airport on the same day. Integration of India After the independence of India, Menon became the secretary of the Ministry of the States, headed by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, with whom he had developed a bond of trust. Patel respected Menon's political genius and work ethic, while Menon obtained the respect for his work that a civil servant needs from his political superior. Menon worked closely with Patel over the political integration of India, in which, over 565 princely states were merged into the union of India, managing the diplomacy between the States Ministry and the various Indian princes, acting as Patel's envoy and striking deals with reluctant princes and rulers. Patel respected Menon's ingenuity in diplomacy, and often did not question if Menon exceeded any instructions. Menon also worked with Patel over the military action against the hostile states of Junagadh and Hyderabad, as well as advising Nehru and Patel on relations with Pakistan and the Kashmir conflict. The Cabinet had dispatched Menon to obtain the accession of Kashmir into India in 1947. Later years After his stint as Secretary, he was Governor of Odisha (Orissa then) for a short period in 1951. He authored a book on the political integration of India, The Story of the Integration of Indian States and on the partition of India, Transfer of Power. He later joined the Swatantra Party, but never contested the elections. Menon died on 31 December 1965 at the age of 72. In popular culture Indian actor Ashish Vidyarthi portrayed Menon in the 1993 film Sardar, based on the life of Indian statesman Vallabhbhai Patel. In 2020, his great granddaughter Narayani Basu wrote a biography on him named, V. P. Menon: The Unsung Architect of Modern India. Bibliography Menon, V.P (1956), The Story of the Integration of the Indian States, Orient Longman Ltd, Madras Menon, V.P (1957), The Transfer of Power in India, Orient Longman Ltd, Madras Further reading References 1893 births 1965 deaths People from Ottapalam Indian civil servants Indian Civil Service (British India) officers Governors of Odisha Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Companions of the Order of the Star of India Indian independence activists from Kerala People of the 1947 Kashmir conflict Swatantra Party politicians