Evelyn Siqueira
India's new and modern parliament building was inaugurated on May 28, 2023, in the nation’s capital, New Delhi, amid much fanfare.
Interestingly, there's a bit of Goa in this building – a huge mural, displayed on a wall within the premises, bears an image of the Goan folk deity, Sheetlai.
Painted in the kaavi style, the artwork represents one of the seven goddess sisters of Goa.
The work has been created by noted Goan artist, Sonia Rodrigues Sabharwal.
Earlier, Sabharwal had been invited by the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, to participate in an artists’ camp in Bihar.
There, Sabharwal was one of 75 artists, who worked on a mural on the theme ‘Jan, Janani, Janmabhumi’ (meaning ‘People, Mother, Motherland’). Many of the artists were recipients of prestigious awards such as the Padma Shri.
Until the end of the camp, the artists were left in the dark about the location where the wall mural would be displayed.
The mural is a total of 9 ft x 80 ft in dimension.