Sir,

While reading the thought- provoking article titled ‘We need public art’ by Vikram Muthanna (SOM dated Mar.7) in his column In Black & White, I was reminded of my fascinating travel to Montreal.

Montreal is designated as a City of Design under the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. And the city does its best to keep its design culture alive.

The beautiful stained glass facade of the Convention Centre, Palais des Congres, throwing colourful sunlight all around, the laser light display on the otherwise rather plain University of Quebec building, the countless public art installations by reputed artists dotting the city, and the landscaped public square in the Latin quarter are some of the things that I recall. The city is culturally moored in design.

Mysuru city is rich in art and culture and has so much intrinsic beauty in its design. The newly-installed statuary, Life is a journey, at the Railway Station is world class. The proposal to install Swami and Friends near the home of their creator is an exciting idea. It is indeed a great idea to re-invent Mysuru as a city of design. I do hope an imaginative Government and generous Mysureans keep the trend going. Maybe we can soon be the first UNESCO city of design in India!

– Dr. Usha Srinath, Saraswathipuram, 8.3.2020

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