E-Paper
82-year-old TN man builds statue in memory of his dog
Chennai: It’s a Hachiko story in reverse in a remote municipality in Tamil Nadu’s Sivaganga district where an 82-year-old man, Muthu, has built a statue in memory of his dog Tom Kumar
Chennai: It’s a Hachiko story in reverse in a remote municipality in Tamil Nadu’s Sivaganga district where an 82-year-old man, Muthu, has built a statue in memory of his dog Tom Kumar.
For Muthu, a former government employee, Tom Kumar came into his life when he retired a decade ago which led to a deep attachment between the man and the dog. Muthu’s nephew Manoj Kumar says that his younger brother bought Tom, a brown labrador, when he was 45 days old from Erode and brought him home. The siblings named him Tom, while Muthu added Kumar as his last name. “For us he was a beloved dog, but for my uncle he was life,” Manoj told HT. “We all know how he took care of the dog like a son. He wanted the following generations also to know the affection he had for the dog, which is why he decided to build the statue.”
Muthu has spent almost ₹1.5 lakh from his savings to build this statue. The dog lived with them for 11 years and died in January 2021. To coincide with Tom Kumar’s first death anniversary, the statue was put up this January. The statue is erected in a family-owned farm, 18 km away from their home in Manamadurai. “My uncle visits the statue at least twice a week. He goes by bus. When we accompany him, we take him by car. He’s too old now so he can’t travel often,” Manoj said.
Whenever the family visits the statue, they offer Tom Kumar his favourite food like pedigree and eggs and garland him. The farm’s watchman also regularly washes the statue and gives offerings on Tuesdays and Fridays, considered auspicious. The statue is already in a temple-like set up and the family plans to build a temple for Tom Kumar there.
