Bengaluru airport unveils art installation Meghdoot: Here's how netizens reacted

The big black cloud in Bengaluru airport is making waves on social media. The installation, Meghdoot was created by artist Shanthamani Muddhaiah and is now placed at Terminal 2 of Kempegowda International Airport. The cloud is suspended above the International Boarding Pier and aims to give visual expression to Kalidasa’s 4th Century Sanskrit poem Meghaduta. For the unversed, Kalidasa's Meghaduta (The Cloud Messenger) is a 5th-century Sanskrit lyric poem about a banished nature spirit (Yaksha) who, pining for his wife in the Himalayas, pleads with a passing monsoon cloud to carry his message of love to her.

Big black cloud in Bengaluru airport brings classic literature to life; but receives criticism from citizens

This piece of art consists of wood charcoal, cotton rag pulp and carbon fibre. As it is a deep shade of black, it resembles a heavy monsoon cloud. The use of motifs on the surface of the piece result in a warped-looking effect. This effect was created on purpose because it draws attention to an important issue related to the environment. The artist draws attention to the urgency of the global warming crisis and the imbalance between Earth and the sky.

How the netizens reacted to this new instillation?

The big black cloud in Bengaluru airport received disappointment from the netizens. A lot of boarders are saying that it is not going with the whole team and the aesthetics of T2. One person said, “I’m sorry Bengaluru airport, but this looks just plain ugly. Trying to create poetic references doesn’t change that fact. It’s esp stark because in general, @BLRAirport is one of the best in the country in terms of its aesthetic appeal. You guys just mis-stepped here.” Another person, “Remove the ugly prop and apologise for wasting taxpayers money on such horrible piece. Recover the cost from the so called artist.” Another X user suggested to change it to a more summery or spring-like cloud, “Dark clouds are hardly appropriate for an airport... Make it more wispy and light which looks more like spring or summer clouds to celebrate than ominous ones to steer clear of. Come on, you are an airport, ask a few pilots what they think.”

The big black cloud in Bengaluru airport appears to merge downward rather than float freely. This raises questions about our relationship with nature. According to Shanthamani Muddhaiah, the artist, she explores social contradictions through her artwork. By using charcoal to create images of a black cloud, she creates pieces that appear to float down from the sky instead of floating freely. The material she uses is in between wood and ash; as such, charcoal represents the transitional nature of modern life and that life has to deal with the tension and change that comes from the changing world.

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