'Painters' find canvas at Ganga ghats

VARANASI: In an unusual move, a group of students led by their art-loving teacher has taken to cleaning and painting the ghats of the Ganga. However, the district administration, believed to be working for the cleaning and beautification of the ghats, is oblivious to any such activity. The 'painters' group constitutes of students of fine arts from Banaras Hindu University and Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth. They are working under Kamla Singh, a professional painter who also runs an art gallery apart from teaching painting to poor students for free. The painting and cleaning by Singh and his students began at Rana Mahal Ghat almost two months ago. They are now planning to do the same at other ghats too."The students are extending support in cleaning and beautification of ghats. Apart from adding colours, it will improve the sanitation conditions at the Rana Mahal Ghat which was earlier stinking like a public urinal. We are using natural colours that are harmless," said Singh. Singh However, he admits the group has not sought permission from any administrative agency. "The administration does nothing about the ghats lying in pathetic conditions throughout the year. Why should we seek their permission? In fact, many officers from Varanasi Municipal Corporation and some from the district administration have visited the Rana Mahal Ghat and appreciated our efforts," he added.While the authorities say they will ensure that the historic ghats are preserved and protected, this shows they continue to indulge in gross negligence by not checking what is going on at the ghats.Though locals and visitors are happy with the move, the local and district administrations seem to be clueless. District magistrate Pranjal Yadav was unaware of any such activity at the ghats when TOI contacted him."This is for the first time that I heard of some thing like this. No such activities should take place at the ghats, the least without official permission. I will ensure that it stops," said Yadav. The district administration has been playing an active role in getting rid of the enamel paint that is believed to be causing damage to the sand stones at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.According to regional archaeological officer Subhash Chandra Yadav, any kind of activity including painting that alters the original look of the ghats should be and actually is, prohibited."I am shocked to learn that such activities are being carried on for so many days now. No matter what kind of colour is being used for the purpose, anything that tampers with the originality of the look of the ghats that have been valued over centuries is totally unacceptable. I shudder to imagine the condition of them a few years later. We will see lines painted in hues of red, blue and yellow. I am amazed that they managed to do it for so long without any administrative intervention," said Yadav. The administration must maintain the sanitation and beauty of the ghats and take guidance from experts for their maintenance, he added.Meanwhile at the river bank, Girish from BHU, one of the painters, says that the ghat stairs look cleaner and have greenery around them now. There are even plants placed on the stairs. This makes people think twice before throwing a piece of paper there, he says.Apart from these fine arts students, some locals and foreign tourists have also tried their hands at painting the walls and stairs of the ghat. Not only this, a wall has section that is used for slogan and message writing to sensitize the masses towards the environment. The board is flooded with messages.