Less than five years after it was installed, the Thinking Money sculpture near the Madhapur junction has been torn out of its location in Madhapur.
The sculpture of a man deep in thought with currency symbols poking out of his head and roots coming out of his shoulders was installed in 2012 during COP-11 meeting in the city. The sculpture by C.V. Ambaji was commissioned by the then Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation and was installed with much fanfare and had become a landmark.
Now, commuters to the area can see a gouged out land that resembles a deep granite mine. The location is now a beehive of activity with multiple set of workers actively involved in digging pillars for the Strategic Road Development Plan as well as Metro Railway.
“I felt very sad when I learnt that the sculpture would be removed from its location. It had become part of the cityscape. I was asked to search for a piece of land where the sculpture could be reinstalled. Finally, I found space in the Biodiversity Park,” said artist C.V. Ambaji, who conceptualised and executed the sculpture using fibre glass and stainless steel.
The sculpture was moved to the current location using a tractor. The lower part of the sculpture has suffered some damage while the currency symbols are now shaking in the wind.
“No space for art? How can we aspire to be a global city without being in touch with arts. I suggested the Thinking Money sculpture at the location as I was afraid they would install some politician’s statue. Anyone who travels abroad immediately notices the reverence for art and artists, sadly that is missing in our country and that’s why the shabby treatment for the sculpture,” says Ambaji. Incidently, the raised palm sculpture at Nanal Nagar near Rethi Bowli was done by Ambaji as was the steel sculpture in Gachibowli.
The other murals installed during COP 11 under flyovers and paintings on the underpass have also fared equally badly. While the paintings done by students of Jawaharlal Nehru Fine Arts University near Masab Tank have survived, those near the Panjagutta and Greenland flyover have been torn down by vandals.
