At the small sleepy village Dandi under Basta block of Baleswar district, does one see the life size statute of both Mahtma Gandhi as well as lenin placed side by side.
Sources said both the statues were installed in the village in the late eighties. While Gandhi’s statue was unveiled by the then MlA Bhopal Mohapatra in 1989, the lenin’s statue was unveiled by then Sports Minister (State) Frida Topno.
Both the statues are still standing tall till date even after turmoil in other parts of the country. According one local resident Chakradhara Mohanty, Communist parties while had good foothold in the Basta and north Baleswar pockets, the installing of the statue of lenin was mooted by then local party leaders and cadres.
The local villagers while opposed its establishment, Mahatma Gandhi statue too was installed near to it. A local resident Binaykrushna Barik and his family while donated a patch of land of around 40 decimals, more than 2.5 acres of Bhoodan land was utilized for a Government school and statues.
The villagers show that they still carry tolerance and have respect for the global leaders.