“Over 39 days in Ayodhya, we have made three murals — one depicting the vanvas (Ram’s exile), Hanuman captured by Ravan, and another on Kumbhkaran — made using cement, fibre mat and sand. We are grateful to the lord for engaging us in the Ram temple festivities,” says Kumar, a fine arts student from Kanpur.
Like him, there are five teams of artists from different parts of the country who are promoting the life of Lord Ram through the ideals of the Ramayana in the figurative mural style. In all, 80 such murals will come up alongside the walls on this 2km stretch that joins the highway to the Ramjanmabhoomi between Saket petrol pump and Lata Mangeshkar Chowk.
“There are different pieces of cement that have numbers on it. The artists are creating pieces with the framework (from the Ramayana) given to them by the government,” says Mujhara, a worker from West Bengal.
Besides, a wall painting workshop in Ayodhya Dham will also be organised by the government. “About 40 artists are engaged in painting these walls covering 3,000 square feet near the Maharshi Valmiki international airport, 1,500 square feet of the collectorate building and 1,200 square feet of the irrigation department,” says director, UP Lalit Kala Akademi, Shraddha Shukla.
Sand art portraying Lord Ram along the banks of the Saryu river is already underway by renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik.
The department of culture has also organised an exhibition showcasing Ram Bal lila and diverse artworks, as well as other programmes supported by the Asia Delphic Council.
A statue of Maharshi Valmiki will be installed at the airport and statues of Lord Surya and Lord Ganesh made from Odisha sandstone at Surya and Ganesha Kund respectively.
An exhibition of sculpture and painting will be open till Jan 26. A three-day photography competition beginning Jan 20 will also be held.
(Photo Credit: Manoj Chhabra)
