Vadodara: Legendary Raja Ravi Varma’s dilapidated studio gets facelift

VADODARA: Walking through the hallowed room where legendary painter Raja Ravi Varma once splashed the canvas with vivid colours and created some of his best masterpieces, would be a reality soon.
The spacious studio nestled amid the lush green environs of the Laxmi Vilas Palace compound where Varma used to paint has been completely refurbished by the royal Gaekwad family. And they want to turn it into a tourist spot.
“It’s a piece of heritage as Varma, one of the greatest artists, used to make his paintings in this studio. Many tourists visit the Fatensingrao Museum near Motibaug Ground and this studio is located just a few hundred metres away.
“We want to make it a tourist spot too,” said royal scion Samarjitsinh Gaekwad. He added that in future, they would also consider hosting art exhibitions at this studio.
The studio was in a dilapidated condition for many years and its roof had almost collapsed. It was in 2014, that Gaekwad decided to take up renovation of the structure.
“The work was painstaking as we wanted to retain the original design. Some material from the earlier structure was also used during the renovation and the studio has come out really well,” Gaekwad told TOI.
The single-storey studio has exposed bricks and the roof is covered with earthen tiles while the beams inside holding the roof are made completely of wood.
The studio’s design allows a lot of natural light and even the power switch designs are of old era.
The renovation was co-funded by Indira Gandhi National Centre of Art (IGNCA) that has its office in Maharaja Fatehsinghrao Museum.
“For a period of three years, the IGNCA will have its office in this studio. But we are in talks with them for our projects too,” Gaekwad added.
The renovation of this studio began in February last year but the project got delayed due to Covid pandemic.