New Delhi: Union Minister for External Affairs S.Jaisjankar hailed the first steps to installing a statue of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose at the India Gate in Delhi as a "long awaited correction of history" and said that it was a sign of a message from a "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...This is a message from a New India. We will be true to ourselves when dealing with the world," the minister tweeted.
His remarks echoed that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who said that there was a a concerted effort to erase the contribution of certain freedom fighters but that the nation was now "boldly" correcting those mistakes, during his address on Sunday.
He hailed Bose for having established the first independent Indian government on Indian soil as well as his "do or die" attitude which meant he fought wholeheartedly for freedom and did not accept it as "alms" from the British.
The statue was inaugurated on Sunday evening by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who also oversaw the first lighting of the holographic version of the statue that will be projected onto a transparent screen until the actual granite statue of Bose is installed.
The hologram statue is powered by a 30,000 lumens 4K projector. An invisible holographic screen has been erected in such a way that it is not visible to visitors. The 3D image of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose has been projected on it to create the effect of a hologram. The size of the hologram statue is 28 feet in height and 6 feet in width
The event marked the culmination of year-long celebrations of the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji, as also the official start of the 75th Republic Day celebrations.