MC to repair platform under statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh at Ram Bagh

Charanjit Singh Teja
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, August 2
A grand statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, made by renowned sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar, stands tall at the Ram Bagh. The statue has finally caught attention of the municipal corporation (MC) authorities. The MC has decided to reconstruct walls around the platform on which statue is placed. However, the damage to the statue seems unrepairable.
Someone had damaged the spear held in the right hand of the Maharaja while trying to climb on the horse on which the founder of Sikh empire sits. The authorities concerned were unaware about the damage to the statue.
Before the Lok Sabha elections, Member of Parliament Gurjeet Singh Aujla had visited Ram Bagh and raised concerns over damaged platform on which the statue is placed, broken tiles and growth of weed and grass in the garden. However, after winning the Lok Sabha poll, Aujla didn’t make any efforts to restore the glory of the statue.
Kuljit Singh Malanwali, president, Maharaja Ranjit Singh Virasat Manch, said, “I recently noticed that the spear held in the right hand of Maharaja has been damaged. It is not an ordinary statue as it has been made with metal. Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s statue was made for for replacing Queen Victoria’s statue at Malika Butt Chowk near Darbar Sahib in late 70s. Due to some political issue, the statue was later placed in an ignored corner of the Ram Bagh. Art lovers appreciate the work of sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar, but the authorities never pay attention to upkeep of the heritage”. The activist demanded that the authorities should immediately consult the sculptor for repairing the statue.
MC Commissioner Harpreet Singh said, “We are reconstructing the walls of the platform on which the statue has been placed. These walls were damaged in due course of time. Funds have been arranged and the repair work would start soon.”
Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or Sarkar, was the first native Punjabi who ruled over the land of five rivers. Because of a rare geo-strategic vision, he ruled from the Sutlej river to Kabul-Kandahar, Kashmir and Ladakh regions. He had an association with the holy city. During his stay at Lahore, Maharaja often visited the Golden Temple. He built a summer palace for his long stay here.