Artist contributes to Anna cause

BHUBANESWAR: Anna Hazare's crusade against corruption has enthused some of his supporters to express solidarity with the activist in innovative ways. Many like to fast with the Gandhian, shout slogans or rally on the roads for the cause of the Jan Lokpal Bill, but city-based artist Chintamani Biswal has chosen to express his support by painting ahuge 12ft x 10ft canvas, depicting the crusader and his cause.
"I thought of doing something unique and different so I decided to express my support to Anna Hazare and his cause through my art. Whatever Anna is doing is not for himself but for a common cause, and all of us must come forward to support him," Biswal said. Biswal, a post graduate in fine arts from B K Art College, took four hours to complete the portrait of Anna with the tri-colour as its background.
"I will display the portrait at a major location of the city so that people can get inspired to support Anna even more. I also advised my students to come up with small paintings on the theme of Anna and his crusade so that we can create awareness among many more," Biswal said. In another innovative endeavour, a group of volunteers have decided to launch the campaign among commuters in city buses. "We are travelling from one end of the city to the other and spreading the message of anti-corruption and Jan Lokpal Bill among commuters. We are spending a few rupees on bus fair but are including a large number of people in the movement," said Nanda Kishore Das, a volunteer.