Row over Thiruvalluvar statue canopy: Minister says maintain earlier design

BENGALURU: A statue of Tamil poet-saint Thiruvalluvar was installed near the Ulsoor Lake here in 2009 as a symbol of amity between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Former chief minister B S Yediyurappa inaugurated the statue on August 9 that year while in a recripocal gesture, a statue of Kannada poet Sarvajna was inaugurated on August 13 in the Kannada-dominated area of Ayanavaram in Chennai when M Karunanidhi was chief minister of the neighbouring state.

Now, a controversy has erupted over the renovation of the canopy of the Thiruvalluvar statue, with locals opposing it claiming that the proposed design is against Indian culture. They alleged that the original design of the canopy is being modified to represent Moghul and Islamic design. They claimed that Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad is pushing for the change of design.

Following the controversy, Kannada and Culture Minister V Sunil Kumar wrote a letter to the BBMP instructed the Chief Commissioner to maintain the original design which represents Indian culture while noting that the proposed design is not in consonance with Indian culture. He also instructed the BBMP to form a committee of experts, local representatives, citizens, historians and the BBMP and come up with a final decision for the canopy design.

B R Chandran, a resident of Halasuru, wrote several letters to the president of the Kannada Development Authority, the deputy commissioner, the Kannada and Culture Department and the other authorities concerned on changing the original pattern of the canopy of the Thiruvalluvar statue.

“They are changing the original design in the name of upgradation and modernisation. If they really wanted to do so, then why they are not focusing on Indian designs? They are bringing Moghul or Islamic style. We have also stressed that the opinions of scholars and writers should be taken before making any changes”.

Halasuru resident Chandran has questioned the urgency in upgrading the Thiruvalluvar statue and the change of canopy design.

“When we asked BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath he said he will not approve the project and that they will stop the work for the timebeing. The issue was settled 19 years ago. What is the necessity for changing its original structure now? Lakhs of rupees is being spent on renovation. Instead, they can develop schools. Why are they wasting public money? And there is no committee formed so far to discuss the design”, he alleged.