City’s famed semblance of World War II

The Triumph of Labour, also known as the Labour statue, is one of the first statues to be erected on the Marina Beach. Established at the northern end of the beach at the Anna Square opposite University of Madras, it is an important landmark of the city.

The statue shows four men toiling to move a rock, depicting the hard work of the labouring class. It bears a semblance to the famed World War II photograph of the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima by the American Marines. It was sculpted by famed artist Debi Prasad Roy Chowdhury and installed close to the site where the country’s first commemoration of May Day was held. The statue was mounted on the eve of the Republic Day in 1959, as part of the Kamaraj government’s drive to beautify the beach. The statue remains the focal point of May Day celebrations in the city.