A ragpicker in India has splurged Rs10 lakh (over RM56,000) to erect a statue of himself, on a plot of land he had purchased for the purpose.

According to a Times of India report, A Nallathambi, from Salem district in Tamil Nadu, has fulfilled his lifelong dream of making a name for himself, by doing so.

"I have a statue of my own. I have now fulfilled my dream," said the 60-year-old who used to work as a mason, but quit the profession and left his family around 20 years ago.

Nallathambi started picking discarded waste and bottles since then, and used to earn between Rs250 and Rs300 daily.

With that money and all the money he had saved when he was working as a mason (Nallathambi did not provide for his family), he purchased two plots of land on the Vazhapadi-Belur village road.

Once he got the land, Nallathambi commissioned a local sculptor to erect a five-feet statue of himself, which cost about Rs1 lakh (about RM5,600). The statue and the plots of land cost about Rs10 lakhs.

The completed statue was installed on one of the plots of land last Sunday, complete with a pedestal and a concrete canopy. It has since attracted a steady stream of curious visitors, and Nallathambi plans to formally inaugurate the statue soon.


Source: Times of India
Photo source: Times of India, indiaglitz.com