Not fully able to accept his wife’s passing to Covid-19 in 2021, a man in Kolkata, India went to make a silicone statue of her which cost him Rs 25 lakh (RM132,871).
Since then, his home has seen a steady stream of visitors who were curious to catch a glimpse of this unusual creation.
Lost wife to Covid-19
Speaking to Times of India, 65-year-old retired civil servant Tapas Sandilya said the silicone statue was largely by the lifelike statue of Isckon temple’s founder, AC Bhaktivedanta Swami, during their visit to Mayapur.
“We visited the Iskcon temple in Mayapur a decade ago and could not stop admiring the lifelike statue of the order’s founder.
It was then Indrani had told me of her desire for a similar statue (of hers) if she happened to pass away before me,” he said.
Spent RM132,000 on silicone statue
Sadly, Tapas’ wife passed away on May 4, 2021, where the pair have been married for 39 years.
Months after her death, Tapas began scouring through the Internet to look for a sculptor who would be able to fulfill his wife’s dream and finally settled on Subimal Das in the beginning of 2022.
After the 30kg statue was completed, Tapas adorned it with his wife’s favorite gold jewellery and a silk sari from Assam which she wore during her son’s wedding.
Strong objection from family
Tapas said that his family initially expressed strong objection towards his project but eventually gave in.
“If we can keep framed photographs at home after someone’s death, why not a statue?”
Although he knows that the silicone statue will never fully assuage the pain of losing his wife, Tapas said that it still gave him the feeling that she was always with him.
“I can live with that,” he said.
Such a devoted husband! We hope Tapas will be able to fully heal emotionally from his loss.
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