Mysuru:  The ambience and environment of Mysuru City Railway Station has undergone a sea-change with the beautification work taken up by the Mysuru Division of the Railways. Each and every place around the Station is not only Spartan clean but also a new dimension is added reflecting the heritage, culture and arts of the city.

As one enters the Station premises, one is welcomed by the soothing green garden called the ‘Vertical Garden’ right at the entrance, a la vertical garden created at the Mysore Palace Board near the Varahaswamy Temple during the Winter Festival. The vertical garden is executed by Engineering Department of Mysuru Railway division. It measures 10 meters X 3 meters which comes up to approximately 322.917 sq.ft. This vertical garden is giving the Station a fresh green look enhancing the visual appeal of the Station building.

CSR Initiatives

The beautification of the Railway Station has been taken up under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. For instance, the four big canvas paintings measuring 14 feet X 8 feet each approximately measuring 112 sqft each and a total of 448 sqft depicting the glorious history of Mysuru dynasty such as Dasara Jumboo Savari and Dasara Durbar, other important events associated with Mysuru’s glorious past has been made under CSR activity. Ranga Rao and Sons and Park Lane Hotel have donated Rs. 1 lakh each for this project. These canvas paintings have been placed in waiting halls at Platform No.1. The artists are students from CAVA (Chamarajendra Academy of Visual Arts).

Concourse Area

The concourse area which is the main entrance of the Railway Station is painted with scenic landscapes depicting the history of Mysuru. It also consists of the scenic blue sky painted on the ceiling of the concourse area. The painted concourse area  enhances the visual appeal of the area and takes the visual feel to a whole new level. The painting in the concourse area was executed by artist Raghu A. Wodeyar and team. Approximately 1,400 sq.ft was painted in this initiative covering the walls and ceiling area.

Paintings in Subway walls

The Railways have used the local talents to a large extent to promote tourism in the city and surrounding areas and the artists from CAVA have painted the entry and exit points of the Subway connecting Platform No.1 and Platform No.6. The iconic Mysore Palace, Chamundi Hill, Silver Jubilee Clock Tower, Mahishasura and Nandi Statues among others speak volumes about the rich history of the city. These painted walls have contributed enormously towards uplifting the visual appeal of the Mysuru Railway station. In the first phase it was done under CSR activity. The total painted area is approximately  7,750.02 sqft.

Apart from Concourse Area, Raghu Wodeyar and team have painted in the second phase, the main Subway connecting to all six platforms of the Station. The subway walls measuring 124 meters X 2.8 meters which is approximately 3,900 sqft has been painted with 3D artwork which depicts Karnataka folk, culture and landscapes. The Railway administration has paid remuneration for buying painting materials and for engaging labourers.

Under Shramadan, all 130 pillars in the Station building were painted by officers and staff in November last year, according to a press release from Dr. S.G. Satish, PRO and Senior Divisional Commercial Manager.