The Man Who Saved India cover art

The Man Who Saved India

Preview

Free with 30-day trial
Prime logo New to Audible Prime Member exclusive:
2 credits with free trial
1 credit a month to use on any title to download and keep
Listen to anything from the Plus Catalogue—thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts and audiobooks
Download titles to your library and listen offline
₹199 per month after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime.

The Man Who Saved India

Written by: Hindol Sengupta
Narrated by: B. Andrew
Free with 30-day trial

₹199 per month after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for ₹879.00

Buy Now for ₹879.00

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

There is perhaps no political figure in modern history who did more to secure and protect the Indian nation than Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. But, ironically, 70 years after Patel brought together piece-by-piece the map of India by fusing the princely states with British India to create a new democratic, independent nation, little is understood or appreciated about Patel's enormous contribution to the making of India.

Caricatured in political debate, all the nuances of Patel's difficult life and the daring choices he made are often lost, or worse, used as mere polemic. If Mahatma Gandhi was the spiritual core of India's freedom struggle and Jawaharlal Nehru its romantic idealism, it was Sardar Patel who brought in the vital pragmatism which held together the national movement and the first ideas of independent India. A naturally stoic man, Patel, unlike Gandhi or Nehru, wrote no personal history. He famously argued that its was better to create history than write it. This is why even his deepest misgivings and quarrels have been easily buried.

But every warning that Patel left for India - from the dangers of allowing groups to create private militias to his thoughtful criticism on India's approach to Kashmir, Pakistan, and China - are all dangerously relevant today. It is impossible to hear about Patel, who died in 1950, and not feel that had he lived on, India might have been a different country. It is also impossible to ignore Patel and understand not only what the idea of India is but also what it could have been, and might be in the future.

The Man Who Saved India is a sweeping, magisterial retelling of Sardar Patel's story. With fiercely detailed and pugnacious anecdotes, multiple award-winning, best-selling writer Hindol Sengupta brings alive Patel's determined life of struggle and his furious commitment to keep India safe. This audiobook brings alive all the arguments, quarrels, and clashes between some of the most determined people in Indian history and their battle to carve out an independent nation.

Through ravages of a failing body broken by decades of abuse in and outside prison, Patel stands out in this audiobook as the man who, even on his death bed, worked to save India. Hindol Sengupta's The Man Who Saved India is destined to define Patel's legacy for future generations.

©2018 Hindol Sengupta (P)2019 Random House Audio
Elections & Political Process Historical India Politicians South Asia World

Critic Reviews

"It is dangerous to put dreamers in power. Sardar Patel's pragmatism was the perfect antidote to Nehru's idealism in the early years of Independence. If only Patel had lived longer, India would have been spared the excesses of the License Raj and the Kashmir problem. This is one of the messages of this lively, highly readable book." (Gurcharan Das, best-selling author)

What listeners say about The Man Who Saved India

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    89
  • 4 Stars
    41
  • 3 Stars
    23
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    5
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    65
  • 4 Stars
    36
  • 3 Stars
    13
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    13
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    85
  • 4 Stars
    29
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved every minute of it

Must read for every Indian and those interested in history of India especially during the lifetime of Sardar Patel. Well narrated too.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

average - promised more but did not deliver

the story was OK. however the narrator was not good, pronunciation of many English words not correct. the reading quality was not good neither the pace nor the places where pauses were taken. the book was a let down by its narrator. the book itself could have been better. large parts of Patel's life could and should have been researched better. more detailed account of 1946-47-48 period was expected.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Commendable Effort

It's a very good historical research about a forgotten but one of the most important unsung India maker's role in shaping our country. The writer has admitted that Sardar Patel's basic nature of "doing his karma but not expressing his thoughts" has left almost no documentary evidence in the form of any diary or self written book to understand his true personality. Still all events are presented with an unbiased way. A little dull to listen to the story at a stretch but a good eye opener.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

sardar pa tel

it was very informative and gave me a true picture of sardar Patel's strong character hope everyone who cares about Indian history should read it nehru made so many blunders about handling pakistan and china which we are still paying for wish sardar patel had not listened to Gandhi ji and become the country's first prime minister listening to Gandhi ji and nehru were his biggest mistakes

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent book On Patel The Iron Man

Loved this book. But for Patel, India would have been a divided unstable nation.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

very good, good information about india

very good, good information about pre independent India. good log
look about Patel's life. nice narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Insightful

A must read for every Indian. Amazing work by Hindol Sengupta. One of the best books I have read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

fantastic read

worth every page, so little is known about the iron man of India and yet we enjoy his fruits of labour in this great country!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent account of Sardar’s life but with poor narration

Excellent account of the Sardar’s life which I must admit I knew very little of inspite of being a Gujarati. Gives an insight into the sacrifices and efforts put in by the Iron man of India.
But the narration could have been a lot better. It is just a monotonous reading of the book with poor pronunciations which makes listening a bit boring.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Bias Book

Got the book to learn about man but the story is one sided plus poor reading by reader

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!