Kathmandu:

After the successful staging of BP Koirala’s play Ek Raat on February 23 in Kathmandu, an art exhibition based on the play was inaugurated at the Siddhartha Art Gallery, Babermahal on February 24 by the Indian ambassador Shiv Shankar Mukherjee.

“I was requested to do a workshop, but felt that it would not be sufficient to incorporate BP Koirala’s contribution to politics and literature. So I decided to do this kind of a programme,” says Ragini Upadhyay-Grela.

The art exhibition was organised on her request.

Paintings by Nepali artists like Ratan Kumar Rai, Hridaya Ballav Pandey, Radheshyam Mulmi, Ragini Upadhyay-Grela, Chanda Shrestha, Durga Baral and Indian artists S Pranam Singh, DP Mohanty, Hiralal Prajapati, Santosh Kumar Singh, Vijay Singh and Dr Shivnath decorated the halls of the gallery. Each conveyed the story of bravery, sacrifice and freedom in its own artistic way.

As Upadhyay-Grela put it, “My paintings showcase the time of 2022 BS and 2062 BS as well, the changing situation and the freedom gained,” adding, “Revolutions do not happen at once. It is a gradual process, and the attempt made at that time has helped in today’s revolution as well, which is evident from the play and the paintings as well.”

“I was well-versed with the play and I think this helped me include extra ideas to my paintings. Besides the play, I had the chance to read the letter written by a friend of the protagonist depicting his condition in jail. That is what I have tried to capture in my paintings,” says artist Ratan Rai.

Gopal Bagley, Consular at the Indian Embassy said, “Ek Raat has been shown in two different genres of art, and both have done it beautifully and are very relevant in today’s context.” He added, “Though Koirala is known among the previous generation for his contributions even in India, today’s youth are not that aware of it and doing a show in Benares has certainly contributed in making his name familiar once more.”

The exhibition, organised by the embassy of India and BP Koirala India-Nepal Foundation, is on till March 10.