Painters deck up Bhubaneswar with hockey artwork

BHUBANESWAR: The moment you arrive in the Odisha capital, what are bound to catch your attention are the paintings and murals that adorn the walls along the sidewalks, the underpasses and walls of the flyovers.
From players, present and past, to images that celebrate the culture of Odisha, to beautiful designs, they are everywhere. This process of beautification has been going on for years now and it has completely transformed the city.
During the last World Cup, former England women’s hockey player Sam Quek was so impressed with one of her paintings that she personally went and met the painter who painted it. This time, too, there are a huge number of artists who have been brought in to decorate the city with such works of art.
Among them are four friends who just completed their post-graduation from Utkal University of Culture in December last year. They are Prasanna Kumar Rout from Kendrapara, Deepak Kumar Barik from Jajpur, Narendra Kumar Majhi from Mayurbhanj and Ballav Kishore Hansda from Paradip.
The four of them, along with a few others, have been drawing the faces of the 16 captains across the walls of Jaydev Vihar flyover and the drawings are beyond beautiful.
“I am looking for jobs currently but since I am free at the moment, I took up this project,” said Prasanna who wants to become an animation and caricature artist in the future.
They earn anywhere between Rs 800 and Rs 2,500 for a day’s work depending on the quality of their art. “It’s good enough for pocket money. I want to save this and then get admitted to a good animation institute and make my dreams come true,” Prasanna further added.
Unlike Prasanna, his friend Deepak wants to work in a gallery and hopes to get a break after this. “I have applied for a scholarship at an academy and maybe after this I will be able to go and train there,” said the 23-year-old.
Beside the four of them, there’s Samir and Sanjay Mishra and the two have been working on another side of the flyover. While Samir is still young, Sanjay has been wall painting and making murals for as many as 33 years. A student of Bhadrak College of Art and Crafts, Sanjay has worked across the country and is more than happy with the opportunity that the city has given him.