Restored glory

The statue of the Rani of Jhansi on Jangli Maharaj road is now under beautification by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).
Work on the statue situated on a traffic island near the Balgandharva Rangmandir, started on June 17. the 164th death anniversary of the Rani of Jhansi, The PMC hopes not to disturb the three trees that surround it.
The original statue was formally inaugurated on June 18, 1958 by the then president of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad.Earlier, on August 16, 1957, the Bombay Providential chief minister YB Chavan laid the foundation stone of the memorial.
Interestingly, the local Karade Brahman Sangh (KBS) initiated the project in the PMC and also donated Rs 11,000 for the purpose. The state government had contributed Rs 10,000 and the central government had dolled out Rs 20,000.
The 14-foot high bronze statue of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi on the horse was mounted on a 16-foot high construction made of red Rajasthani rocks. The raised sword of the queen as she escaped the clutches of the British soldiers at Jhansi fort during the war of independence in 1857-58 is a tribute to her aggressive, nationalistic spirit.
KBS president Dr Kamalakar Shrikhande tells us that the statue was sculpted by Nanabhai and Bhagwantrao Goregaonkar in Mumbai on the basis of a sketch by another sculptor, PP Karmarkar. “The statue came a day late as it was stuck in the Lonavala tunnels because it had to be carried through in an open bogie, it was so tall,� he recalls.
Another KBC office-bearer and former principal of Wadia College, Prof Vasant Nulkar also remembers that the idea was initiated by an editor, VB Bhopatkar, and put forward to the president through the connection of the then Shri Lankan ambassador Loknayak Bapuji Aane. “Rs one lakh was raised for the entire project by the KBC members including Dr Krishna Nulkar, Baba Phadnis, the late Manutai Talvalkar and Sudhatai Bhopatkar,� he says. Prathibha Ranade, renowned Marathi writer, who is writing the biography of the queen, says that the Rani of Jhansi had no direct connection with Pune. She was, however, a favourite of Bajirao II and rumours were rife he was planning to adopt her, Ranade adds.
Beautification for the statue will be carried out by Kumar Properties by July 5. Architect and landscape designer Shobha Bhopatkar has worked out a landscape plan.
“We are trying to enhance the impact of the forceful statue in a more aesthetic way,� say Bhopatkar and her partner, Mahesh Nampurkar. The project includes black and white sandstone, a small garden of flowers. Special lamps will highlight the statue at night. Near the statue, a black marble stone engraving will outline a brief history of the queen in golden letters.
Rajas Jain, director of Kumar Properties, sheds some more light on the project. There will be a special lacquer coat on the monument to enable it to withstand all kinds of weather. “This BOT project is nothing but our social binding with this historic city.� The place will be formally inaugurated in a couple of months and maintained by Kumar Properties in the future too.