Prison inmate sculpts Tiruvalluvar statue

A Tiruvalluvar statue sculpted by a life convict Guru Kalaikannan (31) now decorates the Cuddalore Central Prison.

Made of cement and mortar, painted in golden hue, it was unveiled by V. Ramasubramanian, Judge of the Madras High Court, Saturday. Superintendent of Police A. Radhika and Jail Superintendent A. Murugesan were present.

While the five-foot-tall statue was solely created by Kalaikannan, the four-foot pedestal was constructed by other inmates with construction workers. Kalaikannan has so far served seven years in the prison.

To honour his sculpting skills, the inscription carries his name with the serial number, 13420, assigned to him in the prison.

The 505th couplet of Tirukkural that roughly translates as “honour or disgrace is the outcome of one’s own action” has been scripted on the pedestal.

Mr. Murugesan told

The Hindu that Kalaikannan had inherited sculpting skills from his forefathers who had been in this trade for generations. His marriage with Revathi turned sour after a few years.

After begetting three children Ilakkiya, Guna and Sowmiya, he had some misunderstanding with his wife which drove her to commit suicide. He was arrested on the charges of instigating the suicide and awarded life sentence.

After Mr. Murugesan took charge as the Jail Superintendent, he made it a point to identify the skills of every inmate.

His strategy paid off and Kalaikannan began making sculptures, including a bust of Mahatma Gandhi and a three-foot tall Thiruvalluvar statue, both installed inside the prison.