Wall paintings with a message adorn 5-km corridor ahead of boat race   

KOCHI

The combined effort by artists, local residents, and children who embarked on an endeavour in October to adorn walls and public spaces on either side of the Madavana-Panangad NH Bypass stretch with paintings was worth it, with the approximately 5-km corridor east of the Edappally-Aroor NH Bypass wearing a new, lively look.

The endeavour was taken up as a prelude to a boat race co-hosted by the Kumbalam grama panchayat that will be held on Sunday. The paintings highlight, among others, the need to protect the environment, women’s safety, and drug awareness.

“We executed the paintings in two phases, starting with data collection on the life of people living in what was an area where fishing and farming were the main sources of livelihood,” said Vishnupriyan from Trespassers, a collective of artists who completed studies in fine arts at Sree Sankaracharya University, Kalady, and executed painting and art works in various States.

Those on a leisurely drive through the stretch can see tastefully done paintings of fish, peacocks and other birds, a variety of flowers, camaraderie among children and youth, and Kerala’s art forms, even as cutouts of FIFA players stare from vantage points at visitors.

“The paintings began from near a ‘grameena vayanasala’ in the locality, with myths about the area being the main theme. The unique farming practices to withstand inundation during rainy weather and many allied aspects found resonance in our works,” he said.

They were helped in the endeavour, initially by artists from the locality. Ordinary folks and even children joined them soon after, and the work often extended till midnight. Among the aims was to popularise tourism in the area, with the boat race as the peg.

The efforts of the grama panchayat were supplemented by Thanal Foundation and Rotary Club of South Kochi. Yet another endeavour was the cleaning up of a waterbody spread over 12 sq km in the area. The visitors who viewed the extensive paintings included Venu Rajamony, Officer on Special Duty (External Cooperation), of Government of Kerala, and former diplomat.