Kerala - Kozhikode   

Murals etching a comeback

— Photo: S. Ramesh Kurup

A REVIVAL: A scene from the mural painting workshop at the S.K. Pottekkad cultural centre in Kozhikode.

Kozhikode: The gentle shade of the huge ‘Elanji’ (bullet wood) tree in the courtyard of the S.K. Pottekkatt Cultural Centre on Tuesday looked like the modern version of a ‘Gurukulam.’

Students, largely women in their thirties, gathered around K.R. Babu, mural expert, listening avidly to his valuable tips on doing murals. They gazed keenly at the intricate shadings he effortlessly drew on a canvas.

It was the second day of a three-day mural workshop organised by the centre under the aegis of its Women’s Forum.

The participants varied from homemakers to working women and fashion designers to Vastu consultants. “It is heartening that the traditional art form of Kerala has an increased number of takers these days,” says Mr. Babu, Head of the Department of Mural Painting at the Malayala Kalagramam, Mahe.

He feels that mural as an art form is in the path of a revival. “The new generation is slowly realising its richness as an art form and wanting to discover its diverse potentials, in the changing art scenario,” he says.

Mr. Babu says businesses are increasingly buying murals.

“Big hotels and resorts prefer massive murals on their walls nowadays, which has shot up the market of mural painting,” he says. “Once the subjective elements are introduced, murals can also be a major tool of creative expressions.”

Most participants at the workshop are either drawing teachers or aspiring painters. V. Sheeba from Ramanattukara has come to explore the potential of murals in fashion designing.

“The elaborate and intricate style of murals has immense possibilities in fashion designing,” says Ms. Sheeba, fashion designer and expert in fabric painting.

C.S. Nambiar, Vastu consultant and nature club activist from Wayanad, feels that mural is an art form closer to nature. “I wanted to explore its possibilities in Vastu as well,” Mr. Nambiar says.

A few college students are also participating in the workshop.

“The response was so immense that we had to restrict the number of participants to 40,” says Premaja Baburaj, one of the organisers.

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