In fact, the Black Code Noir law made by Colbert in 1685 AD legalized slavery in the French colonies and along with it the cruel treatment meted out to them. Slavery is nothing but a curse in any modern society, but when protests started in France over Colbert’s statue, the matter became political and once again the conflict between the right wing and the left wing increased in the politics there.
The controversy over Colbert’s statue points to the controversies related to symbols and statues in French politics and its politics, which have been a part of France’s history for centuries. When the statues of old rulers were removed, they were destroyed on a large scale, every new comer erased the old glory and this trend gave birth to a French term ‘Statuemania’. This French word, recorded as a document in the political history of France, traveled to countries around the world, and some examples of this can be found in India as well.
First let us know what is ‘Statuemania’?
This word, derived from French politics, is used in politics when a large number of huge and grand statues are built and installed in the state. These are described as symbols of cultural pride and then the opposition criticizes them. Just like a coin has two sides, every personality also has two sides. A person can be the pride of a class or caste and it is natural for other classes to be hurt by this, statuemania describes this tug-of-war situation.
This word was a part of French politics
This is a similar period in Indian politics as happened in France about 120 years ago. At that time, more than 200 statues were made during 1870-1940. That is why the word statuemania is on people’s tongues and is also a part of politics there. However, later they moved out of this period.
Statuemania started with the statues in India
The entry of this word in Indian politics is not a new thing, rather there have been many examples of this in the last few decades of politics. The latest case is of the statue of Shivaji Maharaj. A huge statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji was installed in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra in December 2023, which was unveiled by PM Modi in a ceremony. The controversy about the statue is that it fell in August last year and then the opposition parties of the state (Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction, Congress, NCP)) grabbed the issue. They have accused the state and central government. At the same time, the opposition in the state is also running a ‘Shoot ko Sarkar’ movement.
Other than this Statuamania But if you notice carefully, the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Mayawati, who was the CM in the Mayawati government, and BSP founder Kanshiram have been examples of this. The statues of Adi Guru Shankaracharya, Ayodhya, Mihirbhoj have also been at the center of political battles, on which there have been fierce allegations between the ruling and opposition parties.
Statue of Unity: The world’s tallest statue (182 meters) is that of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, which has been named the Statue of Unity. It was built near the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Kevadia, Gujarat. It was built with the aim of promoting development and tourism, but there was a debate from Parliament to the streets on its cost and the need for its establishment. Sardar Patel is known as the Iron Man and he is known as the creator of Akhand Bharat after independence, who integrated 600 princely states and realized the dream of a Union Republic of India.
Sardar Patel’s statue and controversy
Many controversies arose regarding the statue. First the land acquisition controversy was in discussion, then the opposition parties called the huge expenditure (3000 crores) incurred in its construction unnecessary. It was said that the government had taken this land from the ancestors of the tribals living in Kevadia in the name of building a dam, but now it is being used commercially. Amidst these protests, the statue was unveiled and now it is also the main face of tourism in Gujarat.
Statue of former CM Mayawati and BSP founder Kanshi Ram
During the tenure of former Chief Minister Mayawati in Uttar Pradesh, many statues and memorials were built, including statues of Dalit leaders and Mayawati herself. This faced widespread criticism because a large amount of public money was spent on this. BSP supremo Mayawati built two big parks in Lucknow and Noida in Uttar Pradesh and installed statues of herself, Dalit leader Bhimrao Ambedkar, Kanshi Ram and the party’s election symbol elephant. All opposition parties strongly opposed this move of Mayawati.
There were allegations of building the statue at government expense
The construction of these statues at government expense was one of the many allegations made by the Samajwadi Party against the Mayawati government in the 2012 elections. A total of Rs 5,919 crore was spent on parks and statues in Lucknow, Noida and Greater Noida. 30 stone statues of BSP’s election symbol elephant and 22 bronze statues were installed at Dalit Prerna Sthal in Noida. Rs 685 crore was spent on this. A report also said that 5,634 employees were employed for the maintenance of these parks and statues.
Statue of Emperor Mihir Bhoj and controversy
In the year 2023, the statue of Emperor Mihir Bhoj was unveiled in Kaithal, Haryana, but a word written on this statue caused controversy and let the genie of ‘statuemania’ out of the bottle. Actually, the word Gurjar was also written on the statue. The Rajput community strongly objected to Emperor Mihir Bhoj being described as Gurjar and lodged a strong protest. Seeing the strong opposition of the Rajput community, the Gurjar community also came out in protest and big meetings of the society started taking place on both sides. The then CM of Haryana Manohar Lal had held a meeting with the people of Rajput and Gurjar community and tried to resolve the matter, but neither the Gurjar nor the Rajput Kshatriya community agreed. The matter reached the High Court and then on its order the word Gurjar has been hidden on the statue.
Statue of Adi Guru Shankaracharya
The 108 feet high statue of Jagatguru Adi Shankaracharya “Statue of Oneness” was unveiled in the Madhya Pradesh pilgrimage town of Omkareshwar in September 2023. This is the tallest statue of Adi Guru Shankaracharya in the whole world. Omkareshwar, the fourth Jyotirlinga of the country on the banks of Narmada, is the initiation place of Shankaracharya where he met his guru Govind Bhagwatpad and studied here for 4 years.
Ramanujacharya’s statue installed in Hyderabad
On 5 February 2022, the statue of saint and social reformer Ramanujacharya was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Hyderabad. The 216 feet high statue of Ramanuja has been named ‘Statue of Equality’. The 216 feet high statue is made of gold, silver, copper, brass and zinc, while the second statue has been installed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, which is made of 120 kg gold to commemorate the journey of 120 years of Ramanujacharya.
statue of shri ram
There is a plan to build a 251 meter high statue of Lord Ram in Ayodhya, which will become the world’s tallest statue after construction. It will have a 20 meter high chakra. The statue will stand on a 50 meter high base. Apart from this, the statue of Mahadev Shiva is being built in Rajasthan and Gautam Buddha in Bodh Gaya.
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