To mark the 47th National Day of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a statue of its visionary leader and founding father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan was unveiled in India’s capital New Delhi on Saturday evening.

“The 47th National Day of the UAE coincides with the 100th birth anniversary of our loving founding father ‘Sheikh Zayed bin Al Nahyan,” says Dr. Ahmed Al-Banna, the UAE ambassador to India.

“In 2018, we are celebrating as ‘The year of Zayed’ so to make this event more memorable and significant, we specially unveiled the sculpture of Sheikh Zayed on this auspicious day,” said the envoy in an interview with Arab News

“As a national leader, Sheikh Zayed was widely respected as a man who sought endlessly to promote peace and reconciliation. The UAE’s image is founded on a core belief system of tolerance and coexistence,” he said

“Our belief in his vision gives the UAE its unique ability to welcome different races, religions, and cultures without abandoning its social and cultural identity,” added Ambassador Al-Banna.

He underlined that the late sheik’s “principles of peace” are the elements required for maintaining peace and for a better future for our next generation at a time when we face wars and internal and external conflicts.

Arzan Khambatta, the famous Indian artist who sculpted the statue feels “privileged to be part of this project.”

“It was an honor for me to be selected to make a sculpture of someone as big as Sheikh Zayed,” Khambatta told Arab News.

“If you look at my works, I have been sculpting for the last 30 years now. I generally don’t do life sculptures. This is one of the very few ones that I have done,” said the Mumbai-based artist.

“I studied about Sheikh Zayed and found that his excellency was a leader of great foresight. The UAE that we see today was visualized by the king years back,” added Khambatta, whose art work can be found many corporate offices, public places and other landmarks.

From :Arabnews