BERHAMPUR: In the drawing room of 52-year-old Prashant Nayak’s home in Jagabandhu street of Berhampur, his wife Kiran is seated on the sofa. Clad in an yellow saree, she glows in the golden hues of her jewellery. Only that it’s her life size image; Kiran passed away three years back.
To keep alive the memories of his wife who died of Covid-19 in 2021, Prashant, a businessman, got her statue sculpted and installed in his home. With its intricacies and eye on details, the statue, made of silicone, can easily be mistaken for a live human being. It cost Rs 8 lakh.
Apart from her husband, Kiran is survived by her two daughters and a son and the statue is an attempt to fill the void created by her untimely death. “My mother always used to sit on the sofa, so we placed her statue on it,” said Kiran’s younger daughter Mehak, an MBA student. Mehak takes care of her mother’s statue by changing the saree and ornaments.
“Covid-19 snatched my wife from me. But when I look at her statue, I feel she is at home, with us. She always inspired me when she was alive,” Prashant said.
Prashant married Kiran in 1997 and a few days after her death on April 25, 2021, his children urged him to build her statue so that they did not feel her absence. Prashant did not hesitate and was keen to get Kiran’s statue before the marriage of their elder daughter solemnised around six months back.
“Since my younger daughter Mehak is well versed with IT, she found a sculptor in Bengaluru. After scanning her photographs, he selected one to prepare the statue.” the businessman said.
The sculptor took more than a year to create the statue using fibre, rubber and silicone. The cost came to around Rs 8 lakh including expenses on transportation from Bengaluru to Berhampur.
Though the family tried to keep the matter to itself and often avoided outsiders’ entry, it came to fore and since yesterday, the house has had several visitors.