Today on April 14, the birth anniversary of the architect of the Constitution, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will hold a magnificent ceremony to unveil the 125-foot-tall statue of BR Ambedkar. KCR recently discussed this at a meeting with ministers and authorities, along with opening the new Secretariat building complex and other issues.
It was determined during the meeting that on the 132nd birth anniversary of Ambedkar, flower petals would be dropped from a helicopter on the statue to pay homage to the great leader. According to PTI, the celebration would only have one chief guest, Prakash Ambedkar, who is Ambedkar’s grandson.
According to the Chief Minister, it would be the tallest statue of Ambedkar in India & will be situated adjacent to the State Secretariat, across from the Buddha monument close to the Telangana Martyrs Memorial, which would inspire people daily and motivate the entire State administration.
The Chief Minister made it clear to the ministers and officials that the inauguration of the Ambedkar monument should be performed in a big way and that the entire Telangana people and the nation should commemorate the occasion and take a big part in the ceremony. Around 35,000 people from all 119 constituencies will attend the unveiling ceremony of the Ambedkar statue with 300 people from each constituency, and necessary arrangements have been made.
Up to 750 state-run Road Transport Corporation buses will be used at the ceremony to transport attendees. Food will be arranged for people who come to the assembly complex within 50 km before reaching Hyderabad. Earlier, an official release stated that around 1 lakh sweet packets, 1.5 lakh butter milk packets, and an equal number of water packets will be made available to the general population.
It is important to remember that it took at least two years to finalise necessary technical & production measures after KCR chose to erect the Ambedkar statue. He had lauded Ram Vanji Sutar, a 98-year-old sculptor, for making such a significant effort.
As per PTI reports, the government will invite Sutar, a Padma Bhushan awardee, and honour him for his immense contribution. Ambedkar’s statue in Hyderabad is considered the highest in the world, with an overall height of 175 feet, including a 50 feet tall circular base resembling the edifice of the Parliament of India. The statue weighs about 474 tonnes. Around 360 tonnes of bronze have been utilised to construct the statue’s interior strength, while 114 tonnes of non-corrosive “special” stainless steel were used to cast the statue’s exterior.
KPC Projects Limited constructed the project at an estimated cost of 146.5 crores. The statue is designed by the famous sculptors Ram Vanji Sutar (98) and his son Anil Ram Sutar (65) of Ram Sutar Art Creations in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. They are known to design the Statue of Unity (597 feet) of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat. An official said, “The pedestal on which the statue is installed has three floors with a total built-up area of 26,258 sq ft. This structure will house a museum which has several articles and pictures depicting the life history of Ambedkar and a 100-seater auditorium for presenting audio-visuals of Ambedkar’s life. A library will also be built in due course.”
The statue is situated next to the well-known Hussain Sagar Lake. The entire premises spans over 11 acres and has been beautifully landscaped and greened on 2.93 acres providing parking space for roughly 450 vehicles.
Two elevators are available to help guests ascend to Ambedkar’s feet from the top of the pedestal. The statue will also be illuminated at night by a high mast light pointed in its direction.
