GCDA`s best kept `secret!`
Published November 28, 2009 | Here is one sight that you are unlikely to miss when you pass by the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) Complex in Kochi.
My curiosity about this rather intriguing sculpture was piqued recently as I found to my chagrin that the man responsible for it is none other that the legendary Kanayi Kunhiraman, while all this while I was under the impression that the work belonged to another equally revered sculptor –
M V Devan.
Misconception removed, I set about researching this work a bit more.
Here is what I discovered:
The sculpture is titled ‘Mukkola Perumal’ and has been executed in concrete. It was inaugurated in 1973.
Though the sculpture has become something of a landmark in the intervening years, there is no indicator of the identity of the sculptor who conceived it. Neither is the name of the work mentioned anywhere in its vicinity (at least as far as I could make out, from a distance).
Mukkola Perumal: One of the most recognised landmarks of Kochi, but few even know its name or the sculptor responsible. Photo: Rajesh Parambil
As for Kanayi himself, his artistic journey has been dogged by controversies – the most noted instance being that of the ‘Yakshi’ sculpture at Malampuzha, Palakkad. Driven by the belief that imposing sculptures in public spaces are a great way to acquaint the common man with art, Kanayi has forged ahead and today, many a prime public spot exults in one or the other of his ‘monumental’ works.
So surely it wouldn’t be asking for too much of the folks at GCDA to grant give Kanayi the recognition that he and his work deserve, at least by way of a plaque?
