SALEM: A 60-year-old ragpicker had spent all his life saving of Rs 10 lakh to buy a piece of land to erect his own statue. Nallathambi earns a living by picking discarded bottles on the streets. “When I was young, I wanted to make a name for myself. I wanted a statue of my own. I have fulfilled my dream now,” said the man who walked away from his family 20 years ago.
With all the money he had saved right from his days as a mason, who earns between Rs 250 and Rs 300 every day now, purchased two plots on Vazhapadi-Belur village road. He approached a local sculptor and paid him Rs 1 lakh to get a life-size statue ready. He did not want to share his money with anyone, not even his family. He wanted to spend it entirely on fulfilling his dream. Nallathambi erected the statue on his own land on Sunday, complete with a pedestal and a concrete canopy. Though curious onlookers have started flocking the place, the man who had given life to his dream is planning a grand, formal inauguration soon.
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