It is difficult for most youngsters to come to terms with the absence of their father at a solemn occasion like marriage, particularly when they have lost him in recent years.
However, much he loved to have the reassuring presence of his father at his wedding, Dr. Yathish, who is pursuing his post-graduate studies at JSS Ayurvedic College in Mysuru, lost his father Ramesh, an agriculturalist from Ajjampura in Chickmagalur district’s Kadur taluk, to COVID-19 pandemic.
So, when he tied the nuptial knot with Dr. Apoorva, a native of Malkundi in Nanjangud taluk, at Santana Ganapathi Kalyana Mantapa in Nanjangud near Mysuru on May 8, he had a life-size statue of his father, made out of silicon, overlooking the ceremonies.
Ramesh had planned the wedding of his two sons – Mr. Pawan, a software engineer, and Dr. Yathish before he was felled by COVID-19.
Dr. Yathish said his elder brother’s marriage was already fixed and the girl for his own marriage too had been finalised. “Due to COVID-19, our father was admitted to the hospital, where he spent around 15 days. I feared that we will lose him and he will not be around for our wedding ceremonies”, he said in an emotion-choked voice.
As fate would have it, the family lost Ramesh, who was in his fifties, in September 2020. The older son said their father was involved in the planning of their weddings. “But, he passed away despite our best efforts to save him,” Pawan said.
Even as they were trying to fathom the loss, the family placed an order for a life-size statue of Ramesh with a sculptor in Bengaluru.
In February 2021, they placed an order for the statue, but it was not be ready by June 2021, when Pawan’s marriage was held. However, the statue was delivered just in time for the wedding of Dr. Yathish.
Meanwhile, the life-like statue of Ramesh surprised many invitees for its stark resemblance to the deceased. The two sons even had their mother Gayathri sit on a chair next to the statue of their father and posed for photographs with their respective spouses.
The family opted for silicon over wax as the material for the statue as they were advised that it would be more durable. The maker has also issued a set of guidelines to the family for its maintenance including the steps to be taken while changing the clothes.
