Art works of Kishore Kumar Rai on display in Purnea. Picture by Mukesh Kumar Jha

Purnea, Aug. 16: A gallery on water boosted the patriotic fervour of Purnea residents on Independence Day.

Kishore Kumar Rai, popularly known as Gulluda to his friends and acquaintances, inaugurated an art exhibition of floating portraits at Gullu’s Gallery.

Visitors to the Azad Colony arcade can view 25 portraits of famous personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, Subhas Chandra Bose and Rabindranath Tagore floating on water in steel plates.

Rai told The Telegraph: “I have used my skill and experience to blend oil and colour in different proportions to create the portraits that float on water. I have used photographs of famous personalities available easily to create these works of art.”

Sources said hundreds of people have already visited the exhibition.

Sukh Nagar resident Pravin Kumar, who visited Gullu’s Galary yesterday, said: “It was wonderful to see his tribute to freedom fighters on Independence Day.”

On the inspiration for the exhibition, Rai said: “The country pays homage to its freedom fighters. I wanted to do my bit. It is a dream come true for me.” He added that the exhibition has received good response. “There was a crowd at the exhibition all through the day. Besides the people I invited, a number of residents from various parts of the town came to see my work. All of them appreciated the portraits,” said Rai.