By Prasun Sonwalkar, IANS
London : Should Mahatma Gandhi’s statue be located in London or Leicester? Campaigners prefer Leicester, and MPs in the House of Commons have also backed the town in the east Midlands that has a large minority of Gujarat-origin residents.
Keith Vaz, the India-origin Labour MP, has backed the move by Leicester-based campaigners led by the charitable organisation, the Samanwaya Pariwar. Vaz tabled an ‘early day motion’ in the Commons with the support of 23 MPs Thursday.
The motion states: “That this House supports the campaign for a statue of Mahatma Gandhi to be erected in the City of Leicester; believes that Leicester, as a leading multicultural city, would be the ideal place to celebrate the life and work of Gandhi.
“(That this House) notes that he was a leading figure who promoted non-violent resistance and inter-cultural co-operation; and further notes that this year is the 138th anniversary of his birth.”
Besides Vaz, prominent MPs backing the motion and the campaign are Lynne Jones, Alan Meale, Mike Hancock, Jeremy Corbyn, Albert Owen, Willie Rennie and Richard Younger-Ross. Vaz represents the Leicester East constituency in the House of Commons.
Campaigners want the statue to be located in the corner of Doncaster Road and Belgrave Road, the epicentre of Asian cultural and business life in Leicester. Several Indian banks have offices on the road apart from Indian restaurants and shops selling saris, jewellery and Bollywood music.
Jitendra Acharya, a functionary of Samanvaya Parivar leading the campaign, said: “It would become a permanent reminder of his life and what he stood for. We felt Belgrave would be a better home for the statue than London because of the close links the city has with Gujarat, where he was born.”
Vaz said: “Gandhi’s philosophy of brotherhood amongst those of different religions and ethnicity should be honoured and celebrated in the diverse community of Leicester. A statue will be an excellent symbol of his and Leicester’s commitment to diversity. It would be a good tourist attraction”.
Samanwaya Pariwar is likely to provide funds for the project, which will soon be discussed with the local council. A local county sculptor is being sought to make the statue.
On the streets of Leicester, there is considerable support for the statue, but there are some residents who believe a more suitable local person needs to be honoured with a statue. Among the names mentioned are footballer Gary Lineker and cricketer David Gower.
Leicester is also the home of Richard Attenborough, the Oscar-winning director of the film “Gandhi” (1982), in which the lead role was played by Ben Kingsley. Attenborough has expressed some reservations about the idea of a statue.
He said: “He was one of the major people who ever lived and should be revered, not necessarily with a statue but as a man who once, when asked about his message, said ‘my life is my message’.”
But Thomas Bailey, 73, from Thurmaston in Leicester, said: “Gandhi was a great man – he did do a lot. Belgrave is the best place for the statue, but I wouldn’t object to it being in the city centre.”
Another British town that has honoured a major Indian leader is Bristol, where a statue of social reformer Raja Rammohun Roy has been installed in the city centre. Rammohun Roy died there in the 19th century, and since then every year city fathers and the local Indian community have honoured his legacy with a function at his tomb.