Govt. contemplating on existing sizes and shapes of Gandhi’s statues

School students offered floral tributes to Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi’s statue at Bapu Ghat in Hyderabad.
| Photo Credit: Nagara Gopal

Bapu Ghat, on the banks of Musi River, will have the tallest statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the world, overtaking the present one in Patna, but the government is still toying with the shape of the statue.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has asked officials to study various sizes and shapes of Gandhi’s statues in India, as well as abroad, so that the best design could be adopted.

As of now, among all Gandhi statues in the country, the one at Gandhi Maidan in Patna is the tallest with 72 foot. Made of bronze, it was inaugurated in 2013.

Mr. Reddy, who visited the 8-foot bronze statue in Irving, Texas, USA, at the Memorial Plaza, showed interest in its pose, which resembles the famous Dandi march during Salt Satyagraha.

The tallest Gandhi statue in Telangana is of 22 foot in the Assembly, which is in the ‘Dhyana Mudra’ (meditation pose). The bronze statue with the message ‘My Life is My Message’ was unveiled in 1999 when N. Chandrababu Naidu was the Chief Minister of United Andhra Pradesh.

The government is now studying whether the upcoming Bapu Ghat statue should have a different pose or adopt one of the existing ones. The CM prefers wide consultations on finalising the shape and size with political parties, Gandhians and those who seriously follow his message.

The location is chosen as it is at the confluence of the Musi and Isa, coming from Osmansagar and Himayatsagar. Apart from the statue, the government also plans to develop it as an education hub of Gandhian philosophy, where courses in communication, ethics and values will be taken up.