National Unity Day

National Unity Day, or Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, is observed on 31 October, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. As independent India's first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, Patel played a central role in integrating hundreds of princely states into the Indian Union after 1947. Working with V. P. Menon and others, he combined negotiation, political pressure and administrative planning during a complicated transition from British paramountcy to a unified constitutional state. The Government began observing 31 October as National Unity Day in 2014. Public pledges and 'Run for Unity' events use Patel's legacy to emphasise national integration, but the historical story also shows that unity required institution-building, negotiation and accommodation of diverse regions. The day invites citizens to think of national unity not as uniformity, but as cooperation across linguistic, cultural and regional differences within a shared constitutional framework.

National Unity Day helps remember an important person, institution, event or public value in India.