After Losing Wife To Covid, Man Keeps Her Memory Alive With Her Rs 2.5 Lakh Lifelike Statue

There are different ways to bounce back from losing a loved one. This man in Kolkata found an apt way of remembering his late wife.?A 65-year-old man in Kolkata created a silicone statue of his late wife, who passed away in 2021 from complications related to COVID.

The statue, which cost Rs 2.5 lakh, is placed in the wife's favorite room, which seems incredibly lifelike as it rests on a sofa.

It weighs roughly 30 kilograms and is draped in the same silk sari from Assam that the woman wore when she attended the reception for her son's wedding.

But this wasn't only a way for a grieving husband to cope with the loss of his wife; it was also what she wished for.?

Tapas Sandilya?told the Times of India?in a statement that his late wife, Indrani, had said she wanted to be turned into a statue after she died.

"We visited the Iskcon temple in Mayapur a decade ago and could not stop admiring the lifelike statue of the order's founder, AC Bhaktivedanta Swami. It was then that Indrani had told me of her desire for a similar statue if she happened to pass away before me."

"My wife died on May 4, 2021, and I just wanted to fulfill her wish."

Sculptor Subimal Das, who works primarily with silicone replicas for museums, is the person behind this creation.

He told TOI that completing the statue of Indrani was one of the most challenging projects he had ever worked on and that it took him six months to complete.

"It was absolutely necessary for the statue to have a realistic facial expression,"?he said.

Sandilya and Das coordinated to achieve the desired expression.

"I had to work with Subimal (Das) for the clay-molding phase, as nothing less than Indrani's actual facial expression would do for me. I, after all, lived with her for 39 years,"?Sandilya said.?

TOI-Kolkata

In addition to that, he recalled how Indrani's tailor helped him determine her exact measurements.

"My wife would always get her clothes done by him, and he knew the exact measurements. Everything had to be a perfect fit," he said.

But Sandilya went on to say that the statue did not win the approval of all family members.

"My family was strictly opposed to the idea of installing such a lifelike sculpture but gave in. Some of my relatives and neighbors helped," he told TOI.

?"If we can keep framed photographs at home after someone's death, why not a statue?", he exclaimed.

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