The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated 'Kartavya Path' today. It symbolises a shift from erstwhile Rajpath being an icon of power, to Kartavya Path being an example of public ownership and empowerment. The Prime Minister also unveiled the statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at India Gate on occasion.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said that in the time of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav the nation felt a new inspiration and energy today. “Today, we are filling the picture of tomorrow with new colours, leaving behind the past. Today this new aura is visible everywhere, it is the aura of confidence of New India”, he said. He continued “Kingsway i.e. Rajpath, 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 Prime Minister said that today a huge statue of our national hero Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose has also been installed near India Gate. “At the time of slavery, there was a statue of the representative of the British Raj. Today the country has also brought to life a modern, strong India by establishing the statue of Netaji at the same place”, he added. Recalling the greatness of Netaji, the Prime Minister said “Subhas Chandra Bose was such a great man who was beyond the challenge of position and resources. His acceptance was such that the whole world considered him a leader. He had courage and self-respect. He had ideas, he had visions. He had leadership abilities and had policies.”

He said that no country should forget its glorious past. India’s glorious history is in every Indian’s blood and tradition. Netaji, the Prime Minister reminded, was proud of India’s heritage and at the same time, he wanted to make India modern. “If after independence India had followed the path of Subhash Babu, what heights would the country be at today! But unfortunately, this great hero of ours was forgotten after independence. His ideas, even the symbols associated with them, were ignored”, the Prime Minister lamented. He recalled the visit to Netaji’s residence in Kolkata on the occasion of Netaji’s 125th birth anniversary and remembered the energy that he felt at that time. “It is our effort that Netaji’s energy should guide the country today. Netaji’s statue on the ‘Kartavya Path’ will become a medium for that'', he said. The Prime Minister said “In the last eight years, we have taken many such decisions one after the other, which are imprinted with the ideals and dreams of Netaji. Netaji Subhash was the first head of Akhand Bharat, who freed Andaman before 1947 and hoisted the Tricolor. At that time he had imagined what it would be like to hoist the Tricolor at the Red Fort. I personally experienced this feeling, when I had the privilege of hoisting the Tricolor at the Red Fort on the occasion of 75 years of the Azad Hind government.” He also talked about the museum dedicated to Netaji and the Azad Hind Fauz in the Red Fort. He also remembered the Republic Day Parade in 2019 when a contingent of Azad Hind Fauz also marched, a long-awaited honour for the veterans. Similarly, the identity and their association in the Andaman Islands were also strengthened.

Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister of Tourism, Shri G Kishan Reddy, Union Ministers of State of Culture of India, Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal and Smt Meenakshi Lekhi and Union Minister of State of Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Kaushal Kishore were those present on the occasion.

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The  jet-black granite statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, measures a total of 28 ft. and is  placed under the Canopy near India Gate.

The grand statue of Netaji, has been carved from a monolithic block of granite weighing 280 MT. After 26,000 man hours of intense artistic endeavor, the granite monolith was chiseled to produce a statue weighing 65 MT. The statue is completely hand sculpted using traditional techniques and modern tools. The team of sculptors for executing the statue was led by Shri. Arun Yogiraj.

The statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, which will be unveiled by the Prime Minister, has been installed in the same place where a hologram statue of Netaji was unveiled earlier this year on Parakram Diwas (January 23) by PM to mark the 125^th birth anniversary of Netaji.

The 28 feet tall towering statue of Netaji is one of the tallest, realistic, monolithic, handmade sculptures in India. The PM had on 21^st January 2022 assured that a grand statue of Netaji made of granite will be installed at India Gate as a symbol of the nation’s indebtedness to him.

A 100 feet long truck with 140 wheels was specially designed for this monolithic granite stone to travel the 1665 kms from Khammam in Telangana to New Delhi.

The Prime Minister’s arrival at the canopy for the unveiling of the statue of Netaji was heralded with traditional Manipuri Shankh Vadayam and Kerala’s traditional Panch Vadayam and Chanda. The unveiling of the statue of Netaji was accompanied to the tune of Kadam Kadam Badhaye jaa, the traditional INA song.

To demonstrate the spirit of Ek Bharat – Shrestra Bharat & Unity in Diversity a cultural festival by 500 dancers drawn from all parts of the country, was showcased on the Kartvya Path.

The glimpse of the same was shown to the Prime Minster on the step Amphitheatre near India Gate by around 30 artists who performed tribal folk-art forms such as Sambalpuri, Panthi, Kalbelia, Kargam and Drums. Mangalgaan penned by Padma Bhushan Pt. Shrikrishna Ratanjankarji on the auspicious occasion of 1st Independence Day of India in 1947 was presented by Pt. SuhasVashi along with a team of singers and musicians. Shri. Ashish Keskar was the music director for the presentation.

The festival at Kartvya path commenced at 08.45 PM today, after the main function and will also continue on 9^th, 10, & 11^th September, 2022 from 7.00 PM to 9.00 PM.

A special 10-minute drone show on Netaji’s life would be projected at India Gate at 08.00 PM on 9th, 10^th & 11^th September, 2022. Both the cultural festival and the drone show would be open to public with free entry.

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