Telangana is weighing ways to honor Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy. While some call for towering statues as a lasting tribute, others advocate for investments in hospitals and schools, aligning more closely with Gandhi’s values. This debate reflects ongoing discussions on meaningful ways to celebrate India’s “Father of the Nation.”
Honouring the Father of the Nation is commendable, but considering Gandhi’s aversion to power and grandiosity, would Telangana government do well to use the funds for education, health and cleanliness?
The government’s ambition of building the “world’s tallest statue” of Mahatma Gandhi at Bapu Ghat near Langer Houz in Hyderabad has drawn mixed reactions.
The idea of honouring the Father of the Nation is a noble one; but when Gandhi himself was averse to power and grand schemes, and preferred to live like the ordinary, poor Indian, is it appropriate for a state government to spend colossal sums of money on his statue?
Mixed reactions on social media
On social media site X, Tushar Gandhi, great-grandson of Gandhi, said: “I am very much against this competition of statues. My sincere appeal to Shri Revanth Reddyji @TelanganaCMO Please use the funds to establish health care and education initiatives in the state instead of a tall statue of Bapu.”
Others on the site reacted to Tushar Gandhi, sharing the opinion that public money would be better spent on healthcare and education.
There were also voices in support of the construction of the large statute; even so, the majority opinion on X favoured investment in institutions that would serve the common people.
One Lionel Philip, responding to Tushar Gandhi, said: “I respect your point of view… I request you to understand the urgency and importance of this project. We are living in times when Ghodsewadis are deliberately trying to rewrite history books and indoctrinate the people with religious intolerance….”
What Mr Philip failed to reckon with, however, was whether a statue would serve to counter the divisive narrative that Nathuram Godse, Gandhi’s assassin, embodies.
Another X user, Abhishek Ranjan said: “Nice gesture, Sir. Could you please recommend that the government build a hospital at Raj Ghat as well?”
Raj Ghat in Delhi is where Gandhi was cremated, and where a Samadhi stands to the Father of the Nation.
Varun Varma posted on X: “What we need is better roads, hospitals, infrastructure, bridges, schools, colleges.”
No estimation of cost yet
There is as yet no estimate of the amount that would be spent on building the world’s tallest statue. Hundreds of crores, it can be safely estimated, when the 182-metre tall Sardar Patel statue in Gujarat, the tallest in the world, cost Rs 2,989 crore in 2018.
The Statue of Unity, as the Sardar Patel statue is called, is currently the tallest in the world, dwarfing the Statue of Liberty in New York at 46 metres, and the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil at 38 metres (including a pedestal eight metres tall).
Let us consider how much it might cost to set up a medical college.
On September 16, 2023, the Telangana government sanctioned ₹1,447 crore for the construction of eight new medical colleges, each costing about ₹180 crore.
The money would be enough to build the college and hostel buildings and also purchase equipment. Each new medical college would take in about 50 MBBS students a year.
The government could augment existing health facilities across the state. There are about 573 Primary Health Centres (PHCs), 4,229 sub-centres and 28 community health centres (CHCs).
Even a primary health centre may not cost more than Rs 30 lakh including equipment and operational costs. The cost of the new statue would cover the cost of several new Primary Health Centres, where needed, and also serve to upgrade existing ones.
If a few super-speciality hospitals are planned, then it may be recalled that the Telangana government sanctioned ₹2,679 crore for the construction of three super-speciality hospitals at LB Nagar (₹900 crore), Alwal (₹897 crore) and Sanathnagar (₹882 crore).
If the funds for educational institutions are considered, school construction alone could be completed with about ₹15 lakh in rural areas. Schools do not require expensive equipment, like hospitals. High schools may cost twice as much, and funds will also need to be allocated to cover the salaries of teachers and other staff.
By augmenting the capacity of the state’s education sector, the government would be serving the needs of the poorest and weakest in society.
Existing Mahatma Gandhi statues
There is an imposing statue of Mahatma Gandhi inside the premises of the Telangana Assembly in Hyderabad. That statue was erected during the tenure of N Chandrababu Naidu as chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh in 1999. That statue is of a seated Gandhi, 22 feet high.
The world’s tallest bronze statue of Gandhi is in Gandhi Maidan, Patna. It was inaugurated on 15 February, 2013 by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
The idea of building a statue of Mahatma Gandhi emerged as the Revanth Reddy government began planning the Musi Rejuvenation Project.
Bapu Ghat is at the confluence of rivers Esa and Musi, and the government decided that it was the most appropriate place to locate the statue. The confluence of Esa and Musi was also one of 11 places in India where Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes were immersed in 1948.
The state government has already begun consulting experts and designers. Whether Bapu should be depicted walking, sitting or standing is under discussion. The government plans to create an economic hub at Bapu Ghat, as part of the Musi Rejuvenation project.
The plans cover a span of 21 km, from Bapu Ghat to Osman Sagar upstream.
A word from the Mahatma Gandhi
Gandhi himself offered a clue on how the government might decide: “I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him. Will he gain anything by it? Will it restore him to a control over his own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj for the hungry and spiritually starving millions?”
If the Telangana government were to consider Gandhi’s talisman, it may find better use for the money it will allocate to the Gandhi statue. #hydkhabar
About The Author
Siddharth Anand