Odisha capital paints rosy picture ahead of Hockey World Cup

Take a trip around Bhubaneswar and you’ll see that the Odisha capital is being prepared for possibly its greatest sporting festival yet, the 14th edition of the Hockey World Cup that will take place at the Kalinga Stadium here from November 28 to December 16.

Hoardings and posters have been put up all over the city, creating a buzz among the residents here that their city will stage the World Cup in a fortnight.

The most striking aspect of the tournament’s promotion is in the form of beautiful murals that now adorn the city walls in several major squares. Artists have painted these murals depicting hockey players from various countries in action with many of them also giving the 3D feel.

The flyover nearest to the Kalinga Stadium has former India captain and local hero Dilip Tirkey’s larger than life size mural looking at you.

As one gets closer to the tournament venue, one can see paintings of current Indian hockey stars such as skipper Manpreet Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh and Akashdeep Singh.

The murals are part of the beautification project under the Street Art and Murals Project (STAMP) of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation.

First Published: Nov 13, 2018 19:11 IST