Journalism of Courage
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bengaluru on Friday is marked with a lot of cultural and political significance as it comes months ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections in Karnataka.
Political pundits and Opposition parties have dubbed PM Modi’s unveiling of the 108 feet bronze Kempegowda statue (Statue of Prosperity) at Kempegowda International Airport as a move to appease the Vokkaligas, a majority community in south Karnataka that has traditionally favoured the Congress and JD(S) but is reportedly warming up to the saffron party of late.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai took to Twitter to announce that the Statue of Prosperity has made it to the World Book Records. “A matter of pride for us that Statue of Prosperity is the first & tallest bronze statue of a founder of a city as per World Book of Records. An apt tribute to #Bengaluru’s founder N. Kempegowda. Standing at 108ft, it symbolizes his vision of a Global City,” Bommai said in his tweet. Conceptualised and sculpted by Ram V Sutar of Statue of Unity fame, 98 tonnes of bronze and 120 tonnes of steel have gone into making this statue.
PM Modi will also inaugurate Terminal 2 of Kempegowda International Airport, built at a cost of around Rs 5,000 crore. The terminal will double the passenger handling capacity of the airport to 5-6 crore passengers per annum, from the current capacity of about 2.5 crore. Terminal 2 is designed as a tribute to the garden city of Bengaluru and the passenger experience is meant to be a “walk in the garden”. Passengers will travel through 10,000+ sq. metres of ‘green’ walls, hanging gardens and outdoor gardens.
The Prime Minister will also flag off the Chennai-Mysuru Vande Bharat Express at the Kranthiveera Sangolli Rayanna (KSR) Railway Station. This will be the fifth Vande Bharat Express train in the country and the first such train in South India. It aims to enhance connectivity between the industrial hub of Chennai, the tech and startup hub of Bengaluru and the tourist city of Mysuru.
PM Modi will also flag off the Bharat Gaurav Kashi Yatra train from Bengaluru KSR Railway Station. Karnataka is also the first state to take up this train under the Bharat Gaurav scheme in which the state government and the Union railways ministry are working together to send pilgrims from Karnataka to Kashi. The pilgrims will be provided comfortable stay and guidance for visiting Kashi, Ayodhya and Prayagraj.
As November 11 also happens to be Kanakadasa Jayanti, PM Modi will pay floral tributes to the great saint and poet at Vidhana Soudha on Friday. Kanakadasa Jayanti is mainly celebrated by the people of the Kuruba community. Kanakadasa, who was also a philosopher and a musician, played an active role in spreading messages of equity and uplifting the social community. The use of local language in Carnatic music and kirtans gained him a lot of fame.
