Mahatma lost in the crowd

Mahatma lost in the crowd

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Vijayawada/article3390207.ece

The Hindu

By RAMESH SUSARLA

The Gandhi Bomma Centre in Nandigama does not have only a single statue of Mahatma Gandhi, but the inter-junction of several roads houses 12 statues State and national leaders. Photo: Raju.V

Mahatma Gandhi's statue has been dwarfed at Gandhi Bomma Centre here with statues of various leaders overshadowing it. Gandhiji's statue has got pushed to an insignificant corner following change in the shape of the traffic island. Giving him company at the park are statues of Indira Gandhi, K. Lakshmana Rao, Babu Jagjeevan Ram, N.T. Rama Rao, Mahatma Jyothirao Phule, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, B.R. Ambedkar, Rajiv Gandhi, Devineni Venkata Ramana, and Bhagat Singh.

At the heart of the town, Gandhi Bomma Centre is the hub of all commercial activity. Any kind of political activity to draw the attention of the people takes place here ranging from a dharna by school students to forming human chains.

Providing them with inspiration are the words written on top of the tallest pillar on the traffic island. On all sides of the pillar are ‘Gandhi Sooktulu' (Gandhiji's sayings) making the younger generation aware of Gandhian thoughts and principles. These saying are also hardly visible from a distance as Congress colours dominate the script.

The Gandhi statue which used to be the centre of a four-road traffic inter-section has now come to one corner and a large traffic island has been created. Palatial buildings in multi-colour exteriors housing several commercial establishments have come up dominating the statues. The tallest statue now is double the height of Gandhiji's. Proper maintenance of the park is also lacking, laments a shopkeeper and hopes that the new Municipality would take proper steps to relocate the statue of Mahatma Gandhi to the centre of the traffic island or replace it with a bigger one. The water tap at the centre of the park is used for collecting drinking water spoiling the beauty of the park and lack of proper equipment and sufficient water supply, it is not being maintained properly, says the person watering the plants.