Statue of Equality

Statue of Equality
Conceptual plan for Grand Memorial of B. R. Ambedkar
Location Prabhadevi, Dadar, Mumbai
Designer Sashi Prabhu
Height 350 feet (110 m)
Beginning date Construction work yet to begin (contract for the construction of the statue was awarded on March 10th, 2018 [1])
Completion date 3 yrs. after construction begins (planned)
Dedicated to B. R. Ambedkar

The Statue of Equality, also known as Grand Memorial of Bharat Ratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar is a proposed 350-foot (110 m) tall statue of B. R. Ambedkar[2] to be located in the Indian city of Mumbai.[3][4]

History

The Ambedkar Memorial in Mumbai was announced by then Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, on 18 August 2012. It is to be situated on property formerly owned by National Textile Corporation known as Indu Mills (India United Mill No. 6) in Dadar.[5] The land is now owned by the government of Maharashtra.[6] The foundation stone was laid on 11 October 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.[7] Construction proper was to start in November 2015,[8] but as of November 2017 the project was not been assigned to a construction contractor, due to only one one bid being submitted back then.[6]

On March 10th 2018, Newspapers in India reported that the contract for the construction of the Statue had been awarded to the Shapoorji Pallonji Group at a cost of Rs 783 Crores. [9]

Structure of memorial

The main entrance to the structure would be from the adjacent Cadell Road with SKS Marg as secondary access point. The memorial will be linked with Chaitya Bhoomi for easy movement of crowds. The memorial will cost ₹425 crore (US$59 million) at 12-acre erstwhile Indu Mill land. Its main attraction will be a 25,000 sq ft stupa around a pond. A dome-like structure with 24 stone ribs will be in the middle of plot. There will be an Ashoka Chakra covering the memorial structure. There will also be a proposed 39,622 square feet interactive museum displaying several aspects of Baba Saheb Dr. Ambedkar’s life. The memorial will have a facility to park around 400 vehicles.[10]

Stupa

The stupa would be the most expensive part at ₹110.95 crore (US$15 million). It will be 140 feet (43 m) tall with a circumference of 110 metres (360 ft).[11] It will have a ribbed ceiling thus resembling the Buddhist Chaityas. An eight-tier bronze canopy representing the Buddha’s eight-fold path at the top of the stupa in a built-up area of 2,400 square metres with a lotus pond at the foot of the dome.[12]

Vipassana Hall

There is also a proposed Vipassanā (meditation) Hall at the memorial with a seating capacity for 13,000 people.[13]

The Gallery of Struggle will depict momentous events associated with the life and work of Ambedkar, alongside 50,000 square feet library.[14]

Controversy

After the foundation stone was laid, some members of Ambedkar's family—his grandsons Prakash Yashwant Ambedkar and Anandraj Ambedkar—together with Ambedkarites leaders from Maharashtra said they were unhappy with the design of the memorial. Some had concerns over the practical details of the design while others thought the memorial was not befitting the stature of Ambedkar.

Prakash Yashwant Ambedkar pressed for the memorial to have a "think tank institution", an intellectual centre of international standards for scholars across the globe come for intellectual activity as his grandfather was an intellectual giant who contributed to many fields different many ways. Anandraj Ambedkar also suggested a design to the state government which was not considered as his design consisted of a 360-feet tall statue of his grandfather, Statue of Equality. The design right now looks more like a joggers’ park than a memorial. Leaders demanded government to set up a technical committee of experts on Buddhism, reputed architects from different Buddhist countries, and well-known people from the construction industry before finalizing the memorial’s design with inclusion of a State of Equality (a larger-than-life sculpture of Ambedkar facing the ocean like New York City's Statue of Liberty) so to form an impressive part of Mumbai's skyline and should be the first thing that visitors see when landing in Mumbai.[15][16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/maharashtra-budget-rs-450-crore-for-statues-in-city-as-govt-struggles-to-cut-costs/articleshow/63240065.cms
  2. ↑ Sports (10 October 2015). "PM Modi to be briefed on how Ambedkar Memorial will look". The Indian Express. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  3. ↑ "Ambedkar memorial: Statue taller than that of Liberty sought". Indian Express. 2012-12-06. Retrieved 2013-10-29.
  4. ↑ http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-01-02/pune/30580928_1_entire-land-memorial-years-acres
  5. ↑ "Indu Mills land in the city for the memorial of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar before December 6, the death anniversary of the late leader".
  6. 1 2 "Indu Mill "Grand Memorial of Bharatratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar"". Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  7. ↑ "PM Lays Foundation Stone of Ambedkar Memorial, Sena Stays Away". The New Indian Express. PTI. 20 October 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  8. ↑ "Work on Ambedkar memorial to start from November". Business Standard News. PTI. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  9. ↑ https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/maharashtra-budget-rs-450-crore-for-statues-in-city-as-govt-struggles-to-cut-costs/articleshow/63240065.cms
  10. ↑ "PM Modi to be briefed on how Baba Saheb Dr. Ambedkar Memorial will look".
  11. ↑ "Work on Ambedkar memorial to start from November". Business Standard India. Business Standard Private Ltd. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  12. ↑ "Ambedkar memorial on 12-acre Indu Mill land".
  13. ↑ "Work on Ambedkar memorial to commence in November". I am in DNA of India. 8 October 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  14. ↑ "PM Narendra Modi Lays Foundation Stone of Ambedkar Memorial in Mumbai". NDTV.com. 11 October 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  15. ↑ Rashid, Omar (11 October 2015). "Ambedkar family not satisfied with memorial design". The Hindu. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  16. ↑ "Ambedkar memorial design fails to impress Dalit leaders".
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