Gandhi statue approved in Manchester
A 9ft statue of Mahatma Gandhi will be unveiled outside Manchester Cathedral on 25 November after receiving planning permission from the city council.
The statue, designed by Indian artist Ram V Sutar, will be revealed on in November marking the 150th anniversary of Gandhi’s birth, and has been brought forward by the Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur, a worldwide spiritual movement headquartered in India.
The costs of the statue have been sponsored by the Kamani family, owners of Boohoo, in memory of their grandfather Bhanji Khanji Kamani. The project has also been supported by Manchester Cathedral, the council, and the High Commission of India.
Turley advised on the planning process for the statue. This statue will be the first in a series of public realm improvements in what has been dubbed the Medieval Quarter. It is set to be positioned on the right-hand side of the cathedral in Cathedral Yard, adjacent to Victoria Street and Cathedral Approach.
Gandhi came to the UK in 1931 and visited textile mills in Lancashire to meet with mill workers to explain the Indian perspective on the boycott of British goods.
The statue was approved under delegated powers with no objections.
Manthan Taswala, head of rublic relations, SRMD UK, said: “We are delighted to have received planning approval from Manchester City Council. Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings remain as potent today as when he first said, ‘be the change that you want to see in the world.’”
“Following the 2017 Arena attack, Manchester’s unique civic pride displayed the values of non-violence and compassion. We are inspired by the people of Manchester for their strength, decency and community in the face of this unparalleled tragedy.
“The statue of Gandhi will celebrate the universal power of his message. A statue in Manchester will ensure that the heart of our politics and democracy can all be blessed with his ethos.”
Most people don’t even realise that Gandhi was mancunian
By Dan
I mean where do we even start with this one?
By MrWhite
Who’s the next statute we can have so Manchester can claim it’s rightful place as capital of the world., even if it’s not ours we’ll say it is …
By Terry Butcher
Well done Manchester! An inspiration to us all particularly in these troubled times.
By KC
Is Manchester a PLACE without identity?: multi-cultural, multi-values, multi-morals of multiplying communities with confused identities — mancunians are citizens of everywhere, and citizens of nowhere. Mancunians born in Manchester search for an Irish, Pakistani, Indian, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, homosexual identity — because Manchester, once a true Lancashire town,no longer lends them identity. See photo of statue above. I rest my case.
By James Yates
This statue is the wrong man in the wrong city. He was a hypocrite who NEVER visited Manchester. Much better people to honour than this man.
By Desperate Dan
James you need to get out more.
By Anonymous
Sums up modern Manchester. James Yates is spot on. Pathetic and depressing; Manchester doesn’t know what it wants to be
By Generic
my grandparents, aunties and uncles all lived in Manchester before leaving for North Wales in 2002, to them Manchester isn’t Manchester anymore
By James
“once a true lancashire town” “pathetic and depressing” “Manchester isn’t Manchester anymore”. What is with the comments on this story haha.
By Anonymous
“once a true lancashire town”. It was, before the industrial revolution, when it became 15% Irish, and a significant chunk Jewish. Then add in a number of Scottish, Italian and Chinese, along with a good few Germans. So unless your grandparents, aunties and uncles are all over 200 years old I’m not sure what kind of Manchester they remember. But i think, reading between the lines, we know what you, and they, are referring to. Which probably explains why this statue angers you so much….
By Loganberry
One of the greatest of all modern world leading figures.
But what is the connection to Manchester?
Or is this just a shameless marketing ploy by the city council.
By Confused
No doubt their will be a plaque that states “sponsored by Boohoo / Kamani family”.
By Cynic
True Mancunions should protest against this statue because of Indian Terrorist governments treatment of habitants of Jammu Kashmir.Humanity should come before statues.
By Devaji
We haven’t got one of Pat Phoenix yet. Who next?
By Elephant
I would have thought David Silva is more befitting than Ghandi, as much as we like the latter.
By NT
A statue of Gaundhi in Manchester does seem a bit strange however as it has upset a number of bigots posting comments on this page I am all for it now.
By Anonymous
Shocked at all the racist comments on here. I thought this was Place North West not the Daily Mail.
By urbanista
I have been waiting – in vain it seems – for for some moderation of these clearly racist comments from the Editors……..come on PNW much of what has been said in relation to this post (particularly from James Yates) is totally unacceptable in 2019…..show some direction here. This used to be an informative professional website…..don’t let it descend to anything else.
By 5373
Don’t be jel of the Mancunian identity that stretches far and wide, it will only make you bitter. Just embrace it!
It’s the reason why the city is so successful and other cities like my hometown aren’t.
By Dingaling