A piece of sky

In her many bursts as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh,Mayawati has shown herself to be a great builder. And soon that frenetic activity will demand a rewrite of countless general knowledge books. Because answer this. Which is the biggest dome in India? That question is being answered anew. Finishing touches are reportedly being applied to the Kanshi Ram Memorial in Lucknow,and with a diameter of 39.84 m,it will stake a claim to that honour. (It is another matter that at 50 m,its height will be less than that of Bijapurs marvel.)

Mayawatis extravagances are so excessive that it is often easy to forget that her plans merely dovetail into every other Indian rulers affection for memorials. As this newspaper reported on Sunday,the Kanshi Ram Memorial will cost about Rs 370 crore. Another of her cherished projects is the Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Park and its cost escalation since it was first conceptualised during Mayawatis stint as chief minister in 1995 can be seen reflected in its new name,the Baba Saheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Sthal. Indeed,its marble elephants have become iconic of the BSPs brand assertion and its attempt to deepen the democratic content of Indian memorials.

What makes these projects distinctive for something more than extravagance is Mayawatis inclination to include herself in the imagery. Other leaders may be satisfied with cutouts in all their temporariness,but Mayawati is already being made larger than life in stone. Now that has to be a first.