Here’s how you feel standing at the feet of the world's tallest statue!

Gujarat prides the world’s tallest statue at 182 m – the Statue of Unity. It depicts the Indian Statesman and independent activist; who was the first deputy prime minister and home minister of Independent India and a supporter of Mahatma Gandhi. He, whom most of us would have first gotten acquainted with back in school through our history notes – Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

As a tourist, your primary goal at a landmark destination tends to be capturing the moment with your camera. Unbelievably, this grandeur statue makes this such a challenge and you set yourself on a mission to capture the perfect picture with the statue and you. (Despite all efforts, I am not sure if this would still be a perfect ‘mission accomplished’).

First to reach the statue from the parking area – there is a comfortable provision of buses as well as e-autorickshaws driven by confident women. Arrive at the entrance and yet you would realise that the statue is far off. However, hats off to the infrastructure, the travelators, and the pedestrian roofs making it a seamless experience as you cross the path trying to get every glimpse of the statue as well as in awe of the landscape and view by the side.

Divided into five zones, the first three zones of the statue are open to the public. Here’s zonal-wise breakup in a snapshot:

• Zone I: the ground floor up to Sardar Patel’s feet. This consists of a memorial garden as well as a museum that takes you back in time – how the statue was put together, dating back to historic times and a mini theatre displaying the story of Sardar Patel.
• ?Zone II: From his feet to his thighs.
• ?Zone III: This is the viewing gallery, which extends from his thigh to his chest. The view of the Narmada dam from this zone is an iconic one.
• ?Zone IV: This is defined as the area from his chest to the shoulders and is the section of maintenance.
• ?Zone V: The remainder of the statue, which includes his head and shoulders. ????

The average human height barely matches the sole of the statue struggling to reach the shoe. Standing at the feet, try looking up and you barely are able to grab less than half of the view of the statue. Winds blow through in full swing and you try to hold your wings, yet the construction marvel stands tall, sturdy in complete strength.

Kudos to the construction giants – contractors, material and equipment suppliers, elevator and escalator providers – and every stakeholder who has added their bit of strength to this structure. ( Larsen & Toubro Turner Construction Company UltraTech Cement PERI 奥的斯 Steel Authority of India Limited Narendra Modi Government of Gujarat )

From what I have gathered, the statue has been:

• ?Built at Rs 3,000 crore
• Constructed using 70,000 tonne of cement; 25,000 tonne of steel; 12,000 bronze panels, each weighing over 1,700 tonne.
• ?Designed to resist massive earthquakes and wind speeds of up to 100 km per second.
• ?In 100 years, natural ageing will change its colour from its original bronze to green.

All said, the treat is in the visual experience. I would have reported stories on the Statue of Unity in the past, read about it on the Internet, and seen pictures, but nothing substitutes what one experiences on seeing it in person.

The icing on the cake is the laser light and sound show in the evening, reeled on the statue. The 30-minute show is a historic tribute to story-telling and leaves you spellbound.

Glad that I experienced the Statue of Unity – one that signifies the core of India’s integration as a unified nation.

#StatueofUnity #SardarVallabhbhaiPatel #WorldsTallestStatue #Tourism #Infrastructure #Narmadadam #Construction #ConstructionGiants