PUNE: Commuters on Prabhat road will get an opportunity to see a replica of Delhi’s Raj Ghat - memorial dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi - which has been constructed at the main gate of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) as part of celebration of Republic Day and Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary.
It has been conceptualised by the Department of Art Direction and Production Design. The black marble platform, which marks the spot of Gandhi’s cremation, a day after his assassination on January 30, 1948, has been replicated here.
“The Raj Ghat memorial bears the epitaph ‘He Ram’, the last words spoken by Mahatma Gandhi. The memorial was designed by Vanu Bhuta, and this national shrine was bestowed with several awards for its architectural design,” informed officials.
“In the year when the whole world celebrates Mahatma Gandhi’s sesquicentennial birth anniversary in 2019, FTII too has joined in. Earlier, on August 15, 2018, students had built a replica of Sabarmati Ashram and this time it’s Raj Ghat.
Through this, FTII pays tribute to the Mahatma and his timeless message of truth, non-violence, mutual respect and social justice,” said Bhupendra Kainthola, Director, FTII Pune, while opening the memorial to the public.
The monument will be on public display till February 28.
The setting up of Raj Ghat replica is in line with FTII’s biannual recreation of monuments of national importance in the campus to mark Republic Day and Independence Day.
It had earlier constructed monuments like Amritsar’s Jallianwala Bagh on Independence Day 2016; Andaman’s Cellular Jail on Republic Day 2017; Delhi’s India Gate War Memorial on Independence Day 2017, Kanyakumari’s Swami Vivekanad Rock Memorial on Republic Day 2018.
