Bhubaneswar: The walls along some major roads in the city will soon sport a colourful look as the BMC has initiated steps to beautify the walls on the theme of the Men’s World Cup Hockey Tournament.
The work near AG Square portraying Olly, the mascot of the tournament, has already started attracting public attention.
It may be noted that Olly has become the mascot of sports in the state, as the sea turtle Olive Ridley is known across the world for its mass nesting along Odisha coast.
After the success of the beautification project undertaken during the Asian Athletics Championship last year, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has awarded the contract to beautify walls to 10 agencies, said sources.
The project is being undertaken in connection with the Men’s Hockey World Cup-2018.
The work is being executed under the Street Art and Murals Project (STAMP). Recently, they did the first-of-its-kind public art event at the BDA Park (Smart Park) in Sahid Nagar.
With facilities like graffiti walls, amphitheatre and dedicated spaces for community gardening, this park is being developed on child-friendly lines. The hockey event has added vibrancy to parks and is constructively engaging citizens.
The BMC, after a survey, has identified 40 km of roads for wall paintings, murals and street art. The BMC has decided to adopt a two-stage process for awarding contracts.
The artists and the groups allotted roads for beautification are Bakul Foundation, Gopal Krushna Rath, Satyabhama Majhi, Virtu Communications, Pinaki Ranjan Mohanty, Rashmi Ranjan Jena, Krutika, Mastermind, Brushing Point and Odisha Modern Art Gallery.
The roads selected are the flyovers from Vani Vihar to Jaydev Vihar, Airport to Jaydev Vihar, Governor’s House to Fire Station via Delta Square and Siripur Square to Fire Station Square.
The themes of the artists may differ, but the central theme revolves around Hockey and Odisha’s contributions to the game.
Recently, artists of Bakul Foundation had collaborated with BSCL and UNFPA to paint the walls at Shanti Nagar near Mali Sahi and the Telugu Basti near Sahid Nagar with messages on cleanliness and child labour.
They have also taken up an initiative to beautify the Bhubaneswar Railway Station, Jaydev Vihar, Rajmahal Square, Acharya Vihar and Vani Vihar and have transformed them into ‘art places.’