BENGALURU: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday unveiled the 108-foot-tall statue of Bengaluru’s founder Nadaprabhu Kempegowda at the city’s international airport.
The development of Bengaluru should be on the lines envisioned by Kempegowda, who gave an impetus to the development of commerce and trade besides keeping the cultural spirit of the city alive, Modi said, addressing a public rally after unveiling the “Statue of Prosperity” and inaugurating terminal 2 of the Kempegowda International Airport.
Modi paid floral tributes and offered holy water to the statue. He also planted a sapling. The statue is built to commemorate the contribution of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda, the founder of the city, towards the growth of Bengaluru. Conceptualised and sculpted by Ram V Sutar, 98 tonnes of bronze and 120 tonnes of steel have gone into making the statue.
The people of Bengaluru are still getting the benefit of Kempegowda’s vision, the prime minister said. “Even though businesses may have transformed today, pete (an area in Bengaluru) remains the commercial lifeline of Bengaluru,” Modi said.
“The role of Sri Nadaprabhu Kempegowda in the making of Bengaluru is unparalleled. He is remembered as a visionary who always put the welfare of people above everything else. Honoured to inaugurate the ‘Statue of Prosperity’ in Bengaluru,” the PM tweeted.Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the State Government is determined to develop Karnataka on the ideology of Kempegowda. He said Bengaluru has grown into an international city thanks to the vision of Kempegowda, who ensured planned development by building many tanks and opening markets for every profession. Bommai said Modi has built a strong nation and taken India to new heights in development under the slogan of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. At a time when the world is facing an economic crisis, India’s economy is becoming stronger, he said.
“The statue has gone into the World Book of Records for being the tallest bronze statue in the world. This will become an important landmark in the city in the coming days. It will become synonymous with the prosperous growth of the city,” said Dr CN Ashwath Narayan, Higher Education Minister and vice-chairperson of the Kempegowda Heritage Area Development Authority.
MODI HAILS KANAKA DASA
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, paying floral tributes to saint Kanaka Dasa at Vidhana Soudha on Friday morning, hailed the saint as a spiritual icon who used the Bhakti Marga to reach out to Lord Krishna, besides trying to reform a society divided on caste lines. “The saint, who gave a message ‘kula kula kulavendu hodedadiri’ (don’t fight over caste), also established the significance of finger millet through his work ‘Ramadhanya Charita’, which was dedicated to ‘ragi’ that is liked by the people here,” he remarked. Kuruba community pontiff Niranjananandapuri Swamiji honoured Modi with a traditional black woolen blanket the community is synonymous with as they were shepherds originally.