Mananthavady: Forest Department authorities in Wayanad district of Kerala have turned to art to spread the message of protecting nature among the public.
They have engaged two artists to create paintings on the history, culture and life of Wayanad - a district renowned for its closeness to nature - on the compound wall of Forest Department’s staff quarters near Mananthavady bus stand.
The artists, Anees Mananthavady and Umesh Vismayam, are currently engaged in painting various aspects of Wayanad on the 300-m-long wall.
Tribal life, military campaign and more
Their beautiful artworks deal with topics such as tribal life, ancient Veda kingdom, military campaign of Tipu Sultan, Wayanad ghat road, Karinthandan, arrival of the British, battles between the British and Pazhassi Raja, setting up of tea and teak plantations, landlord system, migration from other areas, threat posed by wildlife, coffee and pepper cultivation, tribal communities which shifted to towns from the forest, protection of the environment, fencing to prevent wildlife attacks, adverse effects of deforestation and afforestation.
Posters to paintings
The compound wall where the stunning paintings are being created is located beside the Mananthavady-Kozhikode road. Earlier, posters and advertisements had defaced the wall and the North Wayanad DFO Martin Lovell along with Mananthavady range officer Ramya Raghavan came up with the plan to turn it into a canvas.
