Big B to be present at the unveiling of Mahatma Gandhi statue in London
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, is set to unveil the new statue of Mahatma Gandhi this Saturday as part of a two day visit to the UK.
London: The unveiling ceremony in London’s Parliament Square on Saturday 14 March will be open to members of the public, who will be the first to see the historic statue. The ceremony will feature personal reflections from Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson, and former Governor of West Bengal, Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi. It will also be attended by Lord and Lady Desai of the Gandhi Statue Memorial Trust.
Department for Culture, Media & Sport of UK (DCMS) shared the news on Twitter.
“We are delighted that @SrBachchan will read at the unveiling of the #GandhiStatue on Saturday,” DCMS tweeted.
Bachchan, 72, retweeted the post.
Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said:
It is with great pleasure that I have accepted Prime Minister Cameron’s invitation to attend the inauguration of the new statue of Gandhi in Parliament Square in London. Mahatma Gandhi will be honoured in this most prestigious location for his work in peacefully leading India’s struggle for independence.
The statue will help ensure that the legacy of Gandhi lives on for future generations. It also marks an important, historic moment celebrating the strong bond between our two nations. India and the UK share the same values and we are a partnership of equals. This lasting friendship is just one of many legacies left by Gandhi, which I am keen that we work hard to strengthen further.
UK Culture Secretary Sajid Javid said:
I am delighted Shri Jaitley is coming to the UK to unveil this historic statue. The UK and India have strong links and I look forward to discussing ways both our countries can further prosper by working together. The relationship we have today with India is one that Mahatma Gandhi dreamed of – as friends and equals.
British sculptor Philip Jackson was chosen to create the statue, having previously created statues of the Queen Mother and Bomber Command. He started work on the statue in July 2014 which took six to seven weeks of intensive hardwork to be complete.
The ceremony will feature live music and personal reflections from Gandhi’s grandson, and former governor of West Bengal Gopalkrishna Gandhi.
