Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the Statue of Unity in Gujarat's Narmada Valley on October 31 to lead the birth anniversary celebrations of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
PM Modi had inaugurated the world's tallest statue dedicated to the nation's first home minister on Patel's 143rd birth anniversary at Kevadiya in the Narmada district in 2018.
The 182-metre steel and bronze Statue of Unity is nearly twice the height of New York's iconic Statue of Liberty. The statue is situated on Sadhu Bet, a hillock between the Vidhyanchal and Saputara ranges located 3.5 km downstream of the iconic, 138-metre-high Sardar Sarovar Dam.
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Michael Graves Architecture and Designs, Turner Construction and Larsen & Toubro executed the project. Four thousand workers toiled for years to raise the historic structure.
Under the Loha (iron) campaign, an agricultural tool each was collected from around 700,000 villages across India, which was melted and used in the statue. In total, 135 tonnes of iron were donated by farmers to support the project. More than 5,000 bronze panels, made in China, were shipped to build the statue.
The base of the Statue of Unity features an exhibit floor, housing a memorial garden and museum on a multimedia platform. Two elevators from here carry 40 people each at a time to visit the viewing gallery, located at approximately 157 metres, around chest level.
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{{/usCountry}}The base of the Statue of Unity features an exhibit floor, housing a memorial garden and museum on a multimedia platform. Two elevators from here carry 40 people each at a time to visit the viewing gallery, located at approximately 157 metres, around chest level.
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{{/usCountry}}The visitor's gallery offers a view of the Satpura and Vidhyanchal mountain ranges where Gujarat's border converges with Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
National Unity Day
India marks the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas or National Unity Day every year on October 31, to honour the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
The vision and determination of Patel, known as the Iron Man of India, laid the foundation for a united India. His leadership played a pivotal role in uniting more than 560 princely states after India achieved independence and became the sovereign nation we know today.
Patel once said, "Manpower without unity is not a strength unless it is harmonised and united properly, then it becomes a spiritual power."
The Rashtriya Ekta Diwas was inaugurated by the Narendra Modi-led government in 2014 to celebrate Sardar Patel's birth anniversary and to reignite the spirit of national unity among citizens.
On this day, several events like 'Run for Unity', cultural programs, and pledge ceremonies take place to mark the celebrations.
Patel's own words capture the ethos of India being a diverse country yet being one in heart and spirit: "My only desire is that India should be a good producer and no one should be hungry, shedding tears for food in the country."