On July 11, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the National Emblem cast on the roof of the New Parliament Building. The majestic 6.5 meters tall cast of the National Emblem is made of bronze and weighs around 9,500 KG. Located on the top of the Central Foyer of the New Parliament Building, the statue has a supporting structure that weighs around 6,500 KG.
This morning, I had the honour of unveiling the National Emblem cast on the roof of the new Parliament. pic.twitter.com/T49dOLRRg1
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 11, 2022
As per the official statement, the concept sketch and process of casting the National Emblem went through eight different stages of preparation, from clay modelling and computer graphics to bronze casting and polishing.
Congressis and ‘Liberals’ find issues with of the ‘roar,’ ‘canine teeth,’ and ‘angry face’
As soon as the reports of the unveiling of the cast were made on social media, the usual suspects saw a great opportunity to criticize the cast for unrealistic reasons. Aandolanjeevi and Advocate Prashant Bhushan said the lion’s faces on the emblem had been changed from peaceful to angry. He said, “From Gandhi to Godse; From our national emblem with lions sitting majestically & peacefully; to the new national emblem unveiled for the top of the new Parliament building under construction at Central Vista; Angry lions with bared fangs. This is Modi’s new India!”
Congress leader Srinivas BV also pointed out the alleged change as if he is not aware that lions possess teeth and they do roar. He published two photographs of National Emblem where the lions were ‘not roarring’ in the first one but roaring in the second. He said, “What has been changed in the country since 1950 is visible in seeing old and new Ashoka Stambha.”
Actor and alleged activist Mona Ambegaonkar declared, “Changing the National Emblem is Treason.”
Congress worker Sanjay Bafna said, “Modi, It’s for you. Lion of Ashoka Pillar is not dreadful; it is calm… The new Parliament building Lion is furious… This is an insult to the Constitution and the national emblem.”
The National Emblem
The National Emblem is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of King Ashoka at Sarnath. The original Ashoka Stambha has four lions mounted back to back on a circular abacus. It rests on a bell-shaped lotus. It contains sculptures of an elephant, a horse, a bull, and a lion separated by Dharma Chakras. You can only see three lions mounted on the abacus with a Dharma Chakra in the centre, a bull on the right, and a horse on the left.
This profile of the Lion Capital was adopted as the National Emblem of India on January 26, 1950. The bell-shaped lotus was omitted from the Ashok Stambha in the official adaptation as National Emblem. It also contains the motto Satyameva Jayate written in Devanagari script below the profile of the Lion Capital, which means ‘Truth Alone Triumphs.’
Why are liberals wrong?
The liberals are claiming that the Government of India has ‘changed’ the National Emblem and made it look angry and furious with visible’ fangs’. They also published photographs of a National Emblem statue that has a ‘calmer’ face and no teeth visible. However, when we see the original Lion Capital from Sarnath that was made over 2,300 years ago, it is notable that the mouths of the lions are open, and the teeth are clearly visible.
So if the real Ashok Stambha or the Lion Capital is very much similar to the cast of the National Emblem unveiled by PM Modi, how are liberals claiming that the National Emblem has ‘calmer-looking’ lions that too with images? The photograph they are sharing is of the National Emblem from the top of the Vidhan Sabha building in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
The National Emblem statue of Vishan Sabha, Bengaluru, is very much different from the Lion Capital that was adapted as National Emblem in 1950. The real National Emblem has lions with open mouths, and teeth are clearly visible, which is not the case with the Bengaluru Vidhan Sabha building’s National Emblem.
Lions are fierce, they have teeth and they roar, whether you or I like it or not
The liberals are complaining that the lions of the National Emblem cast on the new parliament building look fierce. Also, they are “shocked” to see “fangs” visible in the photographs. First of all, the lion is a carnivorous animal. It is fierce and aggressive when it needs to be. You cannot expect it to be ‘calm’ just because you are scared of the majestic roar. Secondly, it is a huge cast. Prime Minister Modi is hardly as tall as the base of the emblem, and the photograph was clicked from a lower angle, making the open mouth and teeth more prominent.
If you stand under a lion with an open mouth and click its photograph, you are going to see the teeth. You cannot expect it not to scare you with its roar or aggressive looks. If you click the same lion from the front when it is looking down, the teeth will not be visible. It is just the perspective of the camera that you were able to see and focus on the teeth.
Lions do need their teeth, they need to hunt. It is the normal, natural state of a lion to possess long sharp teeth and roar. It is absolutely moronic to pretend that lions need to be toothless to appear ‘calm’ because some ‘liberal’ sensibilities get hurt by the sight of a roaring lion.
Liberals and their hate for the Central Vista project
The liberals have spoken against the Central Vista project in length. They have tried to halt the construction, and they tried to do it “legally” using the judiciary, but they failed miserably. The main parliament building will be complete soon. The other buildings that will house the offices of the ministries are also being constructed, which will save hundreds of crores in rent every year. Instead of lauding the idea of saving public money, they are consistently trying to find faults in the project.
