Royal statue anchors in `controversial' spot By Our Special Correspondent JAIPUR, MARCH 30. Against all odds, the former Queen Mother of Jaipur, Rajmata Gayatri Devi, has managed to get installed a statue of her late husband and former ruler, Sawai Man Singh II, in the middle of the prestigious Ram Niwas Garden here in the State capital. The 13-foot-tall statue of the former ruler and polo player, astride a horse, was unveiled by the Rajasthan Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje, on the concluding day today of week-long celebrations in connection with Rajasthan Diwas. The occasion saw the presence of a good number of rulers of the former States of Rajputana which merged in a phased manner to form the present Rajasthan. They included the son of the late Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II, Bhawani Singh, who had inherited him as king, the former ruler of Jodhpur, Gaj Singh, the former Mahrawal of Kota, Brajraj Singh and Raghuveer Singh, former king of Sirohi. The "panchloha''(made out of five metals) statue of the former king in army uniform--as he had fought in the World War II-- had been languishing for over four years in the sculptor's godown, before the present Chief Minister, herself from a former royal family, took up the cause sympathetically. Gayatri Devi herself and the Rajput Mahasabha, have borne the expenses which went into the making of the Rs.15 lakh statue which weighs a tonne. Of late Ms.Gayatri Devi has been expressing her anguish over the damage being caused to the beauty of the historic Pink City. The previous Congress Government in the State had remained indifferent to the pleas of Ms.Gayatri Devi, for choosing an appropriate spot for the installation of the statue. A major controversy was over the spot for the statue as the Rajput community and the "king loyalists'' went around scouting for a place for the former ruler, also the first Rajpramukh of Rajasthan, to take repose. In fact Ms.Gayatri Devi had approached even Dijvijay Singh, the then Chief Minister of the neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, to persuade his counterpart in Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot, to allow the statue to find a place it "deserved''. Mr.Gehlot reportedly had taken a stand that in a democratic country there was no need to "idolize'' any former ruler. Mr.Gehlot's predecessor and now Vice President, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat too was not very warm to the idea of the statue. Mr.Shekhawat was conspicuously not invited for the ceremony though he is in the State capital. The statue had gone abegging for a place as locations suggested for its installation ranged from the main entrance of the Sawai Man Singh Stadium, also named after the former ruler, and the Sanganer airport. Going by the spots previously debated upon the Ram Niwas Garden, which also houses the more than a century old monument, Albert Hall, is a prized location. "The State Government and the Jaipur Development Authority have done a disservice to the this great city by installing the statue in the middle of the Ram Niwas Garden, blocking the view of the historic Albert Hall,'' observed, Vimal Choudhary, senior advocate. "The Government of India rules do not permit installation of any structure within 300 metres of a protected monument like Albert Hall, which is 118 years old,'' he pointed out. "There is a case pending in the Rajasthan High Court on the use of the Ram Niwas Garden. The authorities have not taken the permission of the High Court for the installation of the statue,'' Mr.Choudhary alleged. In fact after a public interest writ filed by Ramchandra Kasliwal, the court of Justice Vinod Shanker Dave(now retired) had ordered the closure of the thoroughfare in the park and had sought strict norms to conserve the Park and the monument. Perhaps all is well that ends well. "It is a dream accomplished,'' the frail, octogenarian Ms.Gayatri Devi, her charm and radiance more or less intact, said in her brief address. She thanked everyone who helped her with the mission, especially the Chief Minister who showed "lot of sensitivity'' __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com