When Art Met Bureaucracy: A Comic Tragedy
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Shimla, Dec 28 Ritanjali Hastir
The proverbial saying, “Jiska kaam, usi ko saje aur kare to thainga baje,” (‘जिसका काम उसी को साजै’) takes a comical twist as in a curious turn of events, the Shimla Municipal Corporation’s (MC) decision to entrust the restoration of Prof. M.C. Sexana’s murals to regular wall painters, and the consequences have been nothing short of an artistic tragedy.
Professor MC Saxena’s name, once proudly etched in the intricate details of the mural, has become a casualty of this artistic misadventure as it has been washed out. It’s important to note that the blame doesn’t lie entirely with the hardworking painters; after all, they are merely making ends meet with their skills. The crux of the matter lies in the lack of aesthetic sensibility and oversight from the government and administration.
Prof. M.C. Saxena’s Mural Makeover: Carnival of Misguided Brushes
Had those in power possessed even a modicum of artistic intuition, they would have recognized that mural restoration isn’t a mere slapdash affair of applying paint to a wall. It demands finesse akin to performing delicate surgery on the city’s historical skin—a skill set evidently beyond the grasp of those orchestrating this artistic tragedy.
