Wearing his crisply ironed uniform with the Punjab Police’s classic “jhaalar wali pagg” (turban) neatly tied on his head, smiling Malkit Singh comfortably sits on the couch at his home in Ferozepur. Quickly, his five-year-old granddaughter Avneet arrives working, sits beside her grandfather and begins her chit-chat. The little lady shares each minute element of her day at college together with her grandpa, glances at him in awe and even holds his hand.
Right here comes the twist: Malkit Singh, a head constable with Punjab Police, had died nearly a decade in the past, a lot earlier than his granddaughter Avneet was born. The lady by no means noticed, met or felt the love of her grandfather in his lifetime. However all because of the impeccable talent of a Moga-based sculptor, Iqbal Singh, that the late policeman now sits in his son’s dwelling even after loss of life. The life-size statue of Malkit Singh, carved in carbon fibre with each minute element of how he truly seemed, has pumped a brand new life into the lives of the relations of the deceased policeman who can really feel he’s nonetheless round.
Iqbal Singh’s artwork helps many such households, particularly these of deceased policemen, in immortalising their family members, who’re no extra however saved alive nonetheless of their properties and hearts. The sculptor says that he’s getting many orders from the households of deceased Punjab Police cops who nonetheless need to really feel the presence of their beloved one of their dwelling, and that too sporting the uniform with pleasure.
Sikander Singh (28), son of Malkit Singh, says despite the fact that his father had died manner again in 2014 as a consequence of some sickness, he (Sikander) all the time had this remorse in his coronary heart that his daughter by no means met her grandfather. “Now when he sits in our front room, my daughter is speaking to him on a regular basis. She doesn’t get a reply however she is aware of how her grandfather seemed, and the way proud he was of sporting that uniform. She doesn’t depart for varsity with out saying bye to her dadaji. That’s after I really feel my determination to get this statue made was so proper.”
The household additionally wished that the statue wore Malkit Singh’s authentic uniform, and thus Iqbal Singh had to make sure that the measurements have been good.
The son says that the household was extraordinarily pleased with his father’s two-decade-long police service. “So every thing in his uniform, together with the turban, sneakers and his nameplate, needed to be good. We simply tried to make sure that we see our father day-after-day the best way we did when he was alive. All the pieces needed to be similar, apart from the statue can’t communicate,” he says.
A couple of months in the past, when Sikander Singh moved to his new home in Ferozepur, this was the shock that awaited his mom Kulwinder Kaur even earlier than they stepped in — a life-size statue of the late policeman was positioned on the couch.
“Solely my spouse and I knew that the statue was there. Seeing father sitting on couch as we stepped inside the brand new home, my mom and different elders within the household acquired emotional and hugged him. Earlier my daughter had seen my father solely in images, however that was the day when she noticed him ‘in particular person’ for the primary time,” says Sikander Singh.
Greater than 150 km away from Ferozepur, Jaswinder Sharma (49), at her dwelling in Daulatpur village of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr) of Punjab, buttons up the shirt of her husband, head constable Harmesh Kumar’s police uniform. She ensures his black sneakers are completely polished day-after-day and each time there’s a pageant or some other household event, her husband wears a kurta-pyjama.
That’s how the life-size statue of head constable Harmesh Kumar (53), who died in July final 12 months after struggling a cardiac arrest, has given a brand new lease of life to his spouse, who, in line with the couple’s son, was in deep shock after the policeman’s demise.
“My father and mom had a love marriage. After my father’s loss of life, my mom had forgotten to reside. She was respiratory however not dwelling. Issues have modified after the statue got here. My father is now once more part of our every day lives, be it any pageant or event. In my wedding ceremony, he was part of all of the rituals. We additionally took him to airport on wheelchair when my brother was going overseas,” says Karanvir Kumar, the late policeman’s son who acquired the statue made.
Sculptor Iqbal Singh says, “I’m into this occupation for nearly 20 years now. I’ve seen how households immortalise their family members and really feel their presence once more by getting these statues. The fantastic thing about carbon fibre statue is that we are able to create near-perfect facial options of the particular person. I additionally made the statue of singer Sidhu Moosewala after his loss of life. Each prices Rs 95,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh.”
However Karanvir Kumar sums up why the price right here hardly issues. “My mom once more has somebody with whom she opens her coronary heart to love earlier than. She resides once more.”
