Patna, March 21: Chief minister Nitish Kumar today inspected the venue of Bihar Divas celebrations. He was accompanied by human resource development minister P.K. Shahi and department principal secretary Anjani Kumar Singh.

Nitish appreciated the paintings and designs of international artists who have come to take part in the festival.

He said: “How you artist think is unbelievable. We can’t even imagine such things. This is really good.”

The chief minister also praised the 10-ft-tall replica of spectacles of Mahatma Gandhi, made with barbed wire, depicting Bapu’s struggle during his stay in South Africa. The model has been created by International artist Sanjeev Sinha.

Nitish also liked the “Magic Mountain” prepared by French artist Nelly Mesra, who described her creation in brief.

Statues of Mukhyamantri Balika Cycle Yojana are also installed at the centre of the Bihar Divas venue at Gandhi Maidan. A 20-feet statue of village women has been installed at the centre which is surrounded by 40-feet-wide pond. Nitish will float 99 earthen lamps into the pond tomorrow during the opening day of the Bihar Divas.

Artists participating in various programmes were seen rehearsing before their final act, as onlookers, including many foreign tourists, watched their performance.

The state administration has declared a state holiday tomorrow to give everyone an opportunity to enjoy the opening ceremony that would be inaugurated by Nitish.