Set to make heads turn

Carving monuments that stand the test of times is his forte. Artist P V Ramachandran, known for the colossal sculptures he has made across the country, is all geared up for his latest work of art titled, ‘Akala Mrithyu Moksha Sthambham’. The 54-feet high and 27-feet wide sculpture that will have one lakh archetypal human heads will be erected at the Cheriyathu Mahavishnu Temple at Desham in Aluva.

The artist who is well known for his 52-feet ‘Maraprabhu’, a gigantic teracotta idol that he made at Guruvayoor and 28 feet ‘Akala Moksha Stupa’ at Mysore Ganapati Sachidananda Ashram speaks about the inspiration behind the latest work. He says, “The lives and death of zillions of people in this universe, who survived before us, has always been of interest to me. As a youngster, I used to have eerie nightmares about the victims of Hitler’s holocaust. These thoughts inspired me to carve this sculpture.”

Ramachandran says, “This sculpture is an obituary to the forlorn creatures who have been the victims of untimely death since time immemorial. The human heads will be erected on a thousand petaled lotus that symbolises the radiance of Indian culture.” Casting away thoughts that the huge sculpture made of human heads may send a chill down one’s spine, the artist says, “Though the first glimpse of the sculpture may disorient the viewer, the next moment he will be filled with amazement.”

“People often elaborate upon the side effects of pollution that is caused by the smoke that emanates from vehicles and factories. But we forget about the conflicts that are created within the human minds as well as its negative impact on the society. This sculpture is a concept that symbolises human energy,” he says.

The construction of the statue will soon begin.