Pune: The spirit of courage and patriotism emerged out of noted artist Achyut Palav’s calligraphy on canvas, as he skilfully brought to life the spirit of Shivaji Maharaj through his paint brush.Hundreds of Puneites thronged the J M Road on Tuesday, as the Times Pune smART Week paid tribute to one of the greatest heroes in history – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – through an ensemble of Indian Martial Arts, Powada and Calligraphy, called Shiv Mudra.During the course of this display of finesse, he placed a large canvas on the ground on which he etched a tribute to those who lost their lives in the Pulwama terror attack recently. Commemorating the bravehearts, he wrote, ‘Jo shaheed huye hai unki zara yaad karo kurbani’.Speaking to TOI on the sidelines of the event, Palav said, “The 40x4ft acrylic artwork depicts who Shivaji Maharaj was — an embodiment of heroism.”Soon after, the daring girls from Shiv Sanskar Pratishthan demonstrated combat techniques through the use of weapons from Shivaji Maharaj’s period. The Powada by Shahir Krushnat Patil, expressed the spirit of Shiv-bhakti. Kolhapur-based Manisha Misal, who was part of this troupe, said, “We showed the audience how Shivaji Maharaj had fought, thus giving the audience a glimpse of his bravery.”A member of the audience and a city-based artist, was spotted gazing at the colourful canvas with admiration. “This initiative brings out art in so many colours. It’s bringing art to the city by way of J M Road, which is almost at the heart of the city. Tuesday was also Shiv Jayanti, and the event paid tribute to the hero in a heartening way,” she said.The art installations across the city are becoming a huge attraction, especially with people who love taking selfies before them.Cine-lovers were also taken back in time with the classic ‘Gulacha Ganapati’ on Tuesday, and were left awestruck by the latest Indian movie to hit the Oscar screening, ‘Dear Molly’.Furthermore, Parthajeet Sarma’s design-thinking workshop attracted design enthusiasts from across the city. Artist Amit Dhane conducted a live portrait painting demo at Raja Ravi Varma Art Gallery. Talks on management strategies of Shivaji by Ajit Apte and ‘Rock-cut Architecture and Caves’ by Manjiri Bhalerao garnered much appreciation.Times Pune smART Week has also inspired children from different schools to present their ideas on Smart Pune in the form of large format paintings.In a drawing competition that was held over the previous weekend, wonderful ideas and artworks were created by these children.On Wednesday, Times Pune smART Week will present a selection of these art pieces in a Children’s Smart Pune art installation which will be inaugurated by Sheetal Bapat, founder of Shyamchi Aai Foundation at 12:30 pm.The unique installation will represent a townscape, and would be on display at the Raja Ravi Varma Art Gallery until February 24.Among other events lined-up for Wednesday, there will also be an open-mic stage for citizens to showcase their talents at Sambhaji Park, registration for which can be made through the Times Pune smART Week website. Participants can book a preferred time and date slot.

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