BSY, MK to unveil Sarvajna statue

Jeeva park in Ayanavaram, maintained by Chennai City Corporation, is all decked up for the ceremony. Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa will unveil the statue in the presence of his Tamil Nadu counterpart M Karunanidhi at 4 pm.

Roads leading to the venue are dotted with banners and posters welcoming Yeddyuappa for the event. After the unveiling ceremony, both chief ministers will address a gathering at the Integrated Coach Factory grounds, about 1.2 km from the park.

The programme will be held in the factory grounds due to space crunch at the park. The nine-feet tall statue on a 11-feet high pedestal, has been cloaked in a red and yellow Kannada flag. The statue was ready for unveiling seven years ago.

The Kolar division of Public Works Department has renovated the park spread over 765 square metres. The total funds spent on the park - including the expense on the panchaloha statue - is about Rs 60 lakh. The Karnataka government has borne the expenses.

As many as 20 sculptors, headed by Shankar Tapathi, have been working here for the last 20 days.

About 200 tonnes of granite stones from the Koira quarry near Devanahalli have been used for the walkway and pedestal.

Two tripathis (poems of three lines) of poet Sarvajna have been carved on the pedestal, both in Tamil and Kannada.

High security

Chennai police have made elaborate security arrangements for the programme.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police Dorairaj, 1,500 police personnel (including 200 in mufti) have been deployed at the venue.

Metal detectors have been installed at all five entrances. Seating arrangements have been made for 10,000 people. A stage measuring 60/40 feet has been set up.

Images of Sarvajna, Thiruvalluvar, Karunanidhi and Yeddyurappa are in the backdrop.

Kannada Sneha Sangha president Attavara Ramdas said that members of all eight Kannada sanghas active in Chennai will participate in the programme.

The Sangha will felicitate Deputy Chief Minister M K Stalin, who allotted the park for the statue in 1997, when he was mayor of the city.

The Tamil Nadu government has decided to include the Kannada Naadageethe in the programme schedule.

Members of the Neyveli Kannada Sangha will render the State song. The International Institute for Tamil Studies will distribute copies of Sarvajna’s tripathis in Kannada and

Tamil languages.

In addition, the Kannada Department of University of Madras will distribute a brief note consisting of speeches made by Karunanidhi and Yeddyurappa during the unveiling of the Thiruvalluvar statue in Bangalore.

Sculptor leaves with  2 statuettes

Pramodini Deshpnade, who had sculpted the Sarvajna statue, is a happy woman now.

She has got the invitation, not one but two, to attend the unveiling ceremony of the statue in Chennai on Thursday. Both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka governments have invited her to the function.

Pramodini, who had sculpted the nine-foot statue, was upset that she had not received the invite for the function.   

Pramodini and her husband V A Deshpande have left for Chennai with two statuettes of Sarvajna to be handed to over to B S Yeddyurappa and M Karunanidhi, Chief Ministers of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu respectively.

Pramodini had taken eight months to sculpt the statue.