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Bhubaneswar, Nov 28: The news that President Pranab Mukherjee would not be unveiling a statue based on women empowerment near RD Women’s College Sunday due to security concerns has failed to dampen the enthusiasm of the students, who say just the President’s presence at their college would mean an experience of a lifetime for them.
The seven feet tall statue, of three women in an Odissi formation holding a globe aloft, was sculpted by Raghunath Mohapatra and was to be unveiled by the President during his visit to RD College. It was also proposed by the college that the President would inaugurate a brand new convention hall with a 1,000 seating capacity. However, the inaugural of the convention hall was dropped owing to security concerns and only the statue was meant to be unveiled.
“We respect the decision though the final schedule is still being revised. The President’s convoy cannot halt to inaugurate the statue before heading to the stage to attend the programme as it poses a security risk,” said college principal Chitrangada Samanta Singhar.
The statue will be placed near the existing statue of Rama Devi near Gate 2 of the college.
“The mere presence of the President gracing a college is in itself a celebration for us. The final decision of the day’s schedule will be arriving Saturday. We have proposed the inauguration of the statue in the final itinerary, the final decision of which will be arriving Saturday,” said Swosti Priya Das Nayak, president of the student’s union of the college.
“Even though we had big dreams of conducting an array of activities in the presence of the President, we now realise the huge security scenario surrounding him. I will be performing Odissi dance and thinking that I’d be presenting it in front of the President gives me goose bumps,” quipped another student Ipsita Sahoo, ex-president of the student’s union.
An array of cultural programmes like Odissi and folk dances and an exhibition based on Rama Devi will be featured in the golden jubilee celebrations.