Iconic 10-Foot Baby Head Sculpture At Nariman Point To Be Replaced By Elephanta-Inspired Artwork

Mumbai: The giant 10-foot painted fibreglass baby head sculpture, an iconic artwork installed at the Nariman Point Traffic Island juxtaposing classical miniature iconography with scenes from contemporary Mumbai life, including the 26/11 terror attacks, is been removed. The artwork will now be replaced by a sculpture inspired from the historic stone elephant discovered on Gharapuri (Elephanta) Island, after which Mumbai’s iconic landmark derives its name.

New Sculpture Details

The new sculpture will be installed by Ceat Limited (an RPG Company), under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds- the same company which had installed the baby head sculpture in 2014. "The company applied to the BMC's garden cell for replacing the old structure with a new one. The concept note was presented in February, following which permission was granted. The artwork costs around Rs 1.5 to 2 crore and will be done under CSR," said a BMC officer.

As per the concept note, the new public artwork at Traffic Island situated at Nariman Point, is conceived as a dynamic and contemporary contribution to the city’s urban fabric, offering a fresh artistic vision that reflects and celebrates the vibrant spirit of Mumbai.

Concept Overview

"Dating back to the early medieval period and later relocated during the colonial era, the original elephant stands today as a displaced geological witness to the city’s layered past. In this proposed work, the elephant re-emerges as a truncated yet monumental stone body, carved and assembled in basalt and other stones to evoke both the materiality of the original sculpture and the deep geological foundations of Mumbai itself. The elephant functions simultaneously as nature, memory, and geography — a living ground upon which the contemporary city has been constructed. Leaning against this form rises a rigid vertical tower composed of heterogeneous stone slabs interspersed with commercially consumed metals. The tower references Mumbai’s accelerated vertical expansion and the material appetite of modern urban development. While it appears assertive and upward-driven, its structural dependence on the elephant reveals a critical paradox: the overgrown metropolis, despite its technological ambition, remains fundamentally reliant on the very natural resources and ecological systems it continues to fragment," the note says giving the project overview.

The approximate size of the Sculpture: Height of the Elephant: 5’ -6’

Height of the tower: 12’-15’

Overall width: 8’-10’

Thickness: 4’ -5’

Approximate weight of the sculpture: 20-30 tons

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