Hours after several political leaders questioned the expressions of the four lions of the newly installed 9.5-tonne cast of the national emblem, its sculptor, Sunil Deore, said no one influenced its making.
Hours after Opposition leaders claimed that the Centre had insulted the national emblem by installing an aggressive and disproportionate likeness of the Lion Capital of Ashoka atop the new Parliament building in Delhi, the sculptor of the 9.5-tonne cast, Sunil Deore, said no one influenced its making.
“The cast is a replica of the sculpture at Sarnath. We studied the original sculpture before starting the project,” Deore said.
“We tried to keep in mind the exact proportions. The original structure is 3 to 3.5 feet high, but the new one is 21.3 feet tall,” he said.
Deore said there was a significant difference in the expression according to different angles, adding that the photos that were being widely shared on social media, were taken from below, and hence, the expressions looked aggressive and the mouth appeared bigger.
“I did not receive the contract directly from the government. I was given the contract by Tata Project Limited,” the sculptor said.
He said it took nine months for him to finish the project.
The artist said that the structure had to be completed in parts as it weighed almost 9,500 kg and the final touches were finished on the spot. The steel structure that would support the emblem weighs nearly 6,500 kg.
WHAT IS THE CONTROVERSY ABOUT?
Minutes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the bronze National Emblem cast on the roof of the new Parliament building on Monday, reactions started pouring in from the Opposition. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi accused PM Modi of violating all constitutional norms, saying that the national emblem should have been unveiled by the Lok Sabha speaker instead.
On Tuesday, other Opposition leaders, including TMC MPs Jawhar Sircar and Mahua Moitra and Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, attacked the Modi government over the expressions and proportions of the lions in the national emblem cast.
News Source : India Today
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