KOLKATA: A retired civil servant in Kolkata spent Rs 25 lakh to install a life-like silicon structure of his wife who died during Covid-19 pandemic’s second wave. The statue weighing 30 kg and donning gold jewellery is seated on a sofa at the homemaker’s favourite place of her residence. The love for his wife, 65-year-old Tapas Sandilya’s act has drawn attraction of curious neighbours and visitors from outside the locality of his residence in Kaikhali.
‘’Me and my wife Indrani visited the Iskcon temple in Mayapur in Nadia district ten years ago and could not stop admiring the life-like statue of the order’s founder AC Bhaktivedanta Swami. It was then that Indrani had shared her desire for a similar statue of hers if she happened to pass away before me. I have fulfilled my wife’s abiding wish,’’ said Sandilya, a retired central government employee.
The man lost his wife on May 4, 2021. Sandilya, who spent 39 years with his wife, began his search on the internet for someone who could make his wish come true a few months after Indrani’s death. He found sculptor Subimal Das in the beginning of 2022. Das in his mid-40s, who mostly makes silicon replicas for museums, said this one was his most challenging assignment.
“Keeping Sandilya’s sentiment in mind, it was absolutely necessary for the statue to have a realistic facial expression. I collected photographs of Indrani from different angles and first made a clay model which formed the basis of the fibre moulding and the silicon casting,’’ said Das.
Sandilya admitted that he encountered some opposition to fulfil his wife’s desire. “My relatives and other family members strictly opposed the idea of installing such a life-like sculpture of my dead wife. But they gave in realising my determination,’’ he said.
Das took six months to complete the sculpture. ‘’The grafting of hair took almost a month to complete. Sandilya wanted a few grey streaks to make the statue more life-like. I also visited the tailor who would prepare clothes for Indrani to get actual measurement of her body shape,’’ he added. The statue is clad in a silk sari from Assam which Indrani wore at her son’s wedding reception.
Recalling his most painful phase of life, Sandilya said, ‘’I was in isolation at home while Indrani was taken to a hospital in Kolkata. I can never forget that moment when I could not accompany my wife on her way to the hospital. Now I live with her sculpture.’’