Odisha's culture to be on display on Rajdhani Express

Odisha's art, culture and heritage along with advertisements of an aluminium major will be on display on the exteriors of Rajdhani Express between Bhubaneswar and New Delhi. An agreement was signed between East Coast Railway (ECoR) and National Aluminium Company (NALCO) in this regard on Monday.

The NALCO will sponsor high-quality designs on vinyl wrapping sheets to drape the exteriors of the premier train.

The designs will be based on three themes dance forms, archaeological monuments and flora and fauna of the state.

These designs will be placed between the glass windows on the exterior side. There will be two more strips, one at the top and the other at the bottom, reflecting various designs in traditional 'Pattachitra' form.

An ECoR official said that each coach will have a distinct display.

"It will go a long way in promoting tourism and traditional art of the state,' Ajoy Behera, principal chief commercial manager of the East Coast Railway (ECoR), said.

The NALCO's designs and logos will also be featured on the coaches.

Reputed designers and agencies have been engaged for the project, to be commissioned within a month.

There are three rakes of Rajdhani Express and each rake consists of about 15 coaches. NALCO will pay Rs 1 crore for each rake, totalling Rs 3 crore, as advertisement revenue to the ECoR.

Noted personalities, including actor Nandita Das, singer Prafulla Kar, danseuse Ileana Citaristi and sculptor Sudarshan Sahu have lauded the effort.

"This initiative will not only pave the way for increasing the tourism potential of Odisha, but also create employment opportunities as people across the country will learn about the popular tourist spots, along with the rich culture of the state," they were quoted as saying in a press release issued by NALCO.