By Dr. K. Javeed Nayeem, MD

Very recently, there was a front-page news report in Star of Mysore about the sad state of a very recently erected statue of our former Chief Minister, late D. Devaraj Urs, that now stands in front of the new Office of our Deputy Commissioner. It appears its fallen metal nameplate has been lying at its feet, for many days, without being restored to its rightful place.

A section of political affiliates opposed to the present government have even gone to the extent of threatening a protest, accusing the present Chief Minister of being insensitive to the services rendered to our State and its people by his long-gone forerunner, who was seen as a champion of the masses, mainly because he believed that agricultural land should belong to the tillers alone.

They have also said that the erection of this statue itself was done with much procrastination and disinterest too, which has resulted in a total lack of resemblance, between how the man looked in life and how he looks in that statue.

On this count, I am in complete agreement with them, although I have no opinions to express about their opinions in other matters. Yes, that statue in question just does not look like how the very imposing man looked, at any stage of his life, let alone when he was the Chief Minister of our State. And, this deficiency of a lack of resemblance, which is certainly not a lone instance, is perhaps the sad outcome of our present penchant for erecting statues in a tearing hurry, unmindful of paying the right amount of attention to the job.

This, I feel, is a real shame, in this era of laser scanning and advanced 3D sculpting from two dimensional pictures, taken from multiple angles. The result of this lack of attention is that a good many of the personalities whose statues we see around us today, can be recognised only if we go close enough to read the nameplates underneath them.  And if those nameplates happen to go missing, your guess is as good as mine, which I guess is why some people have been displeased in the present case.

Just a couple of days before the report of this statue and its fallen nameplate appeared, a rather disturbed reader had written a letter in SOM about the very disgraceful way in which we have brought in the tradition of keeping statues of some of our most eminent personalities wrapped up like cadavers, in ugly plastic shrouds, till their formal unveiling.

He has a very valid point because this tradition smacks of utter disrespect to them. This practice which is sometimes resorted to because of some unforeseen legal hurdles, needs to be done away with, by adopting more dignified and          acceptable methods.

But very often, it is resorted to only because the political big-wigs who are considered eminent or worthy enough to unveil them ceremoniously, cannot be decided upon with consensus or having been decided, they because of their very busy schedules, are unavailable to do the job, sometimes for months together. It is only when the wrapping, due to the effect of the elements, starts coming off, that the people vested with the responsibility of arranging the unwrapping ceremony, start waking up to their responsibility!

This story also was true in the case of the bust of our former Superintendent of Police, T. Harikrishna, who lost his life most tragically, along with a few of his men, in their valiant pursuit of the forest brigand, Veerappan. His bust which was erected, most appropriately, at the SP Office Circle here in Mysuru, remained wrapped in a blue plastic sheet for almost a year. And, when the sun, rain and wind began the unwrapping process themselves, someone came up with the seemingly brilliant idea of enclosing it in a discarded plywood carton, under which it remained unseen, till the opportune time for its unveiling came, only after another year.

And, when it was finally unveiled, many people were aghast that the statue did not do justice to the man’s actual appearance. At that time, I was among those who were disappointed, which included some of his close family members too. I knew exactly how the handsome man looked, because, being my very close friend, he used to spend much time with me, especially in his last days.

Just two days before they died, he and his most trusted deputy, Sub-Inspector Shakeel Ahmed, sat chatting with me long into the night, for the last time, while sipping coffee and munching on the snacks served by my wife, at my hospital quarters, that stood on the edge of the dreaded Veerappan Territory.

The statue of H.H. Maharaja Sri Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, that has recently been installed in front of the Mysore Medical College and Research Institute (MMC&RI) to mark its centenary, is also an example of an utter lack of aesthetic sense.

Firstly, although the most illustrious and memorable man was indeed of a small physical stature, his statue could have been made much bigger and placed on a loftier and more imposing pedestal, like the one in our K.R. Circle, erected prominently at the entrance of the college where a small, nondescript fountain now stands.

The result of this thoughtlessness is that from a distance, it looks like our Maharaja is merely taking a stroll on the lawns of the college he established!

Further, unlike how statues should be made in an appropriate three-dimensional form, showing the person in his or her entirety, this statue has been made with a completely flat back, as if it was meant to be installed in a niche or tightly against a wall. This looks most awkward and disrespectful to the man who deserves the utmost respect, from every one of us.

If funds had been a constraint, the tens and thousands of former students of the college, if approached, would certainly have supplemented them, most gladly, for the glory of their Alma Mater and its maker.

While talking of statues and this most prestigious Medical College, from where I had the privilege of doing my MD, I would like to share here, a glimpse of the ready wit and great sense of humour which my beloved professor, Dr. N.A. Jadhav had, which made it a treat to be in his company.

One day, while walking past the majestic Cheluvamba Hospital building, with his large entourage of assistants and post-graduate students, he pointed to the imposing edifice and remarked to us, “The operation of Hysterectomy, which was very rare in the days when I was a student, is becoming very common these days. You mark my words, a day will soon come when the statue of Queen Victoria, which stands in a lonely corner of the Cubbon Park in Bangalore, will be the only lady with her uterus left intact!

[Stay tuned to read more about another iconic statue in our city, that failed to resemble the man it was meant to depict and how it was set right]

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