We the Campus blog had not made a comment on the disfiguring of ‘Mermaid’ at CUSAT garden“.We feel it was so idiotic decision by the officials to Destroy the Sculpture. How could the highly literate natives of God’s own Country can justify disfiguring a great artistic piece at an esteemed place of learning . CUSAT is well known for its cultural ethics and and a University which have enlightened many scholars with the light of Knowledge.This shocking act, which is a jolt to the art lovers and a disgrace to the Cochin university of science and Technology!.It isn’t clear whether the hedge plant can be grown again and sculpted back to its original shape, or whether the gardener would be directed to do so. But the criticism of the pruning is likely to make Cusat officials think about the John Powell quote that the university’s website offers: That the only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.

The reason: The Registrar got complaint against the “Mermaid” from Women’s Welfare Association of the CUSAT and employees.

His words : “I received two complaints objecting to the nude figure of the mermaid at the Cusat garden. The complaints were forwarded by Women’s Welfare Association of the Cusat and some Cusat employees,” N Chandramohanakumar, Registrar of CUSAT, said, justifying his decision.

Interestingly, the Registrar claimed that he was against disfiguring the work of art which was a rare artistic marvel.”But, as an administrator I was forced to act on it,” he said.Chandramohanakumar recalled a Supreme Court order which had discouraged educational institutions exhibiting such kinds of paintings and art works.He said he had only asked the gardener to restructure the model and that he was not present at the spot at the time of the gardener’s action.”Though the artwork was created by Elankunnappuzha native Varghese two decades ago, the objection against it came up only recently,” he said.

Destruction Of Mermaid – see the video below

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MAEAVOJHSg?fs=1]

Surprisingly, the Women’s organisation took a U-turn on Thursday and blamed the Registrar for taking a unilateral decision on the matter. The women’s organisation members had also decided not to talk to the mediapersons.Meanwhile, the employees of the Cusat, including women, turned up wearing black badges in protest against disfiguring the `mermaid’.Cusat Vice-Chancellor Ramchandran Theekedath was not available for comment.
Some time back, a row of palms were planted around the structure to block its from the view of the people visiting the compound. These palms had been felled recently, making the structure more visible.

V Santhakumar, associate professor at the Centre for Development Studies here, says the Cusat incident showed a “trend of re-moralisation” in the state. “Kerala’s prosperity has not been brought about through the traditional capitalistic transformation of society, but through means like trade, land deals and remittances. For an expatriate Keralite who sweats it out for years abroad, some meaning in life comes when he returns home and does things like donating to religious establishments”, says he.

Kanai Kunhiraman is furious that there are still some people like the ones who “tried to beat me up in 1969” when he sculpted the Yakshi, and says “education on a campus that does not even inculcate appreciation of art would be purposeless”.

State Education and Culture Minister M.A. Baby said here that he had ordered a probe into the matter.They held that there was a Supreme Court order against display of such “vulgar” art works in campuses of educational institutions.We students have a mind to take the Great sculpture as a rare artistic marvel and a masterpiece of real hard work .

Its a SHAME !!!!! We CUSATians Have the Blame !! React .. !! Respond …!!

Add Your Voice here !!

Sagarakanyaka – The disfigure ‘Mermaid’ at Cusat garden