Late mother comes alive at twin daughters’ wedding as silicon statue, leaves brides in tears

Patel got the statue made secretly and kept it on a stage at the wedding venue in Ranipara village. After the guests turned up, Patel climbed on the stage holding his daughters’ hands and unveiled the statue of a smiling Daxaben dressed in finery, making the brides teary-eyed. The sculpture was later placed on a chair when the marriage rituals were held.

Talking to The Indian Express, Piyush Patel said, “The marriage of our daughters were fixed when Daxaben was alive. Their wedding was her dream… So when the marriage preparations were going on, I thought of something to fill her absence.”

Through his friend, Sanjay Bhatt, Patel contacted artist Vibha Patel in Vadodara to make a sculpture of Daxaben. “We shared her photographs and gave her two months’ time. But I did not tell anyone about it. Today, seeing the statue, everybody felt that Daxaben personally came to bless our daughters… I did not want anyone to miss her.”

Sculpture artist Vibha Patel, who did fine arts at the MS University in Vadodara in 2006, took help from her teacher Sanjay Rajawar, to sculpt the statue.

Vibha, who did not reveal the expense involved in making the sculpture, said, “It was a challenge as the family’s sentiments were attached… The sculpture is made of silicon and fibres. We made the structure first in the standing posture and later molded it for sitting posture. We made the structure first with clay and later molded and had done casting with silicon. If proper care is taken, it will last for years.”