Weather in art

The murals performed by Delhi Street Art reflect various aspects of the weather prediction on the walls of the Meteorological Building on Lodhi Road. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Rabindranath Tagore, prestigious poet, artist and Nobel Prize winner, India Meteorological Department (IMD), have a connection with the government’s primary agency for weather forecast and climate services.

His wife and he will sit under a tree in IMD Calcutta, where it was headquartered in 1875 when it was established by the British. This little -known story is one of the several highlights of ‘Open Art Museum’ at Meteorological Bhawan on Lodhi Road.

In its sesquicentennial year, IMD invited Delhi Street Art (DSA) to make 38 murals on its building. Some murals are large as 20 feet x 8 feet. The work done by the Ministry of Earth Sciences put 40 artists for weaving a story around the weather for four weeks, such as mythology, its celebrations, the history of IMD and the technology used for the weather predictions.

There are references to enlightenment, who are politicians, who are believed to use data to predict weather; Kalidasa, Meghdoot for his epic poetry in which the ‘monsoon’ is the main element and; Tansen, who could call the rain with his voice.

Furore painted by Delhi Street Art on Meteorological Building on Lodhi Road. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Artists have also put a spotlight on the technology of IMD which issues weather patterns and timely alerts in support of farmers and fishermen. The panels show an upcoming cyclone, an official warning fisher with an upcoming cyclone, and an official warning fissure. DSA director Mayuri Saini says, “Satellite has become a popular place for selfie.” She says, “We have also made a list of dos and dons during the season like Heatwaves or Cyclone.

The practice was not only an opportunity to celebrate 150 years of IMD, but also paying tribute to an engineer Yogesh Saini, who moved from America to Delhi with a vision to beautify the city environment and enable people to join it. He established the DSA 13 years ago and depicted the garbage cans in Lodhi Garden as his first project. Yogesh died last year and Mayuri feels that DSA has come in full cycle.

The stimulating fantasy on the walls of the weather building is appealing with Cherry Blossom blooming in Shillong, people are going to the mountains in jeeps, the most rainy scenes in India – Mavasinram in Meghalaya – Mavasinram in Meghalaya – and three people are wearing hurry raincoats in place, and once affect the portrayal of Havildar. Information expresses different types of subjects.

DSA has made several public art work across the city in the interior circle of Connaught Place, Moolchand Flyover, Shankar Market, many schools and a series of internal circles before the G20 summit last September.

Says Mayauri, “Many of these murals have been given a transient nature of road art. It cannot go for 100 years, subject to nature’s vagina, seepage etc.