The Indian American

NEW DELHI t is four times taller than the Statue of Liberty. So big, in fact, that it will give India bragging rights to the world's tallest statue - a near- ly 600-foot creation that says as much about India's global aspirations as it does about the political ego of its leader. It may seem like a natural choice for an outsize tribute. India's new Statue of Unity, to be formally unveiled Wednesday, depicts Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, an inde- pendence-era leader credited with uniting the fledgling nation in the 1940s when he served as India's first home minister. But the homage to Patel has far deeper symbolism. Patel, known as India's "Iron Man," has become a right- wing icon for Hindu national- ists. And the statue's location, in the western state of Gujarat, has been the site of some of the fiercest clashes between Hindus and Muslims in past decades. Four times as big as the Statue of Liberty, India's new monument to its 'Iron Man' By Vidhi Doshi I 36 THE INDIAN AMERICAN OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2018 General view of the “Statue of Unity” portraying Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, one of the founding fathers of India, during its inauguration in Kevadiya, in Gujarat, India, October 31, 2018. Photo: Twitter/ @narendramodi India