5 things that make the Statue of Unity truly iconic
The Statue of Unity, a memorial dedicated to the ‘Iron Man of India’ Sardar Vallabhai Patel, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, October 31, a day which also marks the Indian national leader’s 143rd birth anniversary.
While there is a raging debate over the need for the statue in the first place, given the cost at which it was built (Rs 2,900 crore), the memorial is a reflection of India’s global aspirations and an assertion of its prowess.
Here are five things that make the Statue of Unity taller than most think it is:
Destination
The statue, which is four times taller than the Statue of Liberty and stands 177 feet higher than China's Spring Temple Buddha, is certain to attract many tourists not just from India, but across the world.
That India has the tallest statue in the world is a feat that the world would find hard to ignore, or miss. Online bookings to visit the Statue of Unity have started with a Rs 350 admission fee for the 153-metre-high observation deck that opens to visitors on November 3. Charges for adults are Rs 120 and for children, Rs 60 to visit the memorial, statue site and Sardar Sarovar Dam.
The statue depicts Sardar Patel, India's first Home Minister, wearing a traditional dhoti and shawl, towering over river Narmada. The essence of the Narmada in the lives of not just Gujaratis, but Indians all over is only set to add value to the experience of the visitors.
Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) has already flagged off a special train called 'Unity Express' that will run for 12 days with boarding points at Rajkot, Surendra Nagar, Viramgam, Sabarmati, Anand, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Vapi, Kalyan and Pune to ensure more people are able to visit the iconic site.
The Statue of Unity is only going to add to the beauty and splendour that India provides as a tourist destination to visitors from across the globe. People preparing their must-visit bucket lists would find it hard to give this engineering marvel a miss.
Record time completion
The 182-metre statue has been constructed in all of five years and has created a record of sorts by proving that sticking to difficult deadlines is possible, if it is backed by the will to work.
PM Modi opened the project five years ago on October 31, 2013, when he was chief minister of Gujarat.
The statue has been designed by Padma Bhushan-winning sculptor Ram V Sutar and has been built by Larsen and Toubro and the state-run Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd.
It took about 250 engineers and 3,400 labourers to construct the statue in 33 months.
It is immune to high velocity wind and severe earthquakes.
The core of the statue is made up of reinforced concrete, but its surface that gives it a distinct design, has been created using 553 bronze panels — each panel has 10 to 15 micro panels.
India’s tallest leader acknowledged
Patel was India’s chief architect. When the British decided to leave, he had the unenviable task of uniting the disparate 562 princely states that were deeply divided on religious and cultural lines. Gifted with Kautilya’s brain, Patel understood how important it was to bring the princely states together, more importantly, he also knew how to go about it.
There was hard political bargaining involved and only someone with a strong political will could have done it. Fortunately for India, there was Patel.
Unfortunately, India had so far not accorded the leader his full due, neither in the political discourse, nor in terms of symbolism. By giving him the world’s highest statue, India has finally moved closer to honouring the legend the way he should have been.
Bringing people together
Metal scrap (mainly agriculture equipment scrap) was collected from the 6 lakh villages under the 'Loha Campaign' from across the country. This statute is thus a unifier of India in letter and in spirit.
This is the greatest tribute the nation could have paid to Patel — metal collected from across the length and breadth of the country that he brought together single-handedly has been used to give him his due place in history.
Creating jobs
A total 250 engineers and 3,700 workers were engaged in the construction of the statue.
Given the fact that the site is going to soon turn into a vibrant tourist destination it is likely to provide millions of people employment — both directly and indirectly.
People will be employed in the upkeep of the statute and the larger site. Technicians will help run the high-capacity elevators with speed of 4 meters per second to reach the viewing platform at 153 metre.
People will also find work in the audio-visual exhibition gallery, spread across 4647 sq m.
So no matter what the detractors say, the Statue of Unity is everything we wanted and more.
Also read: Statue of Unity: Patel was a unifier. Today, more than ever, we should honour his legacy