THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Had he been alive, would C Achutha Menon have appreciated the move to erect his statue in the state capital? An ongoing move by the Achutha Menon Foundation to erect a statue of the late Communist leader and former chief minister has kicked up a debate in the state’s socio-political sphere. Many, including Left sympathisers, find it highly inappropriate to erect a statue, incurring a cost of `50 lakh in the name of the late CPI leader, who was synonymous with a frill-free lifestyle. If the foundation was indeed sincere in its efforts to commemorate the late leader, setting up a library in his name would prove a more appropriate step, sources said.
However there’s another section which believes there is nothing wrong in erecting a statue that would be an apt symbol to shed light on the contributions made by the late leader. The whole social media debate over erecting the statue began after a recent Facebook post by writer Sudheer N E, who also happens to be the nephew of late Communist leader N E Balaram, while referring to an article by CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran in party mouthpiece Navayugam. Kanam, who’s also the president of the Achutha Menon Foundation had in his article mentioned about the decision to set up the statue.
“When an initiative is made to keep Menon’s memory alive, should we not consider how the individual himself would have viewed such an initiative? No one who really knew Achutha Menon would agree with a move to erect half-acrore- worth statue in his memory. Menon himself would not have agreed with such a move,” said Sudheer. Menon who passed away in 1991 continues to live in the collective memory of Kerala society, without the aid of any statue whatsoever, he added.
The social media post kicked up a debate with many criticising the move. “Knowing Achutha Menon, he would have never agreed to such a move. At the same time, his immense contributions to the state should be remembered. Ideally a research centre or a fellowship should be established in CDS in his name,” said a former bureaucrat who did not want to be quoted.
Scientist and Achutha Menon’s son Dr V Ramankutty, Emeritus Professor at the Achutha Menon Centre for Health Science Studies, meanwhile refused to join the debate over the statue. He however pointed out that the Achutha Menon Centre itself was a good initiative. “It was an initiative by Dr M S Valiathan, who took great efforts to make the centre a reality to keep Menon’s memory alive,” he said. A prominent section within the CPI felt that spending `50 lakh for a statue could not be counted as an extravaganza. “The party has already discussed the matter. We feel that it’s essential to have a statue in his memory,” said senior CPI leader Pannian Raveendran.
STATUE TO BE MADE BY UNNI KANAYI
Even as the debate rages, the Achutha Menon Foundation has already started proceedings to erect the statue. Sculptor Unni Kanayi has been given the task to make the statue. The foundation hopes to have the statue unveiled opposite the Museum compound by next August on Menon’s 32nd death anniversary. “The government has provided land for erecting the statue and now the work is going on. The work is being funded by the foundation,” said Kanam Rajendran.