One more for the city of statues

Thiruvananthapuram: The city of statues will get one more addition as a

bust

of

C V Raman Pillai

is getting ready and is proposed to be installed in August.

The five-foot tall bust of the noted novelist and playwright is being sculptured by artist Unni Kanayi from Kanayi near Payyannur.

The initiative to install the

sculpture

of Pillai was taken up by C V Raman Pillai National Foundation. But, the exact location for installing the

statue

is still undecided. In fact, the foundation is yet to obtain permission from the government to install the statue.

“The foundation has been publishing books on the works of C V Raman Pillai and has also translated his works. A statue and a study centre in the capital city, where he lived and worked, is a long cherished dream. After the work of the sculpture is completed, we will bring it to the city for installation. It will be installed in the heart of the city,” said George Onakkoor, novelist and president of C V Raman Pillai National Foundation.

“CV was not given due recognition. Earlier, our proposal to install the sculpture at Public Library campus was approved, but someone sought a stay order from high court. So we decided to continue with the works of the sculpture and simultaneously finalize the location for installation,” said P Venugopal, secretary of the foundation.

The work of the sculpture began in February and is likely to be completed by August, said Unni Kanayi, who is an award winning sculptor. The structure of the sculpture is made of clay and plaster of Paris will be moulded onto it. Bronze will be coated on it in the final phase.

“We only had one picture of C V Raman Pillai to begin with. It is a challenge for a sculptor to make a sculpture from a picture, as only the front view is available. I sought the help of a native of Kanayi who looked similar to C V Raman Pillai and I requested him to be a model for me,” said Unni.