Venue: Dharmasala

Concept Note of Seminar

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s role in post-colonial India’s nation-building was not merely administrative but foundational to the very survival of the Indian republic. Often overshadowed by ideological contemporaries, Patel’s vision for national integration was rooted in pragmatic statecraft, civilizational cohesion, and institutional foresight. This study critically understands Patel’s strategy in unifying 565 princely states through constitutional diplomacy, coercive restraint, and legal ingenuity, highlighting how he transformed a politically fragmented landmass into a singular federal polity. By architecting the Indian Administrative Service and centralising security mechanisms, Patel laid the steel frame necessary for cohesive governance. His selective silence on linguistic reorganisation and calibrated handling of contentious regions like Hyderabad, Junagadh, and Kashmir reveal a realist’s blueprint for unity that transcended emotional nationalism. The seminar also explores the politics of Patel’s posthumous erasure and contemporary reappropriation, particularly through symbolic interventions like the Statue of Unity. Additionally, it interrogates the socio-cultural ramifications of Patel’s integration model its impact on tribal autonomies, regional identities, and marginal zones. Through a multi-scalar analysis drawing from archival materials, constitutional debates, and historiographic reinterpretations, this work repositions Patel not as a secondary figure but as the silent architect of India’s integrity. It calls for a renewed scholarly understanding of his legacy beyond hagiography and political instrumentalism, foregrounding his contribution to the formation of a plural yet unified Indian nation-state.

Call For Papers

Themes Covered

Theme I: From Fragment to Federation – Reimagining the Indian Polity through Pragmatic Nationalism

Subtheme:

a)      The Unifier beyond Idealism – Patel’s Strategic Pragmatism versus Nehruvian Vision
→ Comparative study of Patel’s realpolitik and Nehru’s ideological modernism in shaping India’s federal structure.

b)      Securing the Idea of Bharat – Integrating 565 Princely States as a Political Revolution
→ Analysis of Patel’s silent revolution in creating territorial cohesion without bloodshed, and its institutional legacy.

c)      Instrument of Accession as Constitutional Craftsmanship
→ Critical examination of Patel’s deployment of legal instruments for political consolidation and conflict avoidance.

Theme 2: The Iron Frame – Bureaucracy, Internal Security, and Administrative Cohesion

Subtheme:

a)      Founding the Indian Administrative Service: Unity through Governance Infrastructure
→ Study of Patel’s role in conceptualizing the IAS as a unifying, non-partisan civil force for a divided nation.

b)      State Reorganisation as Controlled Disruption
→ Patel’s strategic silence on linguistic states and the long-term effects of his refusal to reorganize states on linguistic lines.

c)      Federalism without Fracture – Ensuring Internal Security through Centralised Institutions
→ Examination of Patel’s architecture of intelligence, policing, and emergency response mechanisms.

 Theme 3: Memory, Memorialisation, and the Politics of Erasure

a)      Why Patel Was Marginalised in Post-Nehruvian India?
→ A critical interrogation of the politics of memory that relegated Patel’s contributions to footnotes in textbooks.

b)      Statue of Unity: A Monolith or a Reclamation?
→ Examining the politics, symbolism, and ideological intent behind the creation of the Statue of Unity.

c)      Reclaiming Patel in Contemporary India – Between Appropriation and Authenticity
→ How various political factions today selectively reinterpret Patel for ideological gain.

Theme 4: Patel and the Peripheries – Integrating the Margins of the Nation-State

Subtheme:

a)      Patel’s Approach to Kashmir, Hyderabad, and Junagadh – Strategic Silence or Calculated Assertion?
→ Deconstructing his nuanced regional strategies beyond mainstream narratives.

b)      Unification versus Assimilation – Did Patel Neglect Tribal Autonomies?
→ A critical view on whether the unification process marginalized indigenous governance systems.

c)      Mapping Patel’s Vision for Northeast India – A Missing Archive?
→ Exploring Patel’s limited engagement with the Northeast and the subsequent policy vacuum.

Theme 5: Patel’s Nation-Making through Economic and Legal Instrumentalities

Subtheme:

a)      The Political Economy of Integration – Patel’s Role in Industrial and Agricultural Restructuring
→ How Patel used land policy, cooperative movements, and infrastructure vision to reinforce national unity.

b)      Unification through Law – Patel’s Legal Realism and the Making of the Indian Constitution
→ Patel’s leadership in the Constituent Assembly committees and its bearing on center-state relations.

c)      Negotiated Sovereignty – The Fiscal and Jurisdictional Integration of the Princely States
→ Analysis of Patel’s financial diplomacy and statecraft in stabilizing India’s nascent economy.

Theme 6: Patel’s Philosophy of Unity – Civilisational Continuity or Modern Nation-State?

Subtheme:

a)      Dharma, Order, and National Duty – Patel’s Ethical Foundation for Unity
→ Exploring Patel’s ideas of cultural integration rooted in Indian civilisational ethos.

b)      Unity without Uniformity – Patel’s Inclusive Nationalism and Social Conservatism
→ How Patel balanced integration with India’s vast diversity without enforcing cultural homogenization.

c)      Unity as Conflict Management – Patel’s Vision for Managing Pluralism without Fragmentation
→ Reading Patel as an early theorist of conflict resolution in multicultural societies.

Faculty/Others/ Rs 1500. Ph.D Scholar-Rs. 500, online/MA-Rs 200/

Important Dates

Abstract Submission:  10th August 2025

Acceptance notification: 15th August 2025

Full Paper Submission: 20 August 2025.

Contact/ Abstract mail to: rashtriyaektaseminar.cuhp@gmail.com

 The abstract (500 words) send an email to : rashtriyaektaseminar.cuhp@gmail.com.

Once the abstract is accepted, the word limit of the full-lengtth original paper should be 5000-7000 words.

The full paper must accompany an abstract (strictly between 200-300 words) and 4-5 Keywords follow the APA 7th Edition referencing style.

All submission must be the author’s original and unpublished work. Plagiarism reports of more than 10% will attract immediate disqualification. Use of generate AI can lead to rejection of the Paper.

Account

Canara Bank AC NO: 2062101012323

IFSC Code: CNRB0002062

Indian Council of Social Science Research