Municipal Corporation of Gurugram's office walls come alive with Madhubani paintings

Graffiti and government offices might not always go hand-in-hand, but next time you drive by the office of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) in Civil Lines, you’ll be in for a visual treat. The boundary walls of the complex are adorned with colourful Madhubani paintings depicting scenes of Krishna-leela and local festivals from the Madhubani region. The MCG has commissioned Madhubani artists from Bihar to paint the walls of all official buildings in the city as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission. The MCG office – colloquially known as the Nagar Nigam Bhavan – has been the first of the buildings to be a part of this beautification drive. The painting work began last week and concluded on Tuesday morning at the complex. Hari Ram, one of the artists who painted the walls, tells us, “We have painted scenes from Indian mythology including Radha-Krishna’s tale and from the festival of Sama Chakeva – a festival for brothers and sisters popular in the Maithili region of UP-Bihar – apart from scenes of nature. This is our bid to showcase the Madhubani culture to people of Gurgaon.” The artists will soon start work on other buildings in the city as well and officials are finalising where all the work will begin next week. MCG Commissioner Yashpal Yadav says, “We are trying to give Gurgaon a new, vibrant look with the help of these artists. We will start with offices where a lot of public dealing happens so that visitors see vibrant, beautiful offices on their visit. The work will continue through the year till all official buildings in the city are beautified.”