The Bhubaneswar railway station is gradually turning into an art gallery. In an event organised by the Bakul Foundation, the East Coast Railway and the lions Club, 30 young artists painted more than 1,000 square feet on Platform 6 at the railway station on Wednesday.
The young team of artists led by Satyabhama Majhi comprised students of the BK College of Art and the Utkal University of Culture and freelancers.
The paintings were on the theme of “Gateway to Odisha” and each of the 13 panels painted depicted elements that different districts are famous for, whether it is natural or artistic creation.
But then the images are not the stereotypical reproduction of arts and crafts of Odisha. It was a classic case of tradition shaped and reinterpreted through contemporary art while retaining the elements of tradition.
For instance, Sambalpur was represented through the Sambalpuri textile design, which was draped around the bells of Ghanteswari, a temple near Sambapur famous for its bells. Similarly, a crocodile was seen sliding out of a deep bucket, which signified the depth of Gahirmatha and represented natural beauty with water and forest.
Sibadas, while representing Cuttack, portrayed the irony that the Barabati Fort gave its name to the Barabati Stadium, but now it was the floodlights of the stadium which was lighting up and drawing attention to the fort.
Moreover, the artists were integrating presentation of Odisha through their own contemporary artistic engagement. Hence, Nirupama, who works with fabric and a mixture of media, presented the Pipli appliqué, and Sanjulata, who works with cards, painted the traditional Ganjapa playing cards for Ganjam. Ayushi and Julius, who love doodling, used that form to introduce people to Odisha.
Some of the paintings forced the viewer to think as well. For instance, a bright yellow bulb seemed mysterious. A bright yellow bulb for instance stood for Deogarh, which was the first area in Odisha to get electricity.
Similarly, a beautiful labyrinth of mustards stood for the path created by the Puri king, who had gone to see Nilamadhab in Nayagarh blindfolded but later found his way again when the mustard plants had grown.
This is part of a larger plan of the Bakul Foundation and the East Coast Railway to convert the railway station into an art station. There are plans to paint elements from the 29 other districts that have not been represented yet on the walls of Platform 6.
There are also plans to paint the staircases and ceilings and develop the station into a creative space. ECoRWWO Khurda Road Division president Archana Singh said, “The Railways welcomes other groups to develop the other stations artistically as well.”
This was in continuation of an earlier activity in October last year in which the Bakul and the ECoR had mobilised schoolchildren to paint the outside wall of the railway station towards Cuttack Road.