THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Arteria Trivandrum - 2014, an ambitious project to beautify city walls along the Kowdiar- East Fort stretch with paintings had its logo release done by Tourism Minister A P Anilkumar along with sculptor Kanayi Kunhiraman and District Collector Biju Prabhakar here on Thursday. The project is a joint effort of Tourism Department and District Administration.
Speaking at the programme, Biju Prabhakar said the project is expected to make a cultural shift. “Paintings which convey the tradition of Thiruvananthapuram would make the walls attractive, along with creating a big canvas for artists to showcase their talent. Artists, including veterans and beginners, will be engaged in the work,” said Biju. He expressed the hope that the method, employed in many countries across the world, will be well-received in the city too.
Along with compound walls facing the road, exterior of tall buildings would also be beautified. Sponsorship of establishments would be ensured to drum up funds for the works.
Speaking on the occasion, Kanayi said the city, a place where we live in, should be considered as our own home. “What we see is a tendency to spoil the city walls with posters. In this project we are doing a task like decorating our homes,” he said. Minister Anilkumar ensured all support from the Tourism Department.
The first phase, painting works will commence on August 16, to be completed in a month’s time. As a prelude, preliminary works of polishing the wall surfaces will commence by August 10 itself. In the beginning, 10 artists led by Kanayi would be engaged in the work. The proect is likely to start from the walls of University Stadium. When phase one is over, more spaces will be selected and included in the project to be done in a year.