RAMANDEEP KAUR NT KURIOCITY
A 10×10-foot floor portrait created using over 8,500 pieces of chalk commemorated the birth anniversary of Goa’s first woman Chief Minister, Shashikala Kakodkar, at Balkrishna Bandodkar Education Society’s Shrimati High School, Velguem, on January 7.
The installation, led by the school’s art teacher Yogesh Vishnu Kauthankar and created overnight with the help of students, alumni and staff, was set up on the school’s open-air stage, usually used for cultural programmes and gatherings. Work began at 6 p.m. and was completed by 6 a.m. the next morning. It is visible from all levels of the school’s C-shaped building, which allows every student and visitor to admire it from above.
“We wanted to honour her using something that connects directly to education,” says Kauthankar. “Chalk is used in every classroom so we felt it was the perfect material.”
He explains that since chalk is usually available in only a few basic colours, students experimented by soaking chalk pieces in liquid pigments to create custom shades. Of the 10 hues used in the portrait, six were handmade by the students themselves. However, capturing facial features was the most challenging part of the process.
The portrait will be on display until January 17, after which the chalk will be reused in classrooms. According to Kauthankar, this is the first time in India that a portrait of this scale has been created using chalk as a mosaic medium. While he has previously made a smaller chalk portrait of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he describes this installation as his most ambitious project so far.
The school is known for its eco-friendly approach to art. For festivals and special occasions, the school creates installations using natural and sustainable materials such as flowers, leaves, coconut shells, seeds and
recycled notebooks.
The school, founded by Goa’s first Chief Minister, Dayanand ‘Bhausaheb’ Bandodkar, is managed by the Bandodkar family. His daughter, Shashikala Kakodkar, later carried forward his legacy in education, and her son, Yatin Kakodkar, currently the school’s chairman.
For over a decade, the institution has honoured the Bandodkar legacy by observing their birth and death anniversaries, with Kauthankar designing floral tributes at their samadhi using only fresh flowers and natural materials. “These initiatives, supported by the school management, staff and the government, show our respect for our roots,” he adds. Earlier, the school also created floral decorations for the 60th Goa Revolution Day celebrations, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “It was a proud moment
for us,” he says.
