Standing stationary at the entrance of the city’s VGP Universal Kingdom Theme Park, he has attracted lakhs of visitors over the past more than three decades. Abdul Aziz, better known as the ‘Statue Man’, is a popular figure in Chennai.
Having started his career at the park way back in 1985, Aziz is now thinking of quitting. Aziz is struggling to survive ever since the lockdown was imposed in March. “Owing to the lockdown, the company is closed. I am still employed there, but I am not going to work since February. When I enquired with the management, they said they are likely to reopen the park from October 1. That is not confirmed, though. The last payment I received was in March. In April, I was given half the salary, but for the last five months, there has been no payment. I am forced to sell things to survive. None of the old staff working there have been paid in this lockdown period”.
When asked how he manages to stand for several hours without even a slight body movement, Aziz says self-discipline and hygiene has helped his body to take on all kinds of challenges. “The statue man’s job is difficult. The food I ate in my early years helped shape my body to battle tough conditions. I have the required height, weight, and body needed for such a job. I practice power yoga every morning and do other exercises to keep myself fit. But today’s generation is more inclined towards an unhealthy lifestyle, they like junk food, you cannot maintain a healthy body with that. People are not able to stand more than half an hour in one place, I used to stand seven hours a day. It is not just standing, you should not blink, you cannot eat or drink, you cannot use the toilet. It is similar to a mannequin in a showroom.”
V G P Ravidas, the managing director of the VGP Universal Kingdom, said they have prepared an SOP that includes all the guidelines issued by the government. He said the opening of theme parks will pose no risks as their properties are spread over several acres of land which will easily allow them to maintain social distancing.
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