Missing late wife, Kolkata man installs her lifelike silicone statue
A 65-year-old man named Tapas Sandilya from Kolkata's Kaikhali area proved that love never dies even if the person passes away. Sandilya, a retired government employee installed a life-size silicone statue of his late wife Indrani who passed away in 2021 during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The replica, weighing 30kg was installed to fulfill Mrs. Sandilya's wish.
The lifelike statue costs Rs. 2.5 lakh
Sandilya has placed the statue on a sofa at his wife's favorite spot in their home. The lifelike replica is draped in an Assamese silk saree that Mrs. Sandilya wore at her son's wedding reception. It is also adorned with her favorite gold jewelry. The statue which costs Rs. 2.5 lakh, was sculpted by Subimal Das who took six months to complete it.
The statue was inspired by Mayapur's Iskcon Temple's founder
The statue was inspired by Iskcon Temple's founder. "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," Sandilya told The Times of India. "It was then Indrani told me of her desire for a similar statue (of hers) if she happened to pass away before me," he added.
Das calls this one of his most challenging projects
A few months after his wife's death, Sandilya reached out to Das for his dream project. Das who makes silicone replicas of museums called this one of his most challenging projects. "It was absolutely necessary for the statue to have a realistic facial expression," he said. Das collected Indrani's pictures from different angles as initial data and then proceeded toward making the realistic structure.
Sandilya visited a tailor in Barasat for clothes fitting
Das first made a clay model which formed the basis of the fiber molding and the silicone casting. Sandilya also worked with Das during the clay molding phase. He also visited a tailor in Barasat several times. "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.
The statue's hair grafting process was completed over 30 days
The statue's hair grafting process took 30 days to complete and the hair also had a few grey streaks to make the statue look more realistic. Sandilya faced opposition from his family when they heard such an idea of installing a life-like sculpture but finally, they agreed. "If we can keep framed photographs at home after someone's death, why not a statue?" he asked.
'The installation gives the feeling that she is with me'
"I was in isolation at home while Indrani was taken to a hospital in south Kolkata. I can never forget that. But the 30 kg installation gives the feeling that she is always with me. I will live with that," he said.
