Mouth and foot painting artists will soon have their creative talent reaching out to a larger audience across the country. According to sources, the Indian Railways has invited differently abled artists to showcase their works on heritage coaches operated on the Metre Gauge (MG) and Narrow Gauge (NG) routes, such as the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and the Kalka-Shimla Railway.
Accepting a proposal of the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists Association, the Railway Board has advised the General Managers of all Zonal Railways to try out the canvas oil painting works of the artists in heritage coaches running on the MG/NG routes. The theme of the paintings would be relevant to the routes on which the trains are operated. “The proposal of canvas oil painting by mouth and foot painting artists in coaches is a welcome step towards providing a unique identity to the rolling stock. We are in touch with the foundation to take this initiative forward. They [the artists] can also give their paintings in the vinyl wrapping format, which can be pasted on the coaches, so that the gloss value of the work can be maintained over a period of time,” a senior railway official said.
Railway design engineers were in consultation with the artists to check whether the paint was compatible with the one used by the railways on coaches.
Railway coaching paint specifications incorporate aspects such as anti-corrosion, fire-retardant and gloss value. The concept would be introduced in other trains and establishments, such as railway stations, buildings and guesthouses, depending on passenger feedback, the sources added.
Uttam Kumar Bharadwaj, president, Mouth and Foot Painting Artists Association, said there were 370 artists in the group who were differently abled either by birth or lost their hands in accidents. “Our motto is not to go around seeking financial support, but to make each one of us self-dependent. We wrote to the Prime Minister and other authorities seeking an opportunity for such artists to present their aesthetic talent.”
