The world’s tallest statue was the focus of a video presentation at an event hosted by the Indian High Commission on October 31 in Wellington.
Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) was held on the high commission premises to commemorate the 147th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who served as the first deputy prime minister as well as home minister of India from 1947 to 1950.
Patel’s statue, measuring 182 metres and located in the Indian state of Gujarat, is the tallest of its kind in the world. It was installed in memory of the great unifier of post-Partition India, who faced the challenge of integrating 565 princely states under one flag.
In 2013, then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation for the Statue of Unity .
The video presentation was followed by an address by the High Commissioner of India to New Zealand Neeta Bhushan, who recalled her recent visit to Gujarat where she and other ambassadors and high commissioners visited the statue site.
“This statue is something special. I can say with great feeling that when you look at Sardar [Patel] ji’s eyes, it looks as if he’s about to speak……….. .”
Describing Patel as one of the most inspiring leaders of the last century, High Commissioner Bhushan emphasised Patel’s humble origins which did not stop him from aspiring to study in London and become a barrister.
She hailed Patel as the “Father of the Indian Civil Service.”
Patel saw India as a “melting pot of diverse cultures, civilisations, languages, food,” which made India truly unique. It was this vision of Patel and other freedom fighters that has put India on the trajectory of becoming a world power. At the height of the pandemic, India extended medical support in the form of medicines and equipment to over 150 countries, she observed.
“We supplied vaccines to 50 or 60 countries in the world, many of them in Africa, Europe and Latin America,” High Commissioner Bhushan noted.
She added: “We believe in a world which is very equitable, where we share whatever knowledge [and] facilities we have. That is the path we have taken. And it is thanks to our forefathers, people like Sardar Patel, who have taught us this.”
The high commissioner concluded her address by saying there was no greater honour than flying one’s flag in another country, especially a country such as New Zealand “which is also ethnically diverse.”
Addressing the gathering, Second Secretary (Culture) Durga Dass remarked: “I can see [that] the entire India is represented here today.” He then briefed the audience on the three-day convention to mark the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2023 which will be held in Indore in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh from 8 January 2023.
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