THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:Artists got more recognition in the royal era than in democratic states, sculptor Kanayi Kunhiraman said on Saturday.
“There will not have been numerous great works in the country if not for the royals. The Travancore kingdom is one example for the royals giving whole-hearted encouragement to artists,” he said after receiving the Deviratna Award of the Navarathri Trust here on Saturday.
The veteran sculptor opined that art was for the people and not for making money.
Recalling the challenges he faced while erecting the statue of a mermaid on the Shangumugham beach here, he said struggles carried life forward. “The sculpture would not have been there if not for the support of the then Chief Minister K Karunakaran. But I’m happy that even after years, I receive accolades for that work,” he said.
Elaborating on the concept of the work, Kanayi said that the imagery was of a mermaid, getting tired of the pollution in the sea, resting on the beach. “I would also attribute an imagery of Shangumugham Devi to it,” he said.
Travancore royal family members Pooyam Thirunal Gouri Parvathi Bai and Aswathi Thirunal Gouri Lakshmi Bai presented the award to Kanayi. Carnatic vocalist Venkataraman and the late musician Bombay S Kamal’s wife Beena Beevi were honoured at the function. Film director Shaji N Karun, Trust office-bearers Mohandas, T Ratnamma and Shibukumar attended the function.
