The Mahatma Gandhi statue at the India garden in Rockefeller Park was described as emotionally compelling by Steven Litt, the architecture critic of the Plain Dealer. Visitors to the garden tend to agree-- many have described being moved to tears. Recently, a visitor from out of town, an artist, told us how he was impressed by the energy that the statue conveys: the uphill walk on an unveven surface, the serene face, the long gait-- all adding up to a dynamic pose.
The impact of the statue is no accident. We were guided by advisors like Andy Chakalis who helped us work with the sculptor, Gautam Pal of Calcutta, India, and landscape architect Jim McKnight of Cleveland, who designed the granite pedestal, to get the most out of every aspect of the project. That means the nuts and bolts: the percentage of copper and lead, the shape of the rocky pedestal, the countours of the granite pedestal, the color of the granite, the text of the inscriptions, the size of the lettering, the depth of the engraving, and so on.
It also includes the annual maintenance of the statue-- the cleaning and waxing of the statue. The routine involves bathing the statue with a mild soap solution, rinsing and drying, followed by applying a thin coat of wax, and then removing the excess wax with a soft cloth. Not exactly glamorous work, but a labor of love. The cloth used this year was not khadi, the homespun fabric that Gandhiji loved, but it was made in Pakistan-- which he would have loved!
The maintenance routine protects the patina of the statue, and lets us wax on about the beautiful statue for many more years.....