Foot and mouth painting artists to beautify heritage coaches

Foot and mouth painting artists to beautify heritage coaches

Foot and mouth painting artists will soon have their creative talent reaching out to a larger audience across the country. According to sources, the Indian Railways has invited differently abled artists to showcase their works on heritage coaches operated on Metre Gauge (MG) and Narrow Gauge (NG) routes such as the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and Kalka-Simla Railway, among others.

Accepting a proposal of the Foot and Mouth Painting Artists Foundation, the Railway Board has advised General Managers of all Zonal Railways to try out the canvas oil painting works of the artists in heritage coaches of MG/NG routes. The theme of the paintings would be relevant to the route where the trains are operated.

“The proposal of canvas oil painting by Foot and Mouth Painting Artists in coaches is a welcome step in providing a unique identity to the rolling stock. We are in touch with the foundation to take this initiative forward. They [the artists] can also give their paintings in vinyl wrapping format, which can be pasted on the coaches, so that the gloss value of the work can be maintained over a period of time,” a senior railway official said.

Railway design engineers were in consultation with the artists to check whether the paint was compatible to the one used by the railways on coaches. Railway coaching paint specifications incorporate aspects such as anti-corrosion, fire-retardant and gloss value. Further proliferation of the concept to other trains and establishments like railway stations, buildings and guesthouses would depend on passenger feedback, the sources added.

Uttam Kumar Bharadwaj, president, Foot and Mouth Painting Artists Foundation, said there were 370 artists in the group who were differently abled either by birth or lost their hands in accidents. “Our motto is not to go around seeking financial support, but to make each one of us self-dependent. We wrote to the Prime Minister and other authorities seeking an opportunity for such artists by providing a platform to present their aesthetic talent.”