BERHAMPUR: In the living room of Sagarika Roy’s home in Muniguda, her husband Dr Samir Roy is seated on a chair. Dressed in a formal shirt and trousers, he appears as he once did in life - only that it’s not him, but a life-size silicone statue. Roy, a doctor from Muniguda in Rayagada district passed away two years ago in 2023, reportedly due to cardiac arrest at the age of 54. Survived by his wife Sagarika, 19-year-old son Soroj, and 17-year-old daughter Ankita, his sudden demise left a void in the family.
Inspired by a similar story where Prashant Nayak of Berhampur installed a life size silicon statue of his deceased wife Kiran Nayak, Sagarika decided to get back Samir in the shape of a similar statue. After a thorough search, the family found a sculptor in Kolkata who took nearly two years to complete the statue. It was brought home on Tuesday (April 2) and installed on a chair in their house.
Before its arrival, the family made preparations and even arranged for a ‘Prana Pratistha’ (infusing life) ritual with a priest. The statue bears uncanny resemblance to Dr Roy.
Sagarika now wears bangles and vermilion again, and leads life of a married woman. The family takes care of the statue by changing its dress, and positioning it in different parts of the house like Samir used to do when he was alive. Reluctant to share further information, Sagarika said, “It is the grace of God and destiny that filled the emptiness in our family through the sculptor’s creation.”