New Delhi: India began its Republic Day celebrations from Jan. 23, a first, to include the 125th birth anniversary of late freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

To mark the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the hologram statue of Netaji at India Gate in New Delhi — under the cupola where the statue of British monarch King George V once stood — amid much fanfare and pomp. The hologram will stay in place till the time the work for the “grand statue” of Netaji, made of granite,   is completed.

Holograms are virtual three-dimensional images created by the interference of light beams that reflect real physical objects. Holography, the science of creating these images, is a unique method of photography whereby 3D objects are recorded using a laser and then restored as precisely as possible to match the originally recorded object. When illuminated via a laser, holograms are able to form an exact 3D clone of the object and duplicate its features.

Unlike a conventional film on a standard screen, a 3D hologram can be viewed from all sides. This means that the observer can walk around the projected image, providing a   realistic experience.

Netaji’s hologram measures 28 feet high and 6 feet wide and will be powered by a 4K projector capable of delivering brightness levels of 30,000 lumens. An invisible, high gain, 90 percent transparent holographic screen has been erected in a way that it is not visible to visitors.

Addressing a gathering after unveiling a hologram statue, Modi said no power in the world can prevent the country from achieving its goal of building a ‘new India’ before the hundredth year of independence in 2047.

“The role of our heroes, whose memories were being erased post-Independence are now being revived,” he said at the inauguration. In what appeared a swipe at the successive Congress Governments since Independence, PM Modi said: “It is unfortunate that after Independence, along with the culture and rites of the country, work was done to erase the contribution of many great personalities.”

Then underscoring the point, he said, “The freedom struggle involved the penance of lakhs of countrymen. But efforts were made to limit their history as well. But today, after decades of independence, the country is correcting those mistakes”.

“It is my good fortune that last year, on this very day, I had the opportunity to visit Netaji’s ancestral residence in Kolkata… The car in which he left Kolkata, the room in which he used to study, the stairs of his house, the walls of his house, seeing him, that experience is beyond words,” PM Modi said. “Azadi Ke Amrit Mahotsav resolves that India will revive its identity and inspirations,” PM Modi said.