Bapu statue spectacles go missing, jugaad saves day

The stage was set for Gandhi Jayanti celebrations on the Company Bagh premises by the Municipal Corporation authorities on Wednesday when it was discovered that Mahatma Gandhi’s spectacles were missing from his statue.

However, before the arrival of politicians for the routine garlanding of the statue, a pair of spectacles was hurriedly arranged by officials.

To everyone’s dismay, the new spectacles did not match the iconic glasses associated with Gandhiji. The new spectacles have a golden metal frame. The Father of the Nation used to wear a black plastic round frame.

Asked about the faux pas, the Assistant Commissioner, MC, Rajesh Khokhar, said, “I am unaware that the spectacles went missing and were replaced with new ones. I will have to enquire about it from the Superintending Engineer.”

Unlike Gandhi’s statue in Amritsar where it is in a safe glass cover, the one at Company Bagh in Jalandhar is an open statue and hence prone to mischievous elements. Officials said Gandhiji’s spectacles could have been stolen.

Several other senior functionaries of the MC said they remained busy with the arrangements for a mega show which was held on the premises.

A series of events, including nukkad natak, speeches, cultural show and rangoli competitions, was held to mark the occasion. Rangoli patterns depicted Gandhiji’s march, use of charkha, promotion of khadi, etc. Deputy Commissioner Dr Himanshu Aggarwal was the chief guest.

The politicians, who attended the event, said even the paint on the statue had not been nicely done and it was all patchy with the lower cement surface showing through the paint.

Likewise, the statue of Lal Bahadur Shastri, whose birth anniversary also falls the same day, was also garlanded at Shastri Chowk in Jalandhar. This statue too had a patchy paint on it. Various leaders, including ex-minister Manoranjan Kalia from the BJP and Rajinder Beri, District Congress Committee chief, were among those present.

Metal frame in place of round plastic one

• To everyone’s dismay, the new spectacles did not match the iconic glasses associated with Mahatma Gandhi
• The new spectacles have a golden metal frame
• The Father of the Nation used to wear a black plastic round frame