HYDERABAD: As the much-anticipated unveiling of Dr B.R. Ambedkar's mammoth 125-foot bronze statue is set to unfold today on the occasion of the 132nd birth anniversary of the architect of the Indian Constitution, BRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao on Thursday remarked that it was a proud moment not just for Telangana, but for the entire nation, and that the new state Secretariat building has been named Dr B.R. Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat in honour of Ambedkar’s aspirations.
Rao, who will unveil the gigantic statue of standing on a structure resembling Parliament, at the NTR Gardens next to the new Telangana Secretariat building on Friday at 2.30 pm, stated that Telangana state will be paying a magnificent tribute to Ambedkar, who incorporated Article 3 into the Constitution, facilitating the formation of Telangana state in 2014. "The installation of Ambedkar's statue is a matter of pride not only for Telangana state but also for the entire country," he remarked.
Following the inauguration of the statue, the Chief Minister will address a public meeting along with Ambedkar's grandson Prakash Ambedkar, who has been invited as the sole chief guest for the event and arrived in Hyderabad on Thursday.
The statue, billed as India's tallest Ambedkar statue and built at an estimated cost of '146 crore, is located next to the newly-constructed Telagnana Secretariat, opposite the Buddha statue in Tank Bund and the newly-constructed Telangana Martyrs memorial. The Chief Minister stated that the Ambedkar statue and Telangana Martyrs Memorial will inspire people every day and motivate the entire state administration working in the Secretariat to work to uphold Ambedkar's principles of social equality and to recall the sacrifices of Telangana Martyrs who laid down their lives for the cause of Telangana statehood.
Over 35,000 people from 119 Assembly constituencies have been invited to the Ambedkar statue unveiling event, with 300 from each constituency, and 750 TSRTC buses have been reserved to transport them. Padma Bhushan Ram Vanji Sutar, the famed sculptor who designed the statue, would be honoured by the Chief Minister. A helicopter will airdrop flowers on the statue, and a giant garland of roses, white chrysanthemums, and betel leaves will be prepared to be draped around the statue. During the ceremony, a massive crane will be used to lift the huge drapery from the statue and decorate it with a massive floral garland. Buddhist monks have been invited to the event, and the unveiling ceremony will follow their rituals.
