Various parts of the city have witnessed several beautification drives over the past few years. But poor maintenance has always remained a problem. This objet d’art on a pavement along Shyamnagar Road in South Dum Dum Municipality serves as a clothes drying stand for people
All photographs by Amit DattaThe condition of other beautiful sculptures put up on the stretch during a beautification drive is no better. Wild undergrowth and years of neglect have unsettled their bases making them recline at various angles
Even stone chips brought to repair roads are indiscriminately dumped over these sculptures with scant regard for their safety
With one arm gone, this sculpture stands mutilated with water drums too close
And yet these two sculptures, left at the mercy of people, can only pray not to get toppled over. Only last week, the case of defacement of wall graffiti on a 1.2-kilometre stretch of Strand Road surfaced. Artist Shuvaprasanna had then remarked: ‘Bengalis love and often encourage art, but we do not know how to preserve it. They love to create and then forget about it to jump on to the next creation’