It is late afternoon and the tracks at Kachiguda Railway Station are empty. While some travellers with luggage halt at the food stalls, some wait on the concrete benches. Everything seems normal at the station until you take a look at a panel shining bright on a wall near the entrance. It’s a spectacular Cheriyal mural! Many such murals — near ticket counters and at waiting halls — give the Kachiguda station a facelift like nothing in the past did.
Railways’ initiative
Cheriyal artists Ganesh Nagilla, Venkataramana Nakash and Pavan Kumar Nakash are the names behind the new look. They were roped in for an initiative by railways to beautify stations selected from 63 zones across the the country. Ganesh shares, “Officials liked our work in Mahila Pranganam and the bridge in Warangal. I bagged this contract and brought in my friends Venkat and Pavan.” The trio’s first project was Secunderabad where they worked on themes related to weddings in Telangana. The artistes worked at Secunderabad station for three months and were rewarded for their hard work with a third prize among these zones.
After this, the Hyderabad DRM asked them to create a new look at Kachiguda, states Ganesh. “We have been working here since April 29; its almost complete. The focus has been to bring out vibrancy of Telangana people and their lifestyle especially those living in the villages. We work non-stop with just an hour for lunch break,” adds Pavan.
The trio have shared a strong bond for long. Ganesh learnt Cheriyal art from Venkataramana’s father Chandraiah. “We have been together since childhood and work together. We share our inputs, design and feedback. It helps as each can add value to the design. Since we have no disagreements or ego issues, there are no hassles in working together. Also, if we work together, our three families can live happily.”
Story of bandla Bonalu
The airconditioned waiting hall tells the story of Bandla Bonalu, against a vibrant red background. “Not many in the city are aware about Bandla Bonalu,” says Venkataramana. “Villagers decorate their carts and the whole family along with Potharaju go to the village temple to pay obeisance to the goddess.” Ganesh explains that the use of red in the background is a 500-year-old Cheriyal art tradition that they follow. Each one of them draw a sketch and move on to the other drawing, hiring people to fill the colour in drawings.
The artwork near the entrance presents a lively Bathukamma theme. Another artwork shows a day in the life of a family living in village with girls on a swing and two women grinding on an old-fashioned stone wheel. The artists point out the uniqueness of a Cheriyal scroll is that the artwork can be done on large walls.
They confess they initially hesitated as they had never created artwork in a public space. Also they had to climb up high walls to execute the works, so they were quite unsure of how it would finally turn out. “We were game to put in any kind of hard work; once the designs started, the work progressed smoothly. Appreciation of travellers and visitors to the station was a big boost ,” they share.
While it is heartening that more number of people will engage with their work, there is also the fear of mischief-mongers vandalising the art. Ganesh is confident it will not happen. “These are acrylic colours and the art work has been done a little higher on the wall.”
So, next time you have a train to catch at Kachiguda station, start off early to catch the Cheriyal stories.
