An artisan works on a statute at Gandhi Maidan in Patna on Sunday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Patna, March 11: Visitors to the Bihar Divas function at Gandhi Maidan would be treated to a display of the state’s journey from its rich heritage to contemporary development.

The theme of the three-day-long celebration — scheduled to begin on March 22 — is Virasat se Vikas ki Aur (heritage to development), said Alok Jain, a Patna-based artist who is overseeing the decoration work at Gandhi Maidan.

He told The Telegraph: “According to the theme, we want to show the heritage as well as the development of the state. As we are celebrating the centenary of the state, a large mountain-like structure would be built on the main stage. On the side of the mountain, we would carve the figure 100. This structure would be 40ft-long.”

Around 150 carpenters and artisans are working round-the-clock to deck up Gandhi Maidan in time for the festival. They started work a week ago and are likely to complete it by March 18.

Jain said: “The main stage would be one of its kind. It would be adorned with Plaster of Paris sculptures like a replica of Ashokan pillars, Lord Buddha and girls riding bicycles.”

The stage would also depict popular historic sites of the state, including Manersharif, Pawapuri and Nalanda. These would be carved around the base. “Sher Shah Suri’s tomb (at Sasaram), Nalanda University, Manersharif and Pawapuri would also be a part of our artwork,” said Jain.

He added: “We would also have artwork depicting various development project started by the current government, like Mukhiyamantri Balika Cycle Yojana. Apart from this, there would also be artwork depicting the Gangetic dolphin, Shaheed Smarak, Champaran Yatra of Gandhi, women observing Chhath rituals and Harmandir Sahib of Patna City.”

Jain said one piece of art would surely surprise the visitors: this sculpture would depict village girls working on laptops. Asked about his inspiration for this particular sculpture, Jain told The Telegraph: “Recently, I visited a village, where I spotted village girls working on laptops. I captured the moments on my camera. When I got this project to design the main stage for Bihar Divas celebration, I thought that by showcasing the photo I had clicked through my sculpture, I would be able to depict the development in the state.”

Around Rs 10 lakh is being spent to construct the stage, added Jain.