their backwardness, poverty, illiteracy, suspicions and mistrusts, exploitations by the landlords, misconduct and high-handed treatment by the capitalists and businessmen, threats of the dacoits and robbers and vices of liquor and other addictions etc. Oppressed and poor farmers, who form the economic backbone of both the countries, face inhuman treatment as bonded labour. The open saga of their sufferings has been thoroughly brought to light by the scholar.

Both the movements "Human Peasants Agitation" and Winter Crop Revolt led by Mao Tse-Tung in China and the one in Gujarat in India under the leadership of Sardar Patel - brought fresh awakening which was the result of their organizational abilities and constructive programmes. Consequently, the farmers could progress economically and later on could participate in the freedom struggle of their respective countries.

This point of view is the central core of the present comparative study. There were tireless efforts to educate the farming communities of both the countries so that they could save themselves from the endless exploitation; for it they were organized in co-operative societies. There were regular programmes of social reforms to save them from the evils of extravagance, suspicions and addiction and to liberate them from illicit profiteers, dacoits and red-tapism. It was the result of their well-planned organizations that they could engage themselves in cattle breeding, welfare funds, voluntary labour and could build barrages, and sources of irrigation and thus could become courageous and economically independent.

Actually, Sardar and Mao accomplished these works to participate in the struggle for independence of their respective nations and to fill their people with new confidence. Sardar Patel and Comrade Mao Tse-Tung both succeeded in their efforts distinctively, as both were dexterous in making their farmers fearless, patriot and purpose-oriented. That's why they could prepare the masses to sacrifice their land, property and everything including their lives for the freedom of the country.

To confront the difficulties boldly and to provide work and sympathy were the greatest virtues of Sardar and Mao that brought intimacy between them and the farmer community. Both the leaders proved successfully that it is the common man who, if he has a clear aim, firm determination and proper training, can bring revolution in the world. They ascertained that if the farmer community gets united then it can throw off the yoke of exploitation and misery.

**Contents and Sample Pages**