‘Leap’ year for Vivekananda statue,thanks to BRTS

A new site,just across the road and outside the Town Hall,has been assigned for the statue. Although the new site is closer to where Vivekananda actually spent most of his time in Ahmedabad city,it is better known as a protest venue.

The BJP-ruled Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation is also toying with the idea of getting a new statue of the philosopher sculpted to replace the present one,which they say does not quite captures the Swami’s facial features and expressions.

This is not the first time that the statue is being replaced.

Back in 1995-96,Ahmedabad’s first woman mayor and former MP Bhavna Dave,who did not like the statue that stood at the memorial then,gave a contract to build a new statue to well-known city-based sculptor,Jasuben Shilpi.

Now,the civic body wants the bronze statue sculpted by Shilpi replaced with one that resembles the features of the spiritual icon more closely. Not to leave any stone unturned,quite literally,civic officials have already made a quick visit to Puducherry to have a closer look at various Vivekananda memorials so that the revered leader could be brought alive in his new statue.

AMC sources say bids have already been invited from parties in south India to replace Shilpi’s bronze work.

Dave,when contacted,said she did not like the contours of the face in the earlier statue since they did not reflect his exact face and expressions clearly. “So,I ordered it to be replaced by a better statue,but before that could happen,my term of office was over. Whatever was done was during the tenures of my successors,” she said,adding she agreed that even the present statue needed to be replaced.

City-based sculptors too were of the view that a new statue was needed to correct its shortcomings like the direction of the feet and lack of resemblance of the face and its expression to the real Vivekananda,apart from the “tight dhoti”. The present statue weighs around 400 kg,same as the one it replaced.

Shilpi,however,denied the statue sculpted by her had any technical shortcomings. “There is no need for a new statue,except it will give a chance to corrupt officials to make money.”

Standing committee chairman Bhupendra Patel said they may go for a new statue though a final decision was yet to be taken.

The standing committee had decided to move the statue in December 2011 but nothing was decided on replacing it. A pedestal built at the new spot suggests the new statue could be a full-size one of a standing Vivekananda.

Meanwhile,a post on the website of Ramkrishna Mission Vivekananda Memorial in Vadodara recounts how Ahmedabad’s well-known philanthropist Lalshankar Umiashankar Trivedi,who earned the title of Rai Bahadur and Kaiser-e-Hind,had first met Vivekananda in his home in Khadia,in old Ahmedabad.

It goes on to say,“Soon,Shri Lalshankar realised that his guest was an unusual person with a good knowledge of almost everything in the world. The unknown monk was,of course,none other than Swami Vivekananda. Although the house was spacious,it lacked the required tranquility for meditation and reading,so Shri Lalshankar took Swamiji to another house he had in Ellisbridge,behind the townhall. The house became a beehive of activity with many people flocking to hear and meet Swamiji,who lectured on several topics including high philosophy.”

Vivekananda came to Ahmedabad in November 1891,when Gujarat was part of Bombay Presidency,and left the state in 1892,his final stop being Baroda.