Big B to attend unveiling of Gandhi statue in London

Mumbai, March 12 (IANS) Megastar Amitabh Bachchan will attend an event in London, where a statue of late Indian icon Mahatma Gandhi, known for his non-violence movement against British rule, will be unveiled at Parliament Square.

“We are delighted that @SrBachchan will read at the unveiling of the #GandhiStatue on Saturday,” DCMS-British Department for Culture, Media and Sport, tweeted.

Amitabh retweeted the message for his followers on the social media platform.

The bronze statue of Gandhi will be unveiled as the focal point for the commemoration this summer of the 100th anniversary of Gandhi's return to India from South Africa, to start the struggle for self-rule.

British sculptor Philip Jackson was chosen to create the statue, having previously created statues of the Queen Mother and Bomber Command. He started work on the statue in July 2014, according to www.gov.uk.

Gandhi's statue took six to seven months of intensive work.

The bronze statue will be unveiled by Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

The ceremony will feature live music and personal reflections from Gandhi’s grandson, and former governor of West Bengal Gopalkrishna Gandhi.

The unveiling ceremony of the statue will be open to all.