India's first sea bridge, the Bandra-Worli Sea-Link in Mumbai, described as a marvel of engineering, was inaugurated on 30 June 2009 by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. The 4.8-kilometre long, eight-lane bridge, constructed at a cost of Rs.1634 crores, took a little less than five years to be completed since work commenced in October 2004.

At the official inaugural function at the Rang Sharda Auditorium, Worli, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar proposed that the new bridge be named after former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. In justification, Pawar quoted Rajiv Gandhi's contribution to the development of information technology in the country and added "Rajiv Gandhi was born in Mumbai, he was a son of the soil and it will be appropriate that the bridge be named after him". Maharashtra Chief minister Ashok Chavan readily accepted Pawar's proposal. Sonia Gandhi duly thanked Pawar and Chavan for the gesture honouring her late husband.

Opposition by Shiv Sena

This drew instant criticism from Shiv Sena MP Bharat Raut, who claimed that the bridge should have been named after consulting all political parties. Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackeray pointed out that when the foundation stone of the project had been laid by Balasaheb Thackeray while the Sena-BJP government was in power, it had been decided that the bridge would be named after VD Savarkar.  If Savarkar was not acceptable (to the present government), the bridge could have been named after some other social reformer like Jyotirao Phule or Babasaheb Ambedkar.

Principles followed in naming public facilities

Apparently there are no well established norms to be followed by government authorities in naming facilities, structures, institutions, projects, created from public funds, and it remains the prerogative of the government in power to give whatever name it considers appropriate to any facility or scheme launched/commissioned by it. It is also a fact that in choosing a name for a prestigious project, political parties are usually guided by considerations of electoral benefits for themselves. There could be and in fact there have been exceptions to the rule, but such cases are few and far between.

In this context, one may recall a joke popular during the cold war era. The government of a totalitarian state once decided to erect a memorial to the country's most outstanding poet. A nationwide competition was held for designs and the best design for the memorial was selected. When the memorial was finally unveiled amid due fanfare, it was found to be the latest statue of Big Brother reading one of the poet's books!!!

We are a liberal democracy, but we are also a nation of hero worshippers. Now that our media has become so powerful, it is easy to install any leader having media backing on a high pedestal. And once a person is so installed, we generally dislike subjecting him (or her) to critical examination to determine the leader's true merit as an object of veneration.

The desire to create permanent reminders of the greatness of chosen icons for the benefit of present and future generations is shared by most Indian political parties. UP Chief Minister Mayawati has left the competition far behind by embarking upon multiple and costly projects funded by the state exchequer, for getting statues of the trinity of Scheduled Caste Messiahs - Ambedkar, Kanshi Ram, and herself (not necessarily in descending order of prominence) - sculpted and installed in prominent public places.

The monuments are plainly and unabashedly meant to remind the public of the contributions made by these leaders in empowering the Scheduled Castes. Public gain by way of beautification of parks, intersections of roads, or other prominent public places, is only incidental. Apparently the UP government is convinced that the message conveyed by the monuments is justification enough for the expenditure of public funds incurred.

Last update : 11-09-2009 00:56

Keywords : Yet Another Memorial to The Great, Jai Prakash Sharma

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