An artist’s rendition of Bhagavad Gita

THE WALLS of Gurgaon’s Civil Lines have been altered this year to tell the story of the Bhagavad Gita in an unconventional way through the fusion of Hindu mythology and science in art.

The drive from Civil Lines towards Rajiv Chowk has become a visual treat over the last month, as nine artists — part of a group called Chitryog — worked all day to adorn its walls with paintings.

The project was first commissioned to the group by the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG), with Joint Commissioner Rohit Yadav approaching their Art Director, Hunny Mor, in late November.

“The MCG wanted the walls to tell the story of the Gita in anticipation of the Gita Jayanti celebrations in the city, which were held in early December,” said Mor.

He then summoned eight artists of the group, who reside in different parts of the country, including Punjab, Jharkhand, and Mumbai, for brainstorming sessions.

“We were given a total area of 15,000 feet to work on, so we spent a significant amount of time making layouts and sketches. I did not want to tell the story in a conventional way, but wanted to use both the old and the new for the purpose,” said Mor.

As a result, what begins as straightforward scenes from the Bhagavad Gita eventually transcends into depictions of the Gita’s themes through paintings of man’s scientific achievements and discoveries.

“At first, the walls depict simple retellings of the Gita, with depictions of Draupadi and other characters. Eventually, the walls move towards scientific themes that are also used to emphasise on the themes of the Gita,” said Mor.

Elaborating on this, he said, “For instance, one of the walls depicts an astronaut throwing a boomerang, which then returns and hits him. This is supposed to portray the theme of karma, which is central to the Gita.”

Along with eight other artists - Susheel Dagar, Aditya Nandal, Arpita Saha, Rohit Kumar, Gaurav Lekhi, Nitesh Sisodia, Ravi Koranga, and Rishabh Bhardwaj - Mor started working on the walls on December 1.

“We are working on the walls free of cost, the MCG is only paying for the paint.we do not mind this because it is also an opportunity for us to showcase our work.”

Mor, however, said the obliviousness of visitors and residents of Gurgaon to the value of art, and need to respect and maintain it, can often be frustrating.

“We have also decorated the walls on Delhi-gurgaon Expressway for ‘Happening Haryana’, and at Tau Devi Lal Stadium for the Swarna Jayanti event, but it is very disappointing when we see people disrespecting that work,” he said.