The work on a bronze statue of the late music director K. Raghavan, to be installed at a park in his home town to perpetuate his memory, is progressing and the sculptor, N. Manoj Kumar, has finished the clay model.
The work to install the statue of Raghavan Master, as this creator of immortal Malayalam songs is popularly known, has been entrusted to Mr. Kumar, who is also from Thalassery. The project to erect the statue has been proposed by the Thalassery municipality. The project is estimated at Rs.25 lakh. While the Culture Department has allocated Rs.15 lakh, the municipality has set apart Rs.10 lakh in its Budget for the work.
The clay model of the statue has already been finished and it will take another three months to finish the seven ft-statue to be installed at the Centenary Park near the District and Sessions Court here.
“I have examined over 250 photographs of Raghavan Master over the past year to conceive the statue model that is true to his pleasant personality, his manners, and even the way he dressed,” said Mr. Kumar. The work is not conceived as an ordinary public statue, he said, adding that he wanted to give a visual feel of the personality and music of the late master. “It should not be stubborn, but a little romantic,” he said.
Pains taken
Attachment of a harmonium, an instrument he principally used, to the sculpture adds a unique touch to the work. The instrument is modelled on a real harmonium that Raghavan Master had used in the past. To give anatomical perfection to the statue, the sculptor hired a senior citizen as model and made him wear a well-pressed Jubba and Mundu like Raghavan Master.
The statue, to be erected on a pedestal, is set to commemorate the musician who created masterpieces such as ‘Kaayalarikathu valayerinhappol…,’ ‘Nazhiyuripalu kondu…,’ and ‘Aattinakkareyakkare…’ among others.
