The damage was the second to the statue, the first being an attack of vandalism in 1996.

The sight of the remnant of the statue for the last eight months reminds one of 'the trunkless legs of Ozymandias on a pedestal'.

'Duronto' the bronze-cast statue was sculpted in a lost-wax method using a wax model coated with a material with a high melting point, whereby the wax is melted and replaced by the molten metal.

The original statue is of a child running with a wheel alongside it, symbolises the exuberance and innocence of a child.

Left with only a leg and wheel on the pedestal, the torn down parts of the statue were stored on the roof of the academy building.

The Daily Star quoting the director of the academy reported in November that the authorities were eager to repair it but needed the sculptor's supervision.

He said the academy authority hesitated at first to grant the repair cost estimated by sculptor Sultanul Islam, but later agreed and contacted him.

The sculptor denied this saying he had not received any formal letter from the academy.

With the confusion and disagreements coming to an end, Sultanul Islam started the repair work on Tuesday last.

The broken parts of the statue were welded together and washed by acid.

"Shishu Academy has a long friendly relationship with the sculpture -- a symbol of dynamism of a child," said Md. Feroz Salahuddin, Shishu Academy's director. "I feel relieved that we have it repaired it now," he said.

Islam, who created 'Duronto' in 1982 said that though repair work is being done, it would not be possible to retrieve its original outlook. There will be spots visible on it.

"This is a work of art and once it is broken, you cannot expect the original effect even if you mend it," he said.