Gandhiniagar: Lawyer Kartikeya Tanna has shared his thoughts on Statue of Unity after visiting the place. Presented here is the video he has made and a note he has penned down on Facebook:

Breathtaking. Magnificent. Unbelievable.

These are the feelings I got when I visited the remarkable Statue of Unity, a 182 metre tall statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, one of the most instrumental freedom fighters in India’s independence movement and the first Deputy Prime Minister as well as Home Minister of independent India.

World’s tallest statue it is, by a long margin. But its height isn’t all there is to it. Strategically located at the banks of river Narmada in my State of Gujarat, the statue overlooks the Sardar Sarovar Dam, a 138.68 metre high dam which is the lifeline of Gujarat. It provides water and electricity to much of Gujarat, but the adjoining states as well. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had conceived this dam over seven decades ago which finally attained fruition in the last decade. As you go up the statue, a viewing area located at about the height of Sardar’s chest provides a stunning view of the dam and the Narmada river.

The museum beneath the statue is aesthetically pleasing and its generous spaciousness ensures that the vibes and energies of the man’s life are adequately felt. Hearing the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi ‘s call back in 2010 (he was then the Chief Minister of Gujarat) to the nation to contribute unused iron to build this statue and the ‘Loha (Iron) Campaign’ which commenced in 2013, the first contribution by a farmer in Jharkhand holds a special place at the museum. Seeing that is a touching moment as it makes one realise how emotional India feels about Sardar Patel.

As the evening sets in, a laser show depicting Sardar Patel’s life generates unprecedented reactions. There are frequent salutes and incessant cheers as the man’s story unfolds. The intensity of the cheers resemble the euphoria when India wins a major sport tournament. For good reason.

Back during the early years of independent India, Sardar Patel had craftily navigated through the seeds of division, greed and ambivalence that the British sowed in our psyche. He was chiefly instrumental in forming what is modern day India through a union of States. The pride that the man evokes among the countrymen till date, almost seven decades after he bid adieu to his land, is a testament to how grateful we continue to be to his sacrifices and perseverance.

For his unification of India wasn’t an annexation of a land mass as large as he could. In the true sense, he geopolitically united a populace which was civilizationally united for millenia.

It is, indeed, no wonder that the most remarkable piece of modern architecture in India till date is devoted to the remarkable architect of modern India. My video on this man-made wonder of the world.