That imperious lady

That imperious lady

The Hindu

SHE WOULD BE AMUSED The Queen Victoria statue at Cubbon Park was unveiled on February 5, 1906

Today, the Queen Victoria Statue in Cubbon Park turns 100. It faces the western side of St. Mark's Cathedral and is at the South-east entrance of Cubbon Park. Sculpted by Sir Thomas Brock, it is a white marble replica of the one at Worchester. The 11-foot sculpture, encircled by ornamental railings, was unveiled on February 5, 1906, by the then Prince of Wales, George Frederick Ernest Albert.

Rani Abbakka

Suryanath Kamath, historian, sees a mild symbolism in the statue's presence in the city. He believes the statue could be a context to rename a road in another queen's name. "I am not saying the statue has to be removed or replaced. But probably Queen's Road could be changed to Rani Abbakka Road. Wasn't Rani Abbakka a great queen herself?"

Dr. Kamath recalls Rani Abbakka defeating a world power — the Portuguese — as far back as 1618. "Can you imagine the Italian traveller Pietro Della Valle met Rani Abbakka just five years after her victory?" Apparently he did so on the request of the Baghdad Shah who was impressed by her prowess.

Dr. Kamath however points out that the statue constitutes an aesthetic element of the city. "It is a beautiful statue. It is a beautiful park. And people have always loved to come to the place. It is a landmark everyone likes."

Historian Ramachandra Guha is pragmatic and positive about the centenary occasion. "The statue has been part of Bangalore's history for so long. The mature citizenry here understands and accepts it as part and product of history. They also understand it is an important landmark."

He doesn't also see the need to think of the statue as a colonial symbol. "After all, we have been independent for almost 60 years. Why worry about it now?"

He does acknowledge that the statue has been at times a political symbol, but points out that the city is pretty cool about it. "If at all it gets to be seen in political terms, you undo a lot of things. Where will it all end? We should not attach too much significance to the issue. We could just look at it as an important landmark in the city. I think we should even celebrate the 100 years. It has been so much part of our life."

Residents of the city who have seen Cubbon Park almost every day because they worked in the Cantonment attach an aesthetic and nostalgic significance to the statue, seeing it as reflective of a lost lifestyle and culture. Prasad G.K.N. who would work in the Oriental buildings on St. Marks Road through the '60s to the '80s, says: "Every time we passed the statue, it felt like an England we would never see. We would feel part of an English culture we yearned to imitate. There were lot of Anglo-Indians and Anglo-Indian garages and there was the Bible Society from where you came to the statue directly. The statue fitted in nicely in this culture."

Demolished cenotaph

While he doesn't recall anybody protesting or trying to deface the statue, he points out that another symbol of British rule very close by suffered that fate. The cenotaph in front of the Corporation, a victory monument with a waterfall, built in 1800 or so, was demolished in the '60s. "It is not very clear why it was demolished."

However, the 1950s saw protests led by the Socialists who believed "foreign statues" were not appropriate in a new, independent country.

Mr. Nagaraj H.S., who also worked in the Oriental Buildings, says people now don't have the time to appreciate the statue. The statue doesn't look as glorious as before. "People gaze at it without knowing its history." Youngsters come to play in the park and at best take a casual look at the statue. Parents are more bothered about entertainment for children. And then there is a generation that doesn't really worry about history.