Not the tallest dream

Let me start this post with a small test. Here are pictures of some of the most iconic statues in the world. First one is called Statue Of Liberty. Second one is The Motherland Calls and third one is called Christ The Redeemer. Now here's the question, from their names and photos alone, what can you say about them? Pretend that you don't know anything about these statues, even if you do.

Statue of Liberty has a torch in one hand which is held high like a beacon. It looks like she rejoices freedom. The Motherland Calls has a sword held in one hand in a gesture of triumph and she looks behind beckoning others with her other hand. Probably it has something to do with war and freedom. She calls out to people “Come, this is our land, our motherland”. Christ The Redeemer has both arms outstretched. To redeem is to prevent from committing sins. It looks like the Christ calls followers to unite and relieve themselves of their sins.

Before judging how well we fared, here is a bonus question. The statue to the extreme left in picture below is called Statue Of Unity. What can you say about it?

 While you are at it, here's what Wikipedia says about first three statues.

“The Statue Of Liberty is of a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, who bears a torch and a tabula ansata (a tablet evoking the law). It is an icon of freedom and of the United States: a welcoming signal to immigrants arriving from abroad.”

“The Motherland Calls is a statue commemorating the Battle of Stalingrad where Soviet Union fought with Nazi Germany trying to capture Stalingrad. It is among the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare.”

“The statue of Christ The Redeemer with open arms, is a symbol of peace, a symbol of Brazilian Christianity.”

A few misses aside, one can at least get an idea of what the statue symbolizes from first glance. This is a test of first impression. And first impression is what appeals to us. But before discussing that we should take a look at some of our desi statues.

Following are name-less statues of Dr. Ambedkar and Shivaji Maharaj. The man in first statue holds a book in one hand. The other hand has one finger pointing outwards. It looks like he is making a point or showing direction. The other statue is of a man on a horse with a sword, definitely a warrior.

The point here is that these statues, in the first glance, give us something to say about their significance.

With that long introduction, let me come to the main topic of this post. A statue of Sardar Patel is being constructed near Sardar Sarovar Dam, Gujarat for whopping 2000 Crores. The statue is named Statue Of Unity. At a height of 182 metres, it is touted to be the tallest statue in world. The 2000 Crores will be spent not only on statue but also on developing surrounding area to make it more tourist friendly. The official website of project boasts of objectives such as employment generation, tribal development and environmental protection. It also proposes setting up a research centre dedicated to research on agricultural development and water management. The project is expected to boost tourism and bring out substantial increase in earnings from tourism. Further to justify the tag 'Unity', iron needed for the statue will be collected from farmers of over 6 lakh villages all over India in form of donations. The project is ambitious and there is no doubt that it will generate employment and develop surrounding area under its beautification drive as it promises. But is this the best statue one can get in 2000 Crores?

Let's go back to the discussion about first impression and appeal. As a tourist, one wants to visit a place because it appeals to that person. Often, picturesque photos of mountains, architectures, landscapes blow our minds and urge us to visit that place to experience the first-hand feel. Those pictures create an appeal. Specifically talking about statues, the statues like Statue Of Liberty or The Motherland Calls have definitive postures. These postures combined with their symbolism create an aura that attracts you. While there is no doubt about Sardar Patel being our hero, the amount of appeal he holds for a foreign tourist is less than that for a Mahatma Gandhi. If spreading knowledge about him and awareness about his work is the objective of this project then it makes sense to build a statue that will appeal to Indians as well as foreigners. The proposed statue has Sardar Patel standing straight; just standing straight. When you call a statue Statue Of Unity on the lines of Statue of Liberty, one expects it to exude the feeling of unity. The proposed statue fails to do so. It is wrong to expect sheer size of statue to pull in more tourists. Height cannot be the only metric of excellence. Symbolism, poses are an integral part of a statue's appeal. The statue in its current form is less appealing than what it can be with so much money being poured in. It looks like just one of innumerable statues of leaders scattered across India, only gigantic in size. Had the design of statue focused less on height and more on enhancing its features, and consequently its appeal, it could have done full justice to the objective of boosting tourism by attracting foreigners who don't have any background knowledge of Sardar Patel and his work for united India.

So while rest of the project looks impressive on paper, the statue is certainly not designed to exploit the full potential. It is more a statue of Sardar Patel, and less of unity. We might get the tallest statue but it won't be the tallest dream that it is being claimed to be.