Kochi: The statue of celebrated Malayalam poet Changampuzha is at the centre of a row over its looks, 19 years after it was unveiled at the Changampuzha Samskarika Kendram at his birthplace, Edappally.

 

Claims have been made that the statue does not resemble the poet. The latest row was triggered after P Prakash, the president of the Changampuzha Samskarika Kendram, put up a social media post on the statue. He wrote "the statue depicts a face of the poet that many had not seen and that is the allure of the statue".

 

Responding to this, Changampuzha's daughter Lalitha told Manorama that she supported the claim that the statue has no resemblance of the poet.

 

"I was just one year old when my father passed away. My mother had told me that the statue did not look like my father. She also said that she kept quiet as she did not want a row over that. I have seen several pictures of my father. Even I have felt that this statue does not have a resemblance to these pictures," Lalitha added.

 

The opinion of Professor S K Vasanthan, one of the few living people who had met Changampuzha in person, should be sought, according to the Ramaneeyam Trust that was formed as a group for people named after ‘Ramanan,’ the poet’s most popular work.

 

However, Prakash said that it was unfortunate that the statue has become controversial on the silver jubilee of the cultural centre.

 

“This face of the poet, which was not known to many, is the allure of the statue. The statue of Changampuzha, with his head held high and a faraway look, was completed by sculptor N Manoj Kumar, a native of Kannur, in three months. Before starting on the art work, all available pictures of the poet were thoroughly checked under the supervision of noted sculptor M V Devan. The statue was unveiled by Devan himself at the Changampuzha Park in Edappally on January 5, 2003,” explained P Prakash, who had been the treasure of the Samskarika Kendram during the unveiling of the statue.

 

Changampuzha Krishna Pillai was born at Edappally, Kochi, in 1911 and passed away in 1948 at Thrissur.