Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week celebrated the renaming of Rajpath as ‘Kartavya Path’ and installation of the statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at the India Gate canopy as historical milestones towards erasure of colonial domination as well as testimonies to the emergence of India as a resurgent nation.
“Rajpath, earlier known as Kingsway (before Independence), the symbol of slavery, has become a matter of history from today and has been erased forever. Today a new history has been created in the form of Kartavya Path. I congratulate all the countrymen for their freedom from yet another identity of slavery, in this ‘Amrit Kaal’ of independence,” the PM said.
Speaking of the renaming, the PM is furthering the thrust on removing all marks of colonial domination - one of the five pledges he had spelt out during his August 15 address to make India developed nation by 2047.
“Now when parliamentarians, ministers and officers go on the ‘Kartavya Path’, they would be reminded of their duties and will get inspired,” Modi said. He said while Rajpath symbolised the power of the ruler, ‘Kartavya Path’ represented the sense of duty as well as the spirit of public ownership and empowerment.
Rajpath was for the British Raj to which the people of India were slaves, he said.
The PM also said the installation of a 28-feet high granite statue of Netaji at the India Gate canopy, under which once the statue of British monarch George V once stood, marked the abolition of another sign of "ghulami" (slavery). He called Netaji "Rashtra Nayak”, potentially putting the legendary freedom fighter on an even higher pedestal.
Bimal Patel, the architect behind Central Vista
For master architect Bimal Patel, the ambitious Central Vista project is not the first task in his hands. The urban planner and academician has been the face behind several mega projects across India including Kashi Vishwanath Dham in Varanasi, Sabarmati Riverfront Development in Ahmedabad and Jagannath Temple in Puri.
Patel is an architect, urbanist and academician who has traversed disciplinary, professional and institutional boundaries to explore the ways in which architecture, urban design and urban planning can enrich the lives of people in India's cities.
He is President of CEPT University in Ahmedabad and leads HCP Design Planning and Management Private Limited, an architecture, planning and project management firm. Apart from these landmark projects, the work profile of HCP Design says that many of the recent big urban projects in cities of Gujarat involve the services of Patel and his company.
Whether it is Central Vista of Gandhinagar, multiple riverfront parks in Ahmedabad, walled city revitalisation plan in Ahmedabad, transit oriented zone of Ahmedabad or Centre for Performing Arts in Ahmedabad, Patel's company is involved with all these projects.
