Why a life-size Gandhi statue is moving to one of NC’s largest Indian-American communities
A bronze-nickel statue of Indian independence leader Mohandas Gandhi that sailed from India to the U.S. almost two decades ago is on the move again.
From its initial arrival in Norfolk, Virginia, the statue made its way to the Exploris Museum in downtown Raleigh, now the Marbles Kids Museum. On Monday, it will move to Morrisville, home to one of North Carolina’s largest Indian-American communities.
The life-size statue depicts Gandhi, known as Mahatma, meaning holy one or sage, holding a walking stick, wearing glasses, sandals, a loincloth and shawl. It weighs 5 tons, including its base.
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world,” a plaque reads, quoting the man often called the “father of the nation” in India.
The statue was created by Ram Sutar, according to UNC Chapel Hill Libraries. The Indian sculptor designed the world’s tallest sculpture, the Statue of Unity depicting Indian freedom fighter Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who was inspired by Gandhi.
Cary resident Arvind Shah, the former president of Indian American Forum for Political Education’s North Carolina chapter, helped bring the Gandhi statue to the U.S. in 2006.
“The statue represents the belief of Indian communities in nonviolence,” said Shah, who used to live in Morrisville. “The whole world is one family. The only way we can become a family is by nonviolence.”
The statue will move to Church Street Park in Morrisville on Monday, said Meghan Fitzgerald, vice president of sales and marketing at Marbles Museum.
The move takes place less than a week after India’s independence day and follows two years of dialogue between Morrisville’s Indian-American community, town council and the Marbles Museum.
How the statue arrived in Raleigh
Shaw got the idea for a local Gandhi statue after attending a Martin Luther King Jr. birthday event in 2005 and hearing about plans for a Raleigh monument honoring the American civil rights leader.
“I thought it would be a good idea to put a statue in part of their park,” he said. “A Gandhi statue.”
The Indian American Forum for Political Education eventually raised $110,000 for the statue, which was sculpted in Noida, near India’s capital of New Delhi. It arrived in the U.S. in 2006, and a dedication took place in Raleigh in 2007.
Since 2012, the statue has been the center of annual Gandhi Jayanti celebrations, which mark the independence leader’s Oct. 2 birthday, Shah said. Children sing Gandhi’s favorite songs, and guests place garlands on the statue’s neck.
The commemorations include a discussion Gandhi’s ideas and methods of nonviolent protest and how they’re reflected today.
“The children will come and say this [non-violence] can be implemented,” Shah said. “This is what Martin Luther King did. This is what [Nelson Mandela] did. It’s freedom without violence.”
Why the statue heads to Morrisville
While the Gandhi statue started off in Marbles’ main courtyard, expansions and construction over the years moved it to a less visible portion of the museum.
“It’s a legacy piece from the earlier iteration of Exploris,” museum CEO Jonathan Frederick said. “It’s a tie to our own history in addition to being a global interpretation of public art.”
Today, it stands by the Morgan Street entrance to the Marbles IMAX theater.
With Morrisville’s Indian American population growing, council member Steve Rao thought it was time for the statue to find a new home. About one-third of the town’s population is of Indian descent, according to the 2020 Census.
“Having the father of India statue here in Morrisville would be really appropriate,” Rao told The News & Observer.
Starting in February 2023, he asked his fellow council members to support moving the statue. They agreed, though not without discussion about costs, location and the town’s art policy.
“If we accept a statue for one person, what if someone else says, ‘Now I want my statue’?” council member Liz Johnson asked during a July 2023 meeting.
As a precursor to accepting the Gandhi statue, the council first passed a public art policy in May that lays out criteria for accepting or rejecting public art proposals.
The Gandhi statue will soon stand in the south lot at Church Street Park, which also houses Morrisville’s cricket fields. Hopefully, it can serve as a symbol of peaceful political change for the Indian-American and larger Triangle communities, Rao said.
“This move is going to enhance the cultural richness of Morrisville, which is a very diverse and growing population,” he said.
This story was originally published August 16, 2024 at 10:26 AM.
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