If his creative genius found form in the Gun Park Martyrs Memorial following the Telangana protests of 1969, sculptor Aeka Yadigiri Rao’s latest creation at Saroornagar Indoor Stadium urges the State to ‘March On’.
Commissioned by the government, 77-year-old Prof. Rao braved the scorching summer to give Ranga Reddy district its own martyrs’ memorial.
A ‘Golden Telangana’
Unlike the one at Gun Park opposite the State Assembly that mourns the 360 people killed during the statehood struggle, the one at Saroornagar Stadium’s forecourt area is seven-feet of hope and speaks of the aspirations for a Golden Telangana.
“The struggle is over and it is time to build a prosperous State. I chose a concept to reflect just that. Amidst strong and opposing boulders, I installed the sculpted figure who sings about fulfilling the dreams of martyrs,” he told The Hindu .
The terracotta-coloured sculpture is made from fibre glass, a significant distinction from the single-stone memorial at Gun Park. It has a plaque that reads ‘Amara Veerula Thyagala Spoorthitho Bangaru Telangana Sadhidham’ (Let us achieve a golden Telangana with inspiration from the martyrs).
The installation was mandated after the State government asked District Collectors to install memorials for martyrs in their districts a month ago. The Ranga Reddy district administration had approached Prof. Rao to sculpt its memorial.
“He was the perfect fit for the job as he has seen the statehood movement begin and end. The sculpture will be unveiled on June 2 during a ceremonial parade at Saroornagar Stadium. We are also developing the landscape around the sculpture,” said Rangareddy Collector M. Raghunandan Rao.
