INTERNATIONALWORLD

Published:March14,201516:06IST|Updated:March15,201503:01IST
London,March14,2015

JaitleyunveilsGandhistatueinLondon
PARVATHIMENON

AnewstatueofMahatmaGandhibyBritishsculptorPhilipJacksonisunveiledbyFinanceMinisterArunJaitley.Alsoseenare
BollywoodactorAmitabhBachchan,BritishPrimeMinisterDavidCameronandGandhi'sgrandsonGopalkrishnaGandhi,in
ParliamentSquare,Londonon,Saturday,March14,2015.

SpecialArrangement
ThebronzestatueofMahatmaGandhithatwasunveiledattheParliamentSquareinLondon,UK.
Hewasamanofthepeople,saysPhillipJackson,thesculptor
OnasunnybutcoldLondonmorninginParliamentSquare,UnionFinanceMinisterArunJaitleyunveiledthelongawaitedstatueof
MahatmaGandhionSaturday.Hewasaccompaniedonaspeciallyerectedstage,surroundedbyBritishandIndianflagsbyBritishPrime
MinisterDavidCameron,GandhisgrandsonGopalkrishnaGandhi,BritishCultureMinisterSajidJavid,AmitabhBachchan,andLordand
LadyDesai,foundingtrusteesoftheGandhiStatueMemorialTrust.
TheninefootbronzestatueofGandhiwascreatedbyPhillipJackson,arenownedBritishsculptor,andwillstandinthecompanyofNelson
Mandela,WinstonChurchill,andAbrahamLincoln,amongothers.
Theaudience,whichincludedinvitedguests,aswellasmembersofthepublic,brokeintoapplauseasthestatuewasunveiled.ItwasGandhi
morethananyoneelsewhoembodiesthedeepandenduringconnectionsbetweentheworldsoldestdemocracyandtheworldslargest,
saidMr.Jaitleyinhisaddress.DrawingtheconnectionsbetweenIndiaandBritain,countriesbothfreedfromtheshacklesofcolonialism,Mr.
JaitleypaidtributetoBritainwhichhadrisenabovethecolonialpasttorecogniseGandhiscontributions,choosingtoplacehimonthesame
squareasChurchillwhohadoncedescribedhimasaseditious,halfnakedfakir.
Mr.CameronrecalledthemultifacetedlegacyforBritainofGandhi,themanwhoturnedthepoliticallyunimaginableintothepolitically

inevitable.HesaidthatinputtingGandhiinthefamoussquarewearegivinghimaneternalhomeinourcountry.
AmitabhBachchanreadaselectionfromGandhiswritingsonworldpeace.
ItwasGopalkrishnaGandhiseloquentandmovingwordsthatdrewthegreatestappreciationfromtheaudience.WeneedhiminIndiamore
todaythanweeverhave,hesaid.HespokeofGandhislastfastagainstthepartitionofacountrywherehehopedMuslimsandHinduscould
livetogether,andforwhichhewasassassinated.Ironically,GandhihadhelpedbringaboutthefreedomthatnowenabledpeopleinIndiato
contemplatebuildingatempletohisassassin(inreferencetotheproposedtempletoNathuramGodsetobebuiltinIndia).
Thesculptor,Mr.Jackson,spokeofthequalitiesofGandhithathehadhopedtorepresentinthestatueasasimple,thoughtfuland
compassionateman.Thestatuehadintentionallybeenkeptonalowerplinththanmostontherestofthesquare,hesaid,tomakeit
accessibletoall.Hewasamanofthepeople.
Printableversion|Apr22,20154:40:51PM|http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/gandhistatueunveiledatbritains
parliamentsquare/article6993740.ece
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