City artists paint portraits of 16 captains with the spirit of hockey

Bhubaneswar: If the 16 hockey playing nations are fighting a great battle at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium to prove their artistry over the game of dribbling and the pace on artificial turf, the artists of Bhubaneswar are creating wonders with their masterstrokes to create an all-time wonders in murals and paintings on the walls across the city.

With the British women’s hockey team star Samantha Quek becoming emotional after seeing her own image drawn on a wall near the main hockey stadium recently, artists Satyabhama Majhi and co-artist Pinaki Ranjan Mohanty with their hard-working team members have painted the fly-over at Rasulgarh with the players’ life-like portraits.

“We are trying to show up 16 captains from 16 different countries as they are participating in Odisha Men’s Hockey World Cup, 2018. These players given their best in men’s hockey through their teams. This art work on the Rasulgarh Flyover is similarly a team effort by me, my co- artist Pinaki Ranjan Mohanty with 30 numbers of students from B.K, College of Art and Craft and Khalikote Art College,” said Satyabhama Majhi.

Saying that the concept behind these portraits is to welcome the international players to the Temple City of Bhubaneswar, she also added that the Indian philosophy of ‘atithi devo bhaba’ is reflected in our work which is dedicated to the spirit of hockey and how the State has promoted it with a unique and collective effort.

Pinaki said, “The city has come up with a colourful atmosphere and our work just near the entrance of the city will make the first impression in the minds of people, who will be entering the city from the Cuttack side.”

It can be noted here that right from the themes of hockey players to local themes, traditional motifs, nature, wildlife, marine life, women of substance, modern themes and others the city has painted its walls and flyovers with beautiful motifs.

Recently the Temple City saw world class murals by some of the finest contemporary 3D Street artists in the world such as Tracy Lee Stum, Anat Ronen, Zee Schindler, Julio Jimenez and Sayak Mitra who were brought in to the city by Bakul Foundation for the Street Art and Mural Project of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation. They created beautiful 3D art on the walls of the NH flyovers.