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skywizard
2nd November 2013, 13:06
http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/images/news_large/news-buddha-statue.jpg
The statue will measure a whopping 597ft in height.

The 597ft behemoth known as the 'Statue of Unity' will honor Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first deputy prime minister. With a completion time of 42 months and costs totaling almost half a billion dollars, the statue will tower over the current record holder, the 502ft tall China’s Spring Temple Buddha.

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02719/Statues-graphic-On_2719719a.png

The new statue will be constructed on a small island near the Narmada Dam with a bridge, garden and amusement park nearby. Officials believe that the spectacle will significantly boost tourism in the region, however critics have argued that the move has ulterior political motives.

Decisions by officials to spend vast fortunes on tributes to past leaders is nothing new in the country. Mayawati, the former chief of Uttar Pradesh, was said to have spent over half a billion dollars on statues.

At a time when large numbers of people in India still live in poverty, the decision to spend vast sums of money on such seemingly frivolous pursuits has generated a substantial backlash from critics who believe that the funds would be better spent elsewhere.


Source: http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/257244/india-to-build-worlds-largest-statue
Full Story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/10417093/India-criticised-for-200m-tallest-statue-to-honour-founding-fathers.html


peace...
skywizard

Spiral
2nd November 2013, 15:12
Sardar Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel (Hindi pronunciation: [ʋəlləbˈbʱaːi pəˈʈeːl] (31 October 1875 – 15 December 1950) was an Indian barrister and statesman, one of the leaders of the Indian National Congress and one of the founding fathers of the Republic of India. He is known to be a social leader of India who played an unparalleled role in the country's struggle for independence and guided its integration into a united, independent nation. In India & elsewhere, he was often addressed as Sardar, which means Chief in Hindi, Urdu, and Persian.

He was raised in the countryside of Gujarat.[1] Vallabhbhai Patel was employed in successful practice as a lawyer when he was first inspired by the work and philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi. Patel subsequently organised the peasants of Kheda, Borsad, and Bardoli in Gujarat in non-violent civil disobedience against oppressive policies imposed by the British Raj; in this role, he became one of the most influential leaders in Gujarat. He rose to the leadership of the Indian National Congress and was at the forefront of rebellions and political events, organising the party for elections in 1934 and 1937, and promoting the Quit India movement.

As the first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of India, Patel organised relief for refugees in Punjab and Delhi, and led efforts to restore peace across the nation. Patel took charge of the task to forge a united India from the British colonial provinces allocated to India and more than five hundred self-governing princely states, released from British suzerainty by the Indian Independence Act 1947. Using frank diplomacy, backed with the option and use of military force, Patel's leadership persuaded almost every princely state. Often known as the "Iron Man of India" or "Bismarck of India", he is also remembered as the "Patron Saint" of India's civil servants for establishing modern all-India services.

From; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vallabhbhai_Patel

Very impressive but I get the distinct feeling he would be the last person to find this a good idea.

BabaRa
2nd November 2013, 20:50
Very impressive but I get the distinct feeling he would be the last person to find this a good idea.


Agreed!. . . and in a nation of many homeless, starving people, one would think there would be a better place to put their money and energy.