Watch: Man eats banana artwork he purchased for Rs 52 crore in auction
Hong Kong: Chinese-born cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun, who made headlines earlier for purchasing a banana taped to a wall — an artwork he bought for $6.2 million (Rs 52.4 crore), has now eaten the fruit.
Standing in front of journalists and influencers gathered at a luxury Hong Kong hotel on Friday, Sun devoured the pricey banana as he called the piece “iconic” and drew parallels between art and cryptocurrency.
“It's much better than other bananas. It's really quite good," Sun said after eating the fruit. Interestingly, each attendee at the event was given a banana and a roll of duct tape as a souvenir.
Sun outbid six competitors during a recent Sotheby’s auction to claim the piece. “This is not just an artwork,” he said earlier. “It represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and cryptocurrency community."
While Sun gulped down millions of dollars in a few seconds, the vendor who sold the banana for the auction expressed disappointment over not receiving a substantial amount from the viral artwork. According to a report in The New York Times, the banana was originally sold by Shah Alam, a 74-year-old fruit seller, to the artist.
Although the banana art was intended as satire, Alam remains baffled by how it fetched such an exorbitant price. “Those who bought it, what kind of people are they? Do they not know what a banana is?” he questioned.
许多朋友问我这根香蕉的味道如何。老实说，对于一根有如此故事的香蕉，味道自然和普通香蕉不一样。我品尝出了一种100年前大麦克香蕉的味道。🍌 pic.twitter.com/ddo8pEjatx
— H.E. Justin Sun 🍌 (@justinsuntron) November 29, 2024
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Elephant calf brought from Bijnor kept under care at Pilibhit Tiger Reserve
Pilibhit (PTI): A 19-day-old elephant calf, brought from Bijnor, was placed under care at the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) on Sunday, an official said and added that the calf got separated from its mother in the forest area of Bijnor.
The calf was born on December 2 in the Bijnor forest area and got separated from its mother shortly after birth, the official said.
The forest department made several attempts to reunite it with its mother, but without any success. To ensure the calf's safety and better care, it was decided to transfer it to the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve on the instructions of senior officials.
On Saturday, Deputy Director Manish Singh received the calf. Special arrangements have been made in the reserve for its care. It has been kept in a safe and clean environment to provide it with a natural setting and protect it from external noise and disturbances.
Singh told reporters that raising an 19-day-old calf is challenging.
It requires a special diet as a substitute for mother's milk and constant monitoring.
He said a special team has been formed to provide 24-hour care. Since the calf is very young, it is being cared for like a newborn baby.
According to Singh, the primary responsibility for monitoring the calf's health has been entrusted to PTR's veterinarian, Dr Daksh Gangwar. Under his supervision, a complete record of the calf's health checkups, diet, and body temperature is being maintained. The team is ensuring that the calf does not contract any infection.
