POINT BLANK: Vandalising iconic public sculptures, buildings etc.

By K.B. Ganapathy, Editor-in-Chief

Yesterday, Star of Mysore had published a letter in its Voice of the Reader column from a city tax-payer, with a sense of beauty and aesthetics, about the disfigurement of newly-constructed uniquely beautiful Elephant Circle by pasting posters on its pedestal (see pic).

This morning while I was driving by the Circle, I noticed the poster being removed leaving white patches, thus allowing the disfigurement to remain in another form.

I am afraid if these white patches were to be removed with physical rubbing, it is going to affect the surface of the structure. Therefore, I request the MCC officials concerned to personally supervise this kind of job which should not be done using ‘sandpaper’ or any rough erasing materials.

This takes me to another question of educating our Mysuru citizens about civic sense and civic responsibility. Our politicians and religious preachers regularly address their followers in large and small groups on different issues that concern their own growth and progress in their given line of activity. I am wondering whenever such meetings are held why not these leader-politicians and the religious preachers counsel their audience and congregation on ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’, ask them to appreciate iconic sculptures and buildings and protect them from anti-social elements and vandals who often either damage or disfigure them for reasons of using these sculptures and buildings for publicising their activity through posters, banners and buntings. The NGOs and Police too can contribute through their educational campaigns to protect our heritage and beauty of our city.

This said, I am of the opinion that this kind of vandalism for publicising their political meetings or religious programmes can be prevented only if there is a political will. In our kind of liberal democracy neither the bureaucracy, including the Police, nor the NGOs can stop this kind of vandalism unless the politicians — the elected representatives, may it be Corporators, ZP members, MLAs, MLCs or Ministers — wholeheartedly support the cause of keeping ‘Namma Mysuru’ always Sundara, beautiful.

It is only when politicians support the vandals who disfigure our city, for the purpose of publicity, no one will have the courage to stop the vandals from disfiguring our city and punish them. My appeal to all politicians and leaders of social organisations is to avoid publicising their activities using such iconic sculptures and heritage and other public buildings. It is my pious hope sooner or later this wisdom will dawn upon our political leaders.

It is to be remembered that already our city has lost the pride of getting the ‘Cleanest City’ tag and also lost the opportunity of being selected for the Smart City Mission.