CHENNAI: An 82-year-old man has built a life-size marble statue in memory of his dog Tom Kumar in a remote municipality in Tamil Nadu’s Sivaganga district.
For Muthu, a former government employee, Tom Kumar, a brown labrador, came into his life when he retired a decade ago leading to a deep attachment between the man and the dog.
Muthu’s nephew Manoj Kumar said that his younger brother bought Tom, when he was 45 days old from Erode. 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 unveiled this January. The statue is erected in a family-owned farm, 18km away from their home in Manamadurai.
“My uncle visits him (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.”
{{/usCountry}}“My uncle visits him (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.”
{{/usCountry}}Whenever the family visits, they offer Tom Kumar his favourite food like Pedigree and eggs and garland him. The farm’s watchman 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 Tom Kumar his own temple there.