If USA has its Statue of Liberty we have our statue of Unity. Located in Kevadia village, about 200km.from Ahmedabad. Visited this place on 25th December, 2018 and the only word that comes to our mind as we first glance at this statue is awesome and colossal. Standing at a height of 597feet the statue of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, the first Deputy Prime Minister of Independent India, is the tallest statue in the world. There are a series of escalators that take you till the feet of the statue. There is a beautiful huge gallery beneath the statue pedestal and it has a film running on the statue and Sardar Patel. There are huge display of photographs and it is nice to know that we are indeed showcasing an alternate history and finally recognising the contributions of others also besides the Nehru, Gandhi family in the making of Modern India. There was a lot of criticism that so much land has been lost, farmers lost their livelihood and we have wasted so much money in the making of this statue. However, this has certainly given us Indians a sense of pride. The whole area surrounding this is a rugged terrain surrounded by rocky cliffs and shrubs. Nothing can grow here and certainly no agricture can flourish. This statue has given a huge boost to tourism and the whole area will now develop. There was a huge crowd near the statue. I only wish we Indians learn to be disciplined and keep our surroundings Clean. There should be a system of time alloted in a pass as is done in USA for the Statue of Liberty and though there is a rush in the US too, due to different time allotment, it is not so crowded as it was here. Any way, I am indeed proud of this achievement and it was inaugurated only in October, 2018 and sure that in the coming years the area will become more green and beautiful and will attract tourists from all over the world.
