: A statue of Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar, which would be installed on the banks of River Ganga at Haridwar in Uttarakhand, is all set to be handed over Tarun Vijay, the BJP MP behind the initiative.
Mr. Tarun Vijay is also the president of Students and Youth for Thiruvalluvar Movement. It was decided to install the statue at Haridwar so that millions of pilgrims and tourists who visit the place could get a glimpse of the saint poet and appreciate the poet’s message of equality and a discrimination-free society.
Once it was decided that a statue would be installed, the movement approached L.M.P. Kumaresan, a fifth generation sculptor, of Koolipatti village in the district who completed the work in 35 days at a total cost of Rs. 20 lakh. ‘The 10.5-tonne raw stone was mined from the foothills of Kolli Hills. It was carved by a 20-member team which worked round-the-clock to complete the 12-foot sculpture weighing 4.5 tonnes,” he added. He said that guidance from his father, who is also a sculptor, helped him to complete the work successfully.
C. Ramasubramaniam, National Coordinator of the movement, said the statue would be handed over to Tarun Vijay in Chennai on June 15 and would be taken to Haridwar through train. It would be unveiled on June 26. “The MP would begin the ‘Thiruvalluvar Ganga’ rally from Kanyakumari on June 18. The rally would reach Haridwar on June 21. People from all walks of life are expected to participate in it,” he added.