Though the Shiv Sena claims to draw political, ideological and strategic inspiration from Shivaji, every other party in Maharashtra must pay homage to the Shivaji legacy.
By initiating a grandiose project for a Shivaji statue and memorial park in the Arabian Sea off Mumbai, the ncp-Congress in Maharashtra, which had promised this spectacle in its election manifesto in 2004, is doing just that.
So far, the most prominent Shivaji statue in Maharashtra is the one at Shivaji Park in Mumbai. Astride a rearing horse, sword held high, his imposing figure has for years watched over political rallies of every hue. It will, of course, be overshadowed by the 94-metre bronze Shivaji planned on a 7.5-acre artificial island to be created off Marine Drive.
Expected to be completed in a couple of years, at an estimated cost of Rs 200 crore, it will be one metre taller than the Statue of Liberty, and the sixth tallest in the world. Unless the Shiv Sena decides to build a taller one.
Dr Ambedkar’s statues may lack the flamboyance of the equestrian Shivajis, but they are far more numerous. "We have several thousand Ambedkar statues all over Maharashtra," says a home department official. And they are no less emotive as symbols of pride for the over 15 million Dalits of Maharashtra. Sculptor Vinay Wagh, who has made many of them, says they come in two poses. "There’s the lecture pose, with his left hand behind and his right hand raised with finger pointing, to symbolise his teacher status. And there’s the ‘Parliament’ pose, with a book in his left hand, and his right hand raised to symbolise his significance as the Father of our Constitution." In both, Dr Ambedkar wears a suit—almost always blue. He apparently chose blue as the Dalit colour to set it apart from that of other parties. So blue it still is for Dr Ambedkar’s suits in photographs and statues. And, of course, for Mayawati’s elephant.
