Basanth Peringode’s Kerala murals selected for permanent display at Rashtrapati Bhavan

The Rashtrapati Bhavan museum will permanently display mural works by Basanth Peringode, bringing Keralam’s traditional art into a collection visited by thousands of people from India and abroad.

Keralam murals chosen for permanent display

Peringode, a renowned mural artist, art director and production designer, was among a select group of eminent artists chosen from across the country for the project.

He was specially invited by the Rashtrapati Bhavan authorities to create works for permanent display at the museum.

The works are rooted in Keralam’s distinctive artistic and cultural heritage and will form part of the museum’s permanent collection.

Their inclusion gives visitors a glimpse of the State’s celebrated mural tradition within one of the country’s most prominent cultural institutions.

For the project, Peringode spent several days in Delhi, staying at the presidential estate and working under the direct supervision of the authorities.

He completed the commissioned works during his stay at the estate.

The Keralam mural paintings emerged as a major attraction of the project.

The works bring together the distinctive aesthetics, iconography and visual vocabulary of the traditional mural tradition.

They drew appreciation from both Rashtrapati Bhavan authorities and visitors.

An artist across several creative fields

Peringode is a former faculty member of the Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit and has worked across several creative fields.

He has served as art director for numerous films and has received several awards and recognitions for his contributions to the arts.

His works have been showcased in exhibitions in India and abroad.

His artistic interventions have also featured in beautification projects at several airports across the country.

The Rashtrapati Bhavan project therefore adds a new public and institutional setting to a career that has included murals, cinema, exhibitions and public art.

It also places his work within a permanent museum display rather than limiting it to a temporary exhibition.

Recognition from President Droupadi Murmu

Peringode received a special honour and acknowledgement from President Droupadi Murmu in appreciation of his artistic contribution.

“This is the second time I have been invited to Rashtrapati Bhavan. I have also been invited to participate in another major project to be organised at the presidential estate,” Peringode said.

His remarks indicate that the Rashtrapati Bhavan project is not his first association with the presidential estate.

They also refer to his invitation to participate in another major project there.

For Keralam, the inclusion of its traditional art in the permanent display of the Rashtrapati Bhavan museum is more than an individual artistic achievement.

It places the State’s mural heritage on one of the country’s most prestigious cultural stages.

For Peringode, the project marks another significant milestone in a career that has carried the colours and visual legacy of Keralam to a national audience.

Source: The Hindu