522. Maniben Patel (1903-1981), 523. Mani Lahiri

Maniben Patel (3 April 1903, Karamsad-1990), born in  Gujrat, was an Indian ,independence movement activist and a Member of the Indian parliament. She was the daughter of Indian leader and a freedom fighter, Sardar Patel. Educated in Bombay, Manibehn adopted the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi in 1918, and started working regularly at his ashram in Ahmedabad.

She participated in the Non-Cooperation movement and the Salt Satyagraha, and was arrested for long periods. In the 1930s she became her father's personal aide, also caring for his personal needs. But she again participated in the Quit India movement and was imprisoned from 1942 to 1945 inYerwada Cent.ral Jail. Manibehn Patel served her father closely until his death in 1950. After moving to Bombay, she worked for the rest of her life with numerous charitable organizations and for the Sardar Patel Memorial Trust, and wrote her memoirs on the freedom struggle and her father's life.

Maniben was an active member of the Lok Sabha (elected from the Mahesana constituency) and of the Rajya Sabha and Vice-President of the Gujarat Provincial Congress Committee. She was connected with several educational institutions including the Gujarat Vidyapith, Vallabh Vidyanagar, Bardoli Swaraj Ashram and Navjivan Trust prior to her death in 1990.

In 2011, the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Memorial trust undertook a project to publish her Gujarati diary, in collaboration with Navjivan Publications

Mani Lahiri was born in Calcutta.He was a member of Revolutionary organisation. Watson, editor of statesman, was in favour of taking any measure against the revolutionaries and he was in the habit of saying ill of the revolutionary. In protest Atul Sen, one of the revolutionary, sacrificed his life attempting assassination of Watson on 5.8.1932. After a few days, Mani Lahiri along with two colleagues fired on Watson sitting in a car. But But to avoid police arrest they tried to fled away when their car was involved in an accident and for excessive bleeding Mani Lahiri died on the spot.