Bengal village embraces artwork on walls, but shuns poll graffiti | Kolkata News

AUSGRAM: “All walls are for art’s sake” is a reality in Labandhara village — also known as ‘Alpana’ village — where political graffiti is strictly prohibited, even during the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. Nestled amid the forest of Borodoba in Ausgram II block, it is a part of the Ausgram assembly in Burdwan East and falls under the Bolpur Lok Sabha seat. Most houses, even those made of mud, have a variety of motifs on their walls.However, nowhere can one trace poll graffiti endorsing candidates. Only a few flags of political parties can be spotted in the village.Prof. Arnab Ghosh of the Annapurna Welfare Association said they had started decking up the walls with paintings of the village in 2019. “Initially, the local Annapurna temple was painted with art designs, as we did not have the money for sprucing up its wallswith marbles or tiles. We took the concept from Santiniketan, where there are many such wall paintings,” he said.Raj Kumar Baidya and Mithun Mondal, two art college students, first took the initiative to paint the walls, and some more later joined them , Ghosh added. One of the artists, Soumen Biswas, who is physically challenged, is also associated with...