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Kartavya Path: PM Modi says symbol of 'slavery', Rajpath, now consigned to history

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said if India had followed the path shown by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, it would have reached new heights.

Kartavya Path: PM Modi says symbol of 'slavery', Rajpath, now consigned to history snt
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First Published Sep 8, 2022, 9:58 PM IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that India would have attained new heights if it had followed the path shown by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. He also claimed that Rajpath, a symbol of 'slavery' under the British Raj, has now been relegated to history.

After unveiling a 28-feet statue of Netaji and inaugurating Kartavya Path, the stretch of road from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate earlier known as Rajpath, PM Modi voiced the renaming had given the country new energy and inspiration. He said Kingsway or Rajpath, a symbol of slavery, has been consigned to history and erased forever. 

"If India had followed the path shown by Subhas Chandra Bose, then the country would have reached a new high; sadly, he was forgotten," PM Modi said. 

Netaji's statue at India Gate will now inspire and guide us, PM Modi added. The revamped stretch is part of the Modi government's ambitious Central Vista redevelopment project.

Also read: Granite for Netaji statue in Delhi came from Telangana quarry; transported on makeshift road

Kartavya Path: PM Modi says symbol of 'slavery', Rajpath, now consigned to history snt

"We took many decisions in the last eight years which have imprints of Netaji's ideals and dreams," said PM Modi. 

He also said that the changes undertaken by the government are not just limited to symbols but are now part of policies. The prime minister also thanked workers involved in developing the Kartavya Path and said they not only built it, but also showed others way of 'kartavya' (duty). 

'Netaji' sits in India Gate canopy vacated by King George V in 1968

'Netaji' was given a site formerly occupied by an enormous marble statue of British ruler King George V at India Gate, where Subhas Chandra Bose's statue was inaugurated, signalling a turning point in India's history.

Since the King's monument was taken down in 1968, the canopy, supported by four columns of the Delhi Order designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, has been left empty.

Prior to being relegated to the Coronation Park grounds in northwest Delhi, which served as the location of the 1911 coronation durbar until 1968, the "monarch" could be seen standing beneath a canopy and gazing at the India Gate and Kingsway, the ceremonial boulevard that led to Raisina Hill, the site of the president's residence.

Soon after India gained independence, Queensway, which runs parallel to Kingsway, was renamed Janpath, and both were given new names. Rajpath on Wednesday was officially renamed Kartavya Path. 

Also read: India@75: Story of Rash Behari Bose, who handed over the reins of INA to Netaji

Kartavya Path: PM Modi says symbol of 'slavery', Rajpath, now consigned to history snt

According to archival documents, the monument of George V was unveiled in 1939 by the Viceroy in charge at the time, Lord Linlithgow, as a tribute to the British King for whose reign 'New Delhi' was constructed as the capital of the British Raj.

George V, who was born in London in 1865 and became king in 1910, travelled to India the following year with his wife, Queen Mary, to attend the renowned Delhi Durbar when he also proclaimed the transfer of the capital from Calcutta to Delhi.

King George ruled until his death in January 1936, after which memorials were built and statues erected in various cities under the British Empire, the most notable among them being New Delhi -- the administrative seat of a country, which was held as the 'Jewel in the Crown'.

The statue, crafted out of white marble, was designed by famous British sculptor Charles Sargeant Jagger, and its models were exhibited in 1933 and 1935 at the Royal Academy, according to victorianweb.org, a scholarly resource. Jagger died in 1934 before he could complete his work, which other artists then completed.

According to the archives, the statue of George V beneath the canopy, endowed with royal motifs and surrounded by a pool of water, was unveiled by the then Viceroy on November 14, 1939.

"The King was everybody's King. More particularly can we who are gathered here be sensible of this personal relationship with the Sovereign, who 28 years ago announced his decision to restore Delhi to its ancient birthright and who laid the first stones of his Imperial Capital," Viceroy had said in his speech, according to the Indian Information published in 1939.

Also read: India@75: Story of General Mohan Singh, who led INA on the war field

According to archival records and old books, the 'George V Memorial' was originally planned to be erected next to the All-India War Memorial Arch (now called India Gate). Lutyens, the chief architect of New Delhi, designed the canopy and the layout of the memorial.

(With inputs from PTI)

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