Karnataka - Mysore   

Statues get a new lease of life

By Our Staff Correspondent

The repaired statue of the late Bhujangarao Jagadale was unveiled in front of the Mounted Police Headquarters in Mysore on Tuesday.

MYSORE, SEPT. 14. He had a booming voice that used to echo across the hills and catch the attention of people. So goes the legend about the late Bhujangarao Jagadale, who was a savar or constable with the Mysore Police. Gifted with a reverberating voice that was the envy of his peers, Jagadale had the privilege of leading the guard of honour at the police parade during the rule of Nalwudi Krishnaraja Wadiyar. Jagadale was reckoned to be an efficient rider and trainer with a penchant for polo. Though his statue adorned the Mounted Police headquarters after his death, its sense of history and importance eroded with the passage of time. The statue was damaged in an accident and was discarded. It was left to M. Lakshmana of the Mysore Agenda Task Force to spend money from of his pocket and help provide a base for the statue and get it repaired. The repaired statue was installed at a simple but an elegant function here on Tuesday.

Basappa's statue

Likewise, the statue of the late Basappa, who was the only postman for the city and was honoured by the then Maharaja of Mysore, too was repaired and fixed by providing a base. Basappa won the heart of the public and was known to be an epitome of sincerity and used to take great pains to deliver letters to the addressee during the reign of Krishnaraja Wadiyar.

The Commissioner of Police, Bipin Gopalkrishna, garlanded the statue of Jagadale. In his speech, Mariba Shetty, national equestrian champion of the Mounted Police, Mysore, said service to the nation was best rendered if people, be it policemen, postmen or any other personnel, discharged their duties to the best of their abilities.

Mr. Lakshmana urged the public to contribute their mite to restore the old glory of Mysore. Mysore has been accorded the status of a heritage city and hence the authorities should take up restoration of such monuments, which evoked a sense of history. The Mayor, Dakshinamurthy, promised to take up heritage restoration work on priority, and said restoring of the fountains and ponds on the road leading to Lalitha Mahal Palace would be taken up soon.

The restoration of the two statues was the brainchild of the Editor of Star of Mysore, K.B. Ganapathy, who inspired Mr. Lakshmana to take it up.

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