Sir,

Today, I met the mother and wife of Arun Yogiraj, who sculpted the idol of Lord Ram installed and consecrated at Ayodhya Ram Mandir on Jan. 22 by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi and congratulated them.

Arun Yogiraj was identified by me to sculpt the statue of Jayachamaraj Wadiyar in 2015 when I was the Commissioner of Mysuru City Corporation (MCC). He sculpted it beautifully and the statue installed at Hardinge Circle, Mysuru, was unveiled by our Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in July 2016.

Later I arranged to get him the work of the statue of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. After that he started figuring at national- level. Because of his talent, he also got the statue work of Adi Shankaracharya (Kedarnath) and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose (India Gate). Arun says he reached this level because of me. But I say to him it is because of his talent.

I am proud of him and also happy that my discovery of him as a sculptor may have helped him in being recognised worldwide today. I wish Arun Yogiraj the best of luck to reach greater heights and become a world renown sculptor.

– Dr. C.G. Betsurmath, former Commissioner of MCC, Mysuru, 22.1.2024

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