The bust of classic poet-filmmaker P Bhaskaran, which has been waiting for redemption from its current pathetic situation for around five years, is all set to get a new lease of life.
Ending the uncertainty over the installation of the 16-ft statue of Bhaskaran, which has been kept in an open space in a compound belonging to the Kozhikode corporation near the railway station, after the authorities failed to identify a proper spot, the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy (KSCA) has zeroed in on Kozhikode district.
KSCA chairman T Rajeev Nath says that the bust will be installed near the All India Radio (AIR) office on Beach Road. “Bhaskaran master started his career at AIR here before entering the film industry and the city had played a crucial role in his career. So, Kozhikode will be the appropriate spot to erect his sculpture. I have discussed the matter with the city corporation authorities. They have welcomed the idea and the proper spot will be finalised after the next council meeting,” he says.
It was in 2010, the then governing body of the Chalachitra Academy, under the Department of Cultural Affairs, helmed by M A Baby, decided to install the sculpture of the poet in the capital city. They had assigned noted sculptor Jeevan Thomas with the task of making the statue. Though the initial works were done, due to certain issues in zeroing in on the spot in Thiruvananthapuram, which itself is famous for holding the statues of numerous celebrities, the project was not completed.
“The initial plan was to install the statue in front of the Fine Arts College near the World War memorial. Hence, after making a plaster mould of the sculpture at my work space here, I went to Thiruvananthapuram in connection with the construction of the base for the sculpture there. But citing various reasons, we did not get that site,” says Jeevan.
Though the government, later, had suggest another site near the old spot, it also did not materialise owing to certain legal issues, says Jeevan, adding that the project moved at a snail’s pace following the change in government and the academy authorities.
According to sources, even though the government tried to change the spot outside Thiruvananthapuram, they dropped the plan following the demand from the cultural leaders in the capital city.
It was in February this year that the academy started procedures to finalise a proper spot to erect the statue, after the film fraternity of Kozhikode, under the leadership of Aswani Film Society, asked the government to take the necessary steps to place the statue in the city. “The project will be completed soon. There will be no delay once we get sanction from the city corporation,” says Rajeev Nath.