Statue of Unity: Illuminated installations of lotus, unity in diversity to come up at Glow Garden
Among the installations on religious diversity, is also a lotus-shaped model with religious symbols of Sikhism, Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Jainism and Buddhism on each petal.
The 3D glowing lotuses will have at least eight petals in the outer layer and five petals in the inner layer with a glowing pistil at the centre. (Express File)
The Unity Glow Garden on the premises of the Statue of Unity in Kevadia Colony in Narmada district will soon have lluminated 3D installations of national flower, lotus, as well as art installations highlighting the “unity in religious diversity” of India.
A patch has been chosen for the installations, which will be made of Corian Acrylic material with LED lighting, an official said. The Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL) has floated tenders for the same, with an estimated cost of Rs 59.5 lakh, including a three-year contract to operate and maintain the installations that will mounted on a brick wall foundation.
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The cluster of lotus flowers, called the National Flower patch, with self LED illumination will be made of fiberglass-reinforced plastic material, which has the “strength of steel”, according to the official.
“Since the recent cyclone (Tauktae) has caused much damage to the newly-built Kevadia railway station, we are keeping in mind the strength of the material… The SoU area anyway has high-velocity winds and hence the structures should be strong,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
The 3D glowing lotuses will have at least eight petals in the outer layer and five petals in the inner layer with a glowing pistil at the centre.
Each flower would be five feet in height and six feet in length and breadth with a stem of a diameter of about eight inches. The flowers will have a civil work foundation to withstand the wind velocity, officials said.
Among the installations on religious diversity, is also a lotus-shaped model with religious symbols of Sikhism, Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Jainism and Buddhism on each petal. Another installation will have architectural cutouts of various places of worship.
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A third one will be a Pentagon-shaped structure, with five religious symbols at five vertices.
A fourth design includes five blocks with alphabets of the word “Unity” and a cut out of one religious symbol on each block. A replica of a banyan tree will also bear the religious symbols. The tenders for the same will be finalised by mid-June.
A few basic designs have been approved by the SSNNL and the contractors will have to visit the site for inspection and planning before presenting the final design for approval.
The additional patch in the glow garden will be part of a cluster of close to 35 tourist spots around the Statue of Unity that form the Kevadia Tourism Circuit, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 31, 2020.
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The SSNNL has also begun work on commissioning a ropeway to connect the two banks of Narmada, across the Sardar Sarovar Dam, in order to reduce the travelling time from one end of the circuit to the other.
Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues.
Expertise:
Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including:
Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground.
Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure.
Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case).
Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions.
Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora. ... Read More
