Dolphins to fish: Tarnaka Metro Station gets marine makeover

Hyderabad: People were pleasantly surprised when they passed by Tarnaka Metro Station in Secunderabad on Sunday. Some artists were found painting murals on the wall of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) at the Metro Station.

From fish to dolphins, the group created a magical marine ecosystem on the wall. From kids to adults, participants tried their hand to showcase creativity and have fun.

The painting of the public wall was an initiative by CGI, a Canadian IT and business consulting services company. The program is part of their CSI initiatives. CGI collaborated with Surge Impact Foundation, an NGO as its implementing partner. The engineers working in the company's Hyderabad office started the initiative on Sunday morning. Later in the day, the public also joined.

Sandhya, an artist at Surge Impact Foundation said that more than 40 people took part in the program on Sunday. "It was planned to be held from 7 am to 9 am, but some of the participants were so excited that it went on even up to 4 hours. Some passersby also stopped to check it out and later ended up painting. The employees came along with their families. It is also a great opportunity for them to spend time with their families," said Sandhya.

Sandhya particularly remembers one boy who woke up at 4 am and woke his parents up reminding them that they had to go to the painting programme.

"Many people have the skills but do not get enough opportunities to showcase their talents. This would be helpful for such people. Also, creativity comes out of such programs," added Sandhya.

As per the CSR initiative of CGI, every year, they select different areas in the city, work with the community there and try to beautify their surroundings. The initiative started one and a half years ago. In November, the team painted the Nallagandla flyover.

According to sources from the organizing team, since a majority of the IT companies were located in the Cyberabad region, they wanted to expand to other parts of the city and that was how Tarnaka was chosen. The painting on the metro premises is expected to be extended to the walls of the GHMC office in Tarnaka as well as the Osmania University walls.

G Meenakumar, the chief artist of the program hails from Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh. He came to Hyderabad two days before the program to make the rough drawings on the wall. "The water board wanted a water theme on their walls. So we decided to draw some marine animals- dolphins, fish, and plants. I outlined and kept it. Later, people came and painted them.," said Meenakumar.

He expressed his happiness over organizing such events in Hyderabad.