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Arnos Vale Cemetery in Bristol, UK at a commemoration event to mark the 180th anniversary of his death September 27, 1833.

Every year, this south-west English town holds a commemoration event to mark the anniversary of Roy’s death in Arnos Vale, where his remains were interred in an Indian-style tomb built by Dwarkanath Tagore in 1843.

Describing the ivory bust, art historian David Wilson Sunday said it was made in 1832 by the noted nineteenth century English ivory carver, Benjamin Cheverton (1796-1876).

The ivory bust is a replica of a bigger bust by noted English sculptor George Clarke (1796-1842), for whom Roy sat for in London. Roy arrived in Liverpool in April 1831 and died in Bristol in 1833.

“Rammohun Roy had a dislike of portraits and personal adulation, but agreed to sit to the sculptor as a favour to Basil Montagu, whose own bust had earlier been carved by Clarke,” Wilson said. “Montagu was a friend of Rammohun Roy, and held literary soirees at his house in Bedford Square, very near to the house of the Hare bothers at which Rammohun Roy lived while in London”.

Wilson said that details about the ivory bust were traced after nearly six months of research after he was approached by the owner who wanted to remain anonymous.

The owner also consulted local historian Carla Contractor, who has led the commemoration event in the Arnos Vale cemetery for the last 25 years. She described the ivory bust as “magnificent, absolutely beautiful”.

It is considered as the best and most accurate three-dimensional likeness of Rammohun Roy.

Clarke’s bust of Rammohun Roy is said to be missing, but a life-size plaster cast replica of the bust made by Clarke, since damaged and painted white to resemble marble, is in the library of the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj in Kolkata, the gift in 1936 of a descendant of Dwarkanath Tagore.

“Rammohun Roy had his features immortalised by one of the greatest artists of the day, George Clarke, and therefore Cheverton’s exact replica in ivory of Clarke’s missing bust is very significant in the iconography of Rammohun Roy,” said Wilson.

“It is the best and most accurate threedimensional likeness of Rammohun Roy in existence, and it is probably the most exotic, interesting and important of all ivory busts made by Cheverton,” he added.

The event was attended by a large gathering that included the Lord Mayor of Bristol, members of the Brahmo Samaj in London and several members of the Indian and Bangladeshi communities in Bristol and other parts of Britain.

A bust depicting Rammohun Roy presented by the former West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu in 1995 is placed in the Council house in the city centre. Nearby, a life-size statue of Roy by noted sculptor Niranjan Pradhan was installed in 1997, the 50th anniversary of India’s independence.

IIT Delhi brightens up south Delhi slum

The students of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Delhi will take up the task of illuminating the slums in Munirka, south Delhi through a solar lighting project, an official statement said recently.

IIT-Delhi is working on the project in collaboration with My Sister Foundation of India, a non-governmental organisation (NGO).

The project titled ‘Liter of Light’ has already provided 55W light to three households in the slums.

“The plastic coke and water bottles are filled with water and suspended from the roof of houses. With the simple concept of refraction of light from denser to rarer medium, the light is generated through the light from the sun,” said Revant Soni, a student working on the project.

In the slums, shanties are so close to each other that hardly any sunlight reaches there, forcing dwellers to keep the lights on, even in daytime.

With these bottles, the electricity consumption will be cut down. The project has been put into implementation following the research undertaken for three months.

“The first three installations were done by the students, but now we have explained the procedure of installation to the community members and they would be completing the project,” added Soni.

Around 25 students, including volunteers of IIT-Delhi, have worked for the development of the project.

Dhoni’s

New Hairstyle A Rage Among Fans

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s new mohawk hairstyle has become a rage among his fans in the cricketer’s hometown of Ranchi.

From sporting long locks to the latest buzz cut, the Chennai Super Kings skipper has been adventurous with his hairstyles. He revealed his new hairstyle when he took off his helmet while wicket keeping against the Titans at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi recently.

The new look reminded the fans of soccer stars David Beckham and Mario Balotelli. When Dhoni made his international debut he had long locks, which were also praised by former Pakistani president Parvez Musharraf.

Sources said that it was celebrity hair stylist Sapna Bhavnani, who was a contestant in the sixth season of Big Boss, who gave the new cut to Dhoni.

“Dhoni is Dhoni and he looks great whatever hair style he keeps,” said Amrit Raj, a die-hard Dhoni fan. IANS