By Prarthana Mitra
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s 600-foot statue in Gujarat, touted as the tallest commemorative statue in the world, will be inaugurated on October 31, but the occasion has already been marred by protests against the scale, symbolism and Chinese involvement in the creation.
Here’s all you need to know about the statue, which will be formally unveiled in the presence of the country’s highest officials today.
Significance
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet project, titled the Statue of Unity, is situated 3.5 km downstream from the Sardar Sarovar Dam, on Sadhu Hill. It depicts India’s first home minister standing on a pedestal, towering over River Narmada.
According to the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Rashtriya Ekta Trust (SVPRET) which oversaw the construction, a museum and audiovisual gallery underneath the statue will be installed to showcase Patel’s life and illustrious career in the freedom movement.
Fondly nicknamed Iron Man,?Patel was an?instrumental independence-era leader who sought to unify various provinces and communities but has become a right-wing icon for Hindu nationalists in recent times. This statue thus serves to further appease hardline Hindu voters and consolidate BJP’s vote bank?in the run-up to the general elections next year.
About the construction
Optically, the statue itself is four times taller than the Statue of Liberty, 177 feet higher than the world’s tallest statue till date, China’s Spring Temple Buddha. While the temple took 11 years to complete, Sardar Patel’s statue was built in 33 months (less than 3 years).
According to NDTV, trucks were sent to collect scrap metal from various parts of India in 2013, which was then melted and used to create the structure’s base – as a symbolic act to represent the unified subcontinent.?With a?bronze-panelled veneer, building the statue reportedly cost Rs 2290 crore, and recently courted controversy because of Chinese involvement in the construction.
A trumpet for national glory
The entire project reeks of the Modi government’s bid to showcase the nation’s growing prosperity and India’s status as a rising global power, as it?is clear from the magnitude?that this is far beyond what tributes entail by normal standards.
Foreign media, critics of the centre and the opposition parties have been ready to latch on to Modi’s political aspirations and ego, especially at a time when farmers in his home-state are struggling to make ends meet.?”Instead of ensuring a livelihood for those alive, why are you spending huge amounts and creating statues?” Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray questioned on Tuesday.
In a promotional video about the statue, Modi had previously boasted, “This memorial to Sardar [Patel] is going to become a worldwide tourist attraction…See our height, measure this nation’s height. This is what we want.” The inauguration of the statue also marks the launch of Modi’s re-election campaign for the upcoming elections.
Prarthana Mitra is a staff writer at Qrius
