Agra: Artists pick up brush to paint city walls to welcome Trump

AGRA: The visit by US president Donald Trump and his wife Melania in Agra on February 24 has given artists a chance to literally paint the walls on the VVIP route in the city in a hue of colours.
Teams of artists from Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Agra College and an NGO, ‘India Rising’, are now busy decorating the walls on the route to be taken by the couple with a series of messages and paintings. A proposal to the effect was made by the district administration and Agra Municipal Corporation (AMC) in a bid to spruce up the city for the visitors.
The themes vary from Prime Minister Narendra Modi shaking hands with president Trump, flags of US and India, Mahatma Gandhi and depiction of Swachh Bharat Mission.
These paintings on the VVIP route from Kheria Airbase to the Taj Mahal also carry messages like “Jai Shri Krishna”, “Radhey, Radhey Trump” and “Athithi Devo Bhava (the guest is god)”. These messages are being painted on the walls on both sides of the road.
The artists said the work would be completed by Sunday evening.
Shardul Mishra, a teacher at Agra University’s Institute of Fine Arts. said, “A team of 20 students and teachers are making wall paintings on the VVIP route. We will be covering 150 stretches of wall on both sides of the road.”
Sandeep Agarwal, president of ‘India Rising’, said, “We are voluntarily making wall paintings to welcome the US president. District authorities have asked us to use our creativity to make the visit of the state guest look as a festive occasion.”