PATHANKOT resident Resham Sharma feels that his grandfather, who passed away three years ago, is still with him courtesy of a life-size statue that he installed in a family-owned field in his village. Sharma’s grandfather Chiranji Lal led a life of struggle and hard work and died at the age of 80. He says the carbon fibre statue -- donning a traditional turban, ‘kurta-pyjama’ and shoes -- is a source of inspiration for the entire family. “My grandfather was landless and just owned a few cattle. He toiled hard and became the owner of 20 acres of agricultural land. We got a statue of him so that our children don’t forget his hard work,” said Sharma.

 

“When we see his statue, we feel that he is still around us and his blessings are with us,” Sharma tells PTI. His grandmother, in particular, turns emotional every time she sees the statue, he says. Moga-based sculptor Iqbal Singh, who made the statue, said he was getting orders from several families in Punjab and outside to make statues of their departed loved ones. When he came to know about the work of Singh, he approached him for making the sculpture of his grandfather, says Sharma. Singh has earned extensive admiration for his exceptional ability to immortalise individuals through meticulously crafted life-size sculptures. He sculpted a statue of slain singer Sidhu Moosewala, who was killed in 2022, besides those of soldiers and policemen. “Many families are getting life-size statues of the elderly members, who have passed away,” says Singh, adding that he has been making sculptures for the last 23 years.