Brushing up city, BBMP’s mural way

Brushing up city, BBMP’s mural way
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Lively, multi-coloured paintings on city walls are bringing some cheer to the otherwise pedestrian cityscape. The broad theme of these art works is Karnataka Vaibhava, tourist spots and monuments from across the state as well as historical events. All are showcased with elan.
The murals bear a striking resemblance to the original, thanks to the painstaking details. Along with tourist spots, public service messages like ‘Conserve Water’ and ‘Drive Safely’ drive home the need to work for the overall welfare of society. There’s a specific theme for each of the eight BBMP zones.
For long, Palike workers would tear down film posters glued to public property, only to have to come back to the spot and do the same thing a few days later. BBMP commissioner Bharat Lal Meena came up with this creative solution to put an end to this menace.
The initiative began on August 15 and will continue till the city is covered. The BBMP will continue to paint all available space, even private walls with the owners’ permission, till the entire city is beautified.
WEST ZONE: Professional artists have gone all out with their paint brushes. The motifs around Corporation Circle near BBMP headquarters have mud-coloured Warli paintings. According to chief engineer (west) B T Ramesh: “We’ve covered a lot of areas, especially the bus routes. Gandhinagar, Malleswaram, Planetarium Road, Mehkri Circle and roads with high-traffic density have been selected and the theme is natural heritage and culture.” The walls that enclose Lalbagh near Ashoka Pillar have picturesque paintings of scenes from within the park along with public service announcements.
NORTH ZONE: Yelahanka, Kogilu Road and Alcentra Road towards the Bengaluru International Airport are filled with paintings of famous monuments, which are designed to catch the eye of tourists coming from the airport. Closer to the airport are historical war murals which leave onlookers spellbound.
EAST ZONE: The Cubbon Park entrance, K R Circle, Vasanthnagar railway underpass and Airport Road have murals of Bangalore’s heritge.
SOUTH ZONE: BBMP intends to have slogans, Hubli’s heritage, and city and world heritage on walls here, but on a smaller scale. Bannerghatta Road towards the national park is adorned with painting of animals.