SHIVAMOGGA: The granite bust of 12th century social reformer Basavanna that was unveiled recently on the banks of river Thames in London has a link with Shivamogga. The sculptor of the bust Sridhar Murthy, who toiled for two months to carve it, hails from Shivamogga. He is presently residing in Hesaraghatta near Bengaluru.
People across the country hailed former mayor of London Borough of Lambeth and community medical doctor, Neeraj Patil, for conceiving the idea of having a statue in 2011.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who unveiled the bust during his visit to the United Kingdom, also became the centre of attraction. But the creator of the bust remains an unsung hero. Sridhar Murthy is the son of renowned artiste Kashinath, who had won Jakanachari Award. Mr Sridhar Murthy toiled for about two months to make the black colour bust of Basavanna.
According to the sculptor, who has a diploma in civil engineering, Mr Neeraj Patil had visited many places in search of the sculptor after obtaining approval for the installation of the bust in London.
However, he came to meet Sridhar after knowing that the artiste had carved the world's tallest Basavanna statue (108 feet) in Basavakalyana of Bidar district.
Mr Patil had clearly told him to carve 3.6 feet bust in black colour. The former mayor had also cautioned him that the bust would be rejected if it was not of good quality. So, the sculptor left no stone unturned to make sure that it would be of highest standard. Around 500 kg bronze was used to make the bust. He feels proud that his bust has been installed in London. He has carved several statues of Lord Shiva and Hanuman across the country.
Among them are the 123 feet tall statue of Lord Shiva in Murudeshwara of Uttara Kannada district, 101-feet statue of Eshwar in Sikkim and 100 feet statue of Hanuman in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.
Mr Sridhar learnt the skills of idol making from his father during his childhood. His father Kashinath is a well known artist in Malnad region. Later, the family shifted to Bengaluru.
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