New Delhi:
The bust of Edwin Lutyens, which was removed from the central courtyard of Rashtrapati Bhavan, is set to find a new address at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum, which houses several colonial-era artefacts.
The bronze bust of the British architect Lutyens, who designed some of New Delhi’s most iconic buildings including the Rashtrapati Bhavan, was removed last week from the central courtyard and replaced with a bust of Rajagopalachari, the last and only Indian governor-general of India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the installation of the new statue as a proud moment for the people of India and supported the decision to remove the colonial-era artifacts.
“Replacing colonial-era paintings and artefacts with works rooted in Indian artistic traditions is a noteworthy step. Sovereignty is not only important in political and economic spheres, but it is also important in cultural spaces. This ensures that when citizens walk through these halls, they see their art, creativity and cultural imagination celebrated in Rashtrapati Bhavan,” Modi said in a written message on the occasion.
According to staff familiar with the development, the bust has been placed “at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum” where it will be displayed alongside other artefacts including statues of King George V and Queen Mary, a moon rock and an antique car used by presidents in the early years of independent India. The museum was established during Pranab Mukherjee’s tenure as president.
Matt Ridley, a British biologist and Lutyens’ grandson, criticized the move to remove the statue. “I understand India’s desire to remove colonial statues, but he was an architect, not a viceroy,” he said.
However, Congressman Shashi Tharoor, author of The Dark Age: The British Empire in India, applauded the decision to install the Rajaji statue. “I am really happy to see Rajaji honored with a statue at Rashtrapati Bhavan. He was the first Indian to occupy this statue as the only Indian Governor-General of India, before we became a republic and he ceded his seat to the new president.” “I have long admired his convictions and was a staunch supporter of his Swatantra Party in my student days. His set of values and principles – liberal economics and support for free enterprise, combined with social justice; a strong grounding in Indian civilization and religious faith but without an ounce of communal fanaticism; and a strong belief in the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, including keeping government out of our kitchens, bedrooms and libraries – remains mine to this day. It is sad that he has no Only a very few follow him,” Tharoor added today.
By developing new buildings, renaming old ones, or both, the Narendra Modi government has sought to do away with the country’s colonial legacy. The upper echelons of government no longer occupied the North Block and South Block while the new Parliament House was opened in 2023 (the old building, a hallmark of Lutyens’ architecture, was redesigned as Samvidhan Sadan), and across the country, the official residence of the rulers, called Raj Bhavans, was renamed Lok Bhavans.
