Should they really spend $4.5 million on a statue?

Should they really spend so much money on statue, or could that money be better spent on food and water for people of Mumbai?

Link to BBC story..

Chauvinism is one of the first things that develop in a newly rising country. Look at what is happening in UP. Its about the elites and their egos not the poor. Now I have to get to reading the Laird book on Shivaji..

I wish the Governments in Maharashtra would find another hero besides Shivaji.

Waste of money, this is, anyway.

4.5 million dollars..I guess that roughly translates to Rs.20 crore..

I guess amounts in far excess of this have been spend on beautification or cities...

The 'worth' might be another issue, however if the worth of the project in actuality is Rs.20 crores, I don't thing I will mid it..

The point is "The government of the Indian state of Maharashtra says it plans to build a statue off the Mumbai (Bombay) coast to rival New York's Statue of Liberty."

What the heck is the need to rival New York's Statue of Liberty? A Bloated ego...

I say, build the statue! At least what the govt does with the money can be observed. When it comes to food, water of beauttifying the city, the money usually just disappears into thin air.

Of course not. They should give it to me.

So who would be that another hero? The biggest hero India has is Mahatma Gandhi, but it would be against Mahatma's principal to waste such wast amount of money.

Oh, I just meant find another Maharashtrian hero. everything in Mumbai is shivaji.

That is just the point They are taking the money from thee, not returning it. Government is theft.

Given the history of Maharashtra I think not! Where was his assassin from..

I am with Crvlvr on this one. Atleast, we may get to know how the money was spent. Of course, our terrorist brethren may think that it would be a nice idea to knock the statue down ( If ever it is built), but that is a different story.

It will be as visible as a flyover.

It will probably also entail as many deals, backhanders, side-deals, palm-greasings and so on.

You will see where some of the money went!

I have absolutely no problem with this project. Problems will always be there - does that mean we put a stop to everything until each problem has been eradicated?

A very loose analogy is that poor countries should not have space programs - after all many citizens do not even have clean drinking water. But the truth is that there are direct and in-direct (what's the word I'm looking for here?) advantages to having a space program. Technology development (and transfer from more advanced nations) is just one of them.

If the main objection is fiscal, I am sure that admission fees etc. would mitigate that to a certain extent, and if managed and marketed well could also make the project a fiscal plus.

As a native of the Great State of Maharashtra I look askance at your low blow ...
as would his Maharashtrian political predecessor Bal_Gangadhar_Tilak and spiritual successor Vinoba_Bhave

Since Shivaji pretty much put Maharashtra on the map it would be hard argue that anyone else is of equal stature, even Tilak.
If they want to waste money building gigantic statues, IMO Shivaji would still be the right choice.

Though you have already admitted that the analogy is loose I would make a further point. A space program or nuclear program returns a whole lot more for money invested than this statue will unless it is a major artistic triumph, which I somehow doubt it will be.