Murals of Dhoni, TN cricketers adorn the walls of Chepauk Stadium

CHENNAI: When Rupa Gurunath from Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) approached artist Varshini Ramakrishnan for a mural makeover of Chepauk Stadium, she didn’t expect the project to have a global reach. The recent stunning murals on the exterior and interior walls of the stadium are part of the stadium renovation process. Inside the gallery, there are murals of former and current players from Tamil Nadu. The team has illustrated R Ashwin, Venkataraghavan and Kris Srikanth cutouts along with their inspirational cricket quotes. Varshini and the team are in the process of illustrating many other TN cricketers which will be installed soon.

A huge mural of Dhoni on one of the outside walls has caught the attention of Dhoni fans across the world. Artist Varshini says, “We submitted various concepts for the ‘Dhoni mural’ and TNCA zeroed in on one. The mural is a tribute to Dhoni’s achievements. The mural is abstract with vibrant colours that match Chennaiites’ love for Dhoni. My husband and partner Vinay Kumar and I designed the mural and it was handpainted by Akhil from 108 Collective, who is also our production team. We finished this mural art in just 20 days. Akhil has done various mural arts in different parts of the city.” Varshini and Vinay run a design company called New Folder Design.

This mural beautification was done at Chepauk as part of the upcoming museum and stadium tour for the public. This idea was an initiative and brainchild of Rupa Gurunath, former TNCA president.

Varshini reminisces about the day when the team started painting the ‘Dhoni mural’. “The CSK team just landed in the stadium for their practice matches and it was a surreal moment for us. I am not sure whether Dhoni has seen us working on the mural. But chances are there,” she smiles.

The artist adds that the response to all mural work at the stadium has been overwhelming. “Team CSK shared the pictures of the murals on their social media. We got an amazing response from people across the globe. Many shared our artwork and some ‘thala’ fans were eager to take photos of them standing next to the mural. This project was a collaborative effort where TNCA authorities were very helpful in collating historic data about Chepauk. We are thankful to the TNCA for this opportunity,” quips Varshini.

Talking to DT Next about other murals, she says, “We wanted the press conference room as a space to reflect the iconic headlines and articles over the years. We created a combination of illustrated cutouts of yesteryear players and their iconic headlines installed on the wall with the abstract art of Chepauk stadium acting as a background. This room conveyed many cricket stories.”

At the TNCA office lobby, there is an installation art which is “street light to floodlight” – it depicts the journey of a cricket enthusiast to a professional cricketer and how TNCA supports and trains Tamil Nadu players to play nationally.

“The installation is a collection of wooden cutouts layered to create the art installation.”