Only weeks after a musical tribute was organized for legendry Carnatic singer and Bharat Ratna awardee MS Subbulakshmi at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, singer and composer SP Balasubramaniam drew attention to the late artiste’s statue in Tirupati.  

SP Balasubramaniam took to Facebook on August 30 to highlight the poor maintenance of MS’ bronze statue.

“I almost cried looking at the unfortunate status of the statue of the divine singer. The strings to the taanpura she holds are broken, the shelter for the traffic constable and the pillar erected for the publicity hoarding obstructs the view. The worst part, the tanpura is used as pillar for the cables. What a shame,” he wrote on Facebook.

Though many users appreciated SPB’s gesture, some also criticized the singer for not trying to clean the statue himself.

Hours after posting the status update along with photographs of the statue, he wrote that he has indeed raised the matter with the Executive Officer and that he has promised to look into the matter.

The statue, installed by Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA) was unveiled in 2006 by then Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy at Poornakumbam circle in Tirupati.  

A senior TTD official told The Hindu that though the statue was under the purview of the Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA), TTD Executive Officer D. Sambasiva Rao had directed the Chief Engineer to make necessary repairs at the earliest.

2016 is the centenary year of the legendary singer’s birth anniversary.