BENGALURU: Bengaluru-based artist Kalyan S Rathore’s mega-statue of a squirrel, to be installed at the Ayodhya Dham Railway Station, will tell the story of “Alilu Seve” in Ramayana to the passengers. According to Ramayana, Alilu Seve (squirrel service) refers to a small donation given with a big heart. When the Vanara Sainya was constructing the Rama Setu (bridge to Lanka), tiny squirrels were helping them by carrying small stones. Keeping this story in mind, Kalyan made the mega squirrel statue using corten steel, which is an alloy of steel and copper that looks rusted.
“This matures as time passes and gives an aged look,” Kalyan said. He completed the work with the help of Bengaluru-based C Prakash from Prasiddhi Engineers. Fascinated by geometry, Kalyan used it as a base and created the artwork.
An agency approached him to make the art piece for the Indian Railways. He told The New Indian Express, “I managed to finish the piece within 15 days, working day and night.” He initially wrote a sketch of it, then made a paper model and based on that, he got the engineering details, through which he completed the artwork.
The statue, which is 15 ft high, 11 ft wide and 8 ft long, weighs a massive 2.5 tonne. “At Ayodhya, everything revolves round Ramayana. I have tried to make a contemporary piece with a traditional touch. People from across the globe will visit the station and they will know the story of the service of squirrels through this artwork.
The squirrel in Ramayana gives us a message as to how individual contributions make a difference,” he added. The art piece is now being transported on a truck and is expected to reach Ayodhya on January 11. “It is going in two pieces. I will be there in Ayodhya on January 12 to assemble it,” he added.