‘Long awaited correction of history: Jaishankar on Subhas Chandra Bose’s statue at India Gate

Union external affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar hailed the unveiling of a holographic statue of freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at central Delhi’s India Gate, saying it “is a long awaited correction of history”.

He also said on Twitter that this is a message from New India.

“The presence of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose at India Gate is a long awaited correction of history. A leader who fought imperialism and compelled decolonization is being fittingly recognized,” Jaishankar said in his first tweet.

“This is a message from a New India. We will be true to ourselves when dealing with the world,” he added in subsequent Twitter post.

The digital statue was unveiled on the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji on Sunday. The 3D hologram will later be replaced by a 28-feet high and six-feet wide granite statue of the freedom fighter.

Addressing the gathering during the unveiling ceremony, PM Modi said that Bose, who had established the first independent government in India, gave the country the confidence to achieve a sovereign and strong India.

“This statue is a homage to the hero of freedom by the grateful nation and will keep on reminding our institutions and generations the lesson of national duty,” he said.

The hologram statue will be powered by a 30,000 lumens 4K projector. The 3D image of Netaji will be projected on a transparent holographic screen to create the effect of a hologram.

The installation of the granite statue of Netaji under the India Gate canopy, which once housed the statue of King George V, is in recognition of the leader of INA as one of the foremost freedom fighters of India. INA was the army that faced maximum attrition (26,000 out of total 90,000 died) but never surrendered to the British. Its officers and men were captured and put on trial but never signed any surrender document before the British.

According to officials, the decision to install Netaji’s statue was not taken in the spur of the moment by Prime Minister Modi but through intensive deliberations with the culture ministry and those manning historical archives.