Meet Adwaita Gadanayak, the Odia sculptor set to carve Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose statue at India Gate

The grand statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, which is to be installed at New Delhi’s India Gate, will be carved by Adwaita Gadanayak. He is the Director-General of the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) under the Ministry of Culture. The major announcement of the installation of Netaji’s statue came on Friday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He highlighted that the statue installation will be a symbol of the nation’s ‘indebtedness’ to the iconic freedom fighter. According to Livemint, Gadanayak has expressed happiness over the opportunity. “I am delighted. It is a matter of honour for me as a sculptor that Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to give this responsibility to me,” he said. Born in Dhenkanal’s Neulapoi village, Gadanayak studied art from BK College of Arts and Crafts. He pursued his master’s degree from the College of Art in New Delhi. In 2018, the Odia sculptor had created the National Police Memorial in New Delhi. One of his masterpieces ‘Dandi March’ is also installed at New Delhi’s Rajghat. The 28-feet-high and 6-feet-wide statue of Netaji will be carved in jet black granite stone which will reportedly be brought from Telangana. While the design of the statue has been prepared by the Union Ministry of Culture. When sculpted, the statue of the nationalist leader is said to be visible from Raisina Hills. Media reports suggest that the statue will be installed under a canopy, and meanwhile, a hologram statue of Netaji would be kept at the same place till the final sculpture is completed. A 3D image of Bose will be projected on a 90% transparent holographic screen in such a manner that it will not be identified by onlookers. Narendra Modi is slated to unveil the hologram statue of Netaji on 23 January. This year, the country will celebrate the 125th birth anniversary of the Azad Hind Fauj founder. As declared by the union government, Subhash Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary will also be marked as Parakram Diwas.