Less than a week since Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated it on January 23, the hologram of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was switched off on January 28 and January 29 due to wind, according to government officials on Sunday.
While a drone show and projections lit up one end of the Central Vista at the Beating Retreat ceremony on January 29, the canopy near India Gate at the other end was dark. Mr. Modi had inaugurated the hologram of Netaji Bose at the canopy on the freedom fighter’s birth anniversary, which marked the start of Republic Day celebrations that ended with the Beating Retreat ceremony.
A Culture Ministry official said the wind had knocked down the equipment projecting the hologram in the canopy, leading to a temporary disruption. Another Ministry official explained that strong winds had led the stand to fall down on January 28, when it was repaired. The same happened on January 29 and the equipment was repaired again. Both officials termed the repairs minor and said the hologram was working on Sunday evening.
NDTV journalist Gargi Rawat who had visited India Gate during the Beating Retreat ceremony tweeted photos of the canopy without the hologram on January 29.
While inaugurating the hologram, Mr. Modi had said it would remain in place till a granite statue of Netaji Bose was installed at the site. According to Culture Ministry officials, the statue of Netaji would be sculpted by a team of the National Gallery of Modern Art, Delhi.
The canopy had remained empty since 1968 when a statue of King George V was removed from it. After the 1971 war, the Amar Jawan Jyoti or eternal flame had burned in front of the canopy in remembrance of those killed in the line of duty. The flame was removed from the site on January 21. The government said it was merged with the flame at the National War Memorial.
