The sculptor of the Netaji statue opposite India Gate, Adwaita Gadayanak, has revealed that the statue will be jet black, similar to Lord Jagannath’s in Odisha. The declaration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to erect a statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose near India Gate drew enthusiasm from all parts of the country. Adwaita Gadayanak, the Netaji statue’s sculptor, has disclosed that the statue will be jet black, similar to Lord Jagannath’s statue in Odisha.
“A 28-foot-long and 8-foot-wide granite slab will be used to chisel the statue. The granite should be jet black. Granites from three locations — Mysuru, Bengaluru, and Telangana — have been shortlisted. “I’ll go to the venues personally shortly to pick the right slab,” Gadanayak stated.
“I am from Odisha, and I consider myself fortunate to be carving the statue of such a renowned man from my home state,” he remarked.
The installation will be completed by August 15 and unveiled on Independence Day, according to Gadanayak.
He stated that he received the statue’s repair order four days ago. “It’s strange how the relationship came about.” I’d been thinking about a Netaji statue since we visited Kolkata with the Prime Minister last year. “And the Prime Minister mentioned four days ago that he wanted the statue in granite,” Gadanayak added. “The Lord Jagannath statue in Odisha is also black,” Gadanayak stated of his choice of colour. We believe that such a powerful monster can only be etched in black.”
“A 28-foot-long, 8-foot-wide granite slab will be sculpted into the statue. The granite should be jet black in colour. Granites from Mysuru, Bengaluru, and Telangana have been shortlisted. Gadanayak stated, “I will shortly visit the locations to select the appropriate slab.”
“I am from Odisha, and I consider myself fortunate to be carving the statue of such a famous personality,” he remarked.
The installation, according to Gadanayak, will be completed by August 15 and unveiled on July 4th.
His crew will practise with a dummy before finalising the statue.
This project will involve 20-30 sculptors, according to Gadanayak. And all of the details would be done by hand. “Everything will be carved by hand, from his headgear to his gumboots,” he remarked.
Prasanta Patnaik