Rajiv Gandhi Ninaivaakam

21st May 1991 22:10 hrs.

India lost one of its most charismatic leaders- Rajiv Gandhi- in a terrorist suicide bomb attack. the event occurred in Sriperumbudur- a town near Chennai, known till that time for its association with the Vaishnava saint Sri Ramanuja.

The Ninaivaakam (memorial) is one of two dedicated to the late leader. The other being "Vir Bhumi" in New Delhi.

The Sriperumbudur memorial is austere yet grand. The entry to the memorial is offset from the actual path along which Rajiv Gandhi is said to have walked. A Wedge-shaped path ("path of light") traces the final path of the slain leader till the point where the actual bomb blast is said to have occured.

The place marker is a eerie formless red lump...perhaps an imagery of flesh, lying the foot of a garlanded mosaic portrait of Rajiv Gandhi. The flowers in the portrait are charred. and the garlands...are they falling on or being thrown away in the impact of the explosion?

The memorial is surrounded by 7 gigantic columns, denoting the 7 virtues / 7 measures of Man. The symbols also reflect 7 religions.

The curved bas-relief wall reminds me of "Arjuna's penance" a bas-relief on a clefted rock in Mahabalipuram. The memorial bas-relief showcases Rajiv Gandhi's vision for India. It is meant to be viewed in a specific manner. Visual cues help discover this.

What arrests my mind is the scale of the flag. Is there a code in the composition of the path of light, the flag and the memorial place? why is the pedestrian sequence made to go around and then exactly perpendicular to the "wedge"? and why slant?

were the answers discovered? :))