Why you shouldn't frown upon the Gandhi statue at London's Parliament Square

This last week has seen the culmination of an amazing dream, to actually place a sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi at Parliament Square, in London. Not only does it signify the rising power of India, it also says a lot about the enduring legacy of India's best known global icon. Believe me, when I walk down to Parliament Square in London and see the crowds around the freshly placed sculpture - children, elderly women, young men, of every nationality photographing themselves with the statue of "Bapu" - it just proves that he is not just a leader, he is an idea of a way of life that people respect. Just the simple fact that he could give up his Western clothes, remain barefooted and bare-chested even among royalty is astonishing to contemplate in our contemporary world where leaders are fascinated by their selfies and designer suits. This holds true for the UK as anywhere else.

Gandhi's transparency regarding his own life is also something many of us can only aspire to. He was not hypocritical, and that is why his critics often seem petty minded and small. Look at how much we know about his flaws and weaknesses, often because he told us about these himself, through his writings.

What is interesting is that he seems truly a man of the people (compared to the sculptures of all the suited , booted Western politicians around him at Parliament Square). And we are fortunate that Philip Jackson's portrayal of him displays all of the compassion, as well as the determination imbued within him.

I will not, however, say that it was an easy journey to raise the money for the sculpture in a short period of a few months. It was often difficult because there are many people who would like to see even the noblest project fail, if they are not going to be in the limelight. But as we went along, we found that there are plenty of generous people out there as well, some of them friends, and some of them not known to us, all bound by a common cause.

And so, all I can say is that all those tense moments, all the begging letters and phone calls were finally worth it. I was not ashamed of cold calling, or even accosting people with pledge forms, or thrusting a Gandhi Statue Memorial Trust card into the hands of even slightly resistant people. Because we were "begging for Bapu".

Of course, there are those who constantly criticised us and said that we should be putting up schools and hospitals. And not a sculpture. But I challenge all those critics to come to Parliament Square, where, just by chance, we seem to have got the best position for the Mahatma's sculpture. He is right in the centre, directly facing the House of Commons. He is an oasis of calm, and the architects have even planted flowers in the colours of the Indian flag around him. If you are not touched, overwhelmed and grateful that a man like Mahatma Gandhi existed, as you gaze upon the sculpture, it will be surprising.