The Parama statue once stood on an traffic island near Science City
Designed by Lahiri and made with students of the Government College of Art & Craft, Kolkata, the 40ft sculpture disappeared mysteriously one night in Nov 2014. “Shanu di had done the idol at Bakul Bagan in 1982 and 1996. “The idols of Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesh and Kartik are based on the work that Shanu di had done at Bakul Bagan in 1982. Lee recalled finding the fragments after his mother-in-law spotted them near a Chinese temple in Chowbaga in late Dec 2014.
They said they wanted to focus on a personality from the area. Shyamal Nag Das, secretary of Abasar Sarbojanin Durgotsav Samiti, said, “When the artists suggested Lahiri’s name as the theme, we readily agreed. She had also got students of art college involved in Durga Puja long before themes came into being and artists began to take pride in working at pandals,” Sil said. Only the Durga idol will be different,” Pal said. This was based on Bengal clay art: the pradip putul,” Mukhopadhyay said. “I saw parts of the sculpture lying there, with some locals playing football around it,” he said. “The sculpture was priceless to me,” he said.
This tribute coincides with the rediscovery of one of her most iconic public works — Parama, the sculpture that once stood near Science City. Its fragments were recently traced to the Tangra residence of Hui Hao Howard Lee, a third-generation Chinese businessman who had rescued them from an abandoned spot. Artists Somnath Sil, Subhradip Pal and Aritra Mukhopadhyay are presenting the theme at Abasar Sarbojanin Durgotsav Samiti, located near Lahiri’s maternal home. The main attraction will be Parama at the entrance. The artists believe it could have become Kolkata’s symbol, rather than colonial-era landmarks like Howrah Bridge or Victoria Memorial. “This was perhaps the only statue that was not based on a political character or had any religious leaning. He paid locals, hired a truck and brought the fragments home.