Statue of Mahatma Gandhi, Parliament of India

The Statue of Mahatma Gandhi is a 16-foot (4.9 m) tall bronze statue of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi located in the precincts of the Parliament House of India in New Delhi. Designed by Ram V. Sutar, it was inaugurated in 1993, and has become iconic as a site for protest by members of the Indian Parliament.^[1]

Statue of Mahatma Gandhi

Location	New Delhi
Designer	Ram V. Sutar
Type	Sculpture
Material	Bronze
Height	4.9 meters
Beginning date	1969
Completion date	1993
Opening date	2 October 1993

History

The initial proposal to build a statue of Gandhi on the Central Vista of New Delhi was made after the removal of the statue of King George V from its canopy behind the India Gate in 1968.^[2] In 1969, it was announced in the Parliament that the statue would be installed at government's expense near the India Gate.^[3] In 1978, proposals for a statue were invited by the Morarji Desai–led government. Twelve entries were received from sculptors across India, of which Ram Sutar's design was selected.^[4][5] In 1981, it was decided to proceed with a design of Gandhi in a meditative posture to be installed at the canopy near the India Gate. However, these proposals were not implemented owing to considerations of aesthetics and opposition from architects and heritage conservationists, regarding proposals to remove the canopy to prepare a pedestal for the proposed statue. By 1989, the plaster casting for the statue was completed.^[6] The statue was completed by 1993 but the proposal to place it under the canopy was objected to by parliamentarians.^[7] The matter was raised in the Parliament by George Fernandes who accused the government of having left Gandhi "in the middle of the road".^[8] The statue was subsequently donated to the Parliament by the Ministry of Urban Development and was unveiled by President Shankar Dayal Sharma on Gandhi Jayanti, 1993.^[9][10]

Design

Designed by Ram Sutar, the statue depicts a meditating Gandhi seated in the lotus position.^[11] Its location near the Gate No. 1 of the Parliament House was chosen so that parliamentarians exiting the building would see the peaceful figure. The statue is built of bronze and has a height of 16 feet (4.9 m).^[12][13] Gandhi's seated posture in the statue differs radically from his traditional representations, and it has been noted for the serenity of Gandhi's expression and the sombreness of his bearing.^[14][15]

Site of protest

The location of the statue is frequently a venue of protests and impromptu press conferences by the Members of Parliament (MPs), especially by members of the opposition parties.^[16][17][18] In 2005, several members of the ruling party protested at the venue over the frequent parliamentary disruptions by the opposition.^[19] After the Lok Sabha Secretariat issued a bulletin barring MPs from using the premises of the parliament for holding any demonstrations or protests or religious ceremonies in 2022, Mahua Moitra, MP of the opposition Trinamool Congress, proposed that the statue itself be removed from the precincts of the Parliament House.^[20]

Relocation

The statue was shifted from its location near the main gate of the Parliament building to a location near the Gate No. 3 as part of the construction work of the new parliament building.^[21] It is proposed to be relocated again to a prominent location in the precincts of the new building upon its completion.^[22]

Replicas

 

Mahatma Gandhi Statue, Vidhana Soudha

A 27-foot (8.2 m) tall statue of Gandhi at the Vidhana Soudha, Karanataka, inaugurated in 2014, is a replica of the statue in the Parliament House. Claimed to be the world's tallest statue of Gandhi in a seated position, this statue too was built by Ram Sutar.^[23][24][25]

References

1. "Mahatma Gandhi's Statue At Parliament Moved To Make Way For Construction". NDTV.com. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
2. Vohra, Pankaj (22 January 2022). "Not Gandhi's but Netaji statue under the canopy next to India Gate". The Daily Guardian. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
3. Alley, Kelly D. (1997). "Gandhiji on the Central Vista: A Postcolonial Refiguring". Modern Asian Studies. 31 (4): 967–994. doi:10.1017/S0026749X00017224. ISSN 0026-749X. JSTOR 312851. S2CID 143706237. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
4. Alley, Kelly D. (1997). "Gandhiji on the Central Vista: A Postcolonial Refiguring". Modern Asian Studies. 31 (4): 967–994. doi:10.1017/S0026749X00017224. ISSN 0026-749X. JSTOR 312851. S2CID 143706237. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
5. "The Location of Netaji's Statue Should Have Been Better Chosen". The Wire. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
6. Alley, Kelly D. (1997). "Gandhiji on the Central Vista: A Postcolonial Refiguring". Modern Asian Studies. 31 (4): 967–994. doi:10.1017/S0026749X00017224. ISSN 0026-749X. JSTOR 312851. S2CID 143706237. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
7. "Why PM Modi wasted no time in installing Netaji's statue". The Indian Express. 30 January 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
8. Mathew, Liz (26 November 2020). "Mahatma Gandhi's iconic statue, part of Parliament's identity, site of protest and veneration". The Indian Express. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
9. "Statues / Busts of National Leaders installed outside the Parliament House building". Lok Sabha, India. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
10. "PM Modi likely to lay foundation stone for new Parliament building in December". Deccan Herald. 25 November 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
11. "Story behind the statue of protest in Parliament". The Indian Express. 19 December 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
12. "This Gandhi Jayanti, we follow trail of the Mahatma's statues in Delhi NCR". Hindustan Times. 1 October 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
13. "Modi Likely To Lay Foundation Stone for New Parliament Building in December". The Wire. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
14. Narayanan, Nayantara. "Two Indian sculptors have created most of the Gandhi statues around the world". Scroll.in. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
15. "Ram Sutar and Mahatma Gandhi -the journey goes back to many decades". Times of India. 1 October 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
16. "Iconic Gandhi Statue at Parliament House to Be Moved During Construction of New Building". The Wire. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
17. "New Parliament building: Gandhi statue hurriedly shifted, move raises eyebrows". Hindustan Times. 21 January 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
18. "Protests or Religious Ceremonies Cannot Be Held in the Parliament House: Rajya Sabha Circular". The Wire. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
19. Mathew, Liz (26 November 2020). "Mahatma Gandhi's iconic statue, part of Parliament's identity, site of protest and veneration". The Indian Express. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
20. "'Why not just remove Gandhi's statue': TMC MP Mahua Moitra after Parliament says no dharna inside House". TimesNow. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
21. "Parliament work on, Gandhi statue moved temporarily". The Indian Express. 21 January 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
22. Nath, Damini (24 November 2020). "Gandhi statue to be shifted to temporary spot to make way for Parliament construction". The Hindu. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
23. Prasad, Shyam. "Vidhana Soudha to get bronze Mahatma". Bangalore Mirror. No. 23 January 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
24. "Tall Gandhi statue to grace Vidhana Soudha". Deccan Herald. 2 September 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
25. "Showing peace on Gandhi's face was quite a task: Sculptor". Deccan Herald. 2 October 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2022.